The politics of law and order in Ireland, 1794-8

Abstract

In essence this thesis is an examination of the law and order policy adopted by the Irish government in the period from 1794 to 1798. This involves an investigation of the motivation behind the formation of that policy, the manner in which it was implemented, and the consequences of its implementation for the kingdom as a whole. I have concentrated my attention on a number of subjects which have either been neglected or misrepresented by historians in the past. One of these subjects comprises the circumstances surrounding the dispatch of Earl Carhampton to Connaught in May 1795. Contrary to the prevailing interpretation of this episode, that Carhampton was responsible for illegally transporting over a thousand suspects as recruits to the navy, I have shown that the pace of events in Connaught was set not by Carhampton but by a local gentry faction who combined a vigorous anti-catholicism with a heavy handed approach to security issues. I have also endeavoured to illustrate that the numbers sent from the west of Ireland to the fleet were far less than the estimates which are usually given.