Bill Carpenter March 17, 2011 at 1:10 pm

There is a lot going on in this document. Washington was very likely commenting on the actions of the Irish Parliament in passing free trade legislation in their attempt “to restore to a brave and generous people their ancient rights and freedom”. At this point the Irish Parliament was completely subordinate to that of Great Britain, and for the previous several decades, politically active Irish Protestants (calling themselves Patriots) had been agitating for independence from English economic control. The American revolutionary leaders were very familiar with this struggle, and borrowed much from its literature. Many Irish, particularly those Presbyterians in Ulster who likely had recently sent family members over to North America, initially wholeheartedly supported the American bid for independence. When France joined the American cause, however, the stepped-up war effort drained Ireland of most of its British soldiers, leaving the island vulerable to French invasion. To counter this threat, the Irish formed independent paramilitary corps collectively called the Volunteers. This body of armed men (mostly, but not exclusively, Protestant) formed a political pressure group that by 1782 succeeded in bringing about reforms to the relationship between Britain and Ireland that gave the Irish Parliament nearly complete legislative independence, at least until the Act of Union of 1800, following on the heels of the bloody 1798 rebellion (inspired by the French Revolution), created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that lasts in truncated form to this day.

That Washington was commenting on the Irish Patriot struggle in 1780 is remarkable. It is also remarkable to see St. Patrick’s Day in a context before the association of that day with a militant Irish Catholic nationalism we will see with the post-Famine Irish immigrants in America.

Meredith Stewart March 30, 2011 at 3:22 pm

Bill, Thank you so much for your expert analysis on this order from George Washington granting Saint Patrick’s Day a holiday. Thank you for providing us with important context for this document.