In the winter on 1798, rebellion broke out in western Clare, but was quickly dealt with by Vandaleur's Kilrush Yeomanry, officers and seamen of His Majesty's gunboats.
However, in January 1799, the area between Miltown Malbay, Ennistymon and Corofin fell into a full-on state of rebellion. Triggered by the landlords recent switch to grazing (depriving small tenants of their tillage land) rebels raided the homes of landlords, attacking their livestock and cutting down woodland.
On market day in Ennistymon, and a large number of rebels gathered in the town to put on a demonstration of their power. They were there to fight for their rights and were ready to take on any opposition. Not in the least bit interested in establishing a republic or in promoting the idea of the "common name of Irishmen", these men were seeking the immediate relief of their intolerable misery and the alleviation of the vile conditions and grevious oppression under which they lived.
Read the full story of the Co. Clare Rebellion here: Clare Library 1798 Rebellion
