WI: Napoleon goes to Ireland instead of Egypt

I'm not an expert in the time period, but at least most of us know about Napoleon Bonaparte's disastrous campaign in Egypt.
But nappy had another option at the time: British-controlled Ireland. The island was going through a rebellion in the year of 1798, and it was getting crushed without major support. There was a french effort to support the rebellion, but it was too disorganised.
What if Napoleon decided to postpone or just cancel his plans of curtailing british access to the Red Sea and to their colonies in the Indian Ocean, instead concentrating his efforts into creating an independent irish state breathing right on the british metaphorical neck?
-Could his supplies and soldiers have possibly relieved the war effort in the island?
-Could Ireland become independent for a lasting future with success?
-How would such an invasion affect the napoleonic wars?
-How would the british react to such a situation?
-What kind of armaments would Napoleon require for such an invasion? Could Robert Fulton be involved in the invasion, with his inventions? Is there a competent general, terrestrial or naval, to help Napoleon in the invasion?
 
There was a short story in one of those What If books which I forget the title to that had a scenario where a French General liberates Ireland before Napoleon rises to power thus circumventing him in history . . . Can't recall its title.
 
Various what-ifs are written on the effect that General Bonaparte might have had on the French Revolution if he had not been lost with his army during the Battle of the Irish Sea.

With the whole of the Mediterranean to hide in the fleet heading to Egypt only just missed Nelson's fleet - if trying to get to Ireland there are many more British vessels to avoid and the British will be paying a lot more attention to Ireland particularly if there's a rebellion underway.
 
I suspect it would end much the same as the Egyptian adventure did. Boney would have to sneak back though the British blockade in a small vessel, while leaving his army to surrender to the British on whatever terms it could get.
 
the first attempt was in 1796 before nap.
Expédition d'Irlande
The Expédition d'Irlande ("Expedition to Ireland") was an unsuccessful attempt by the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen, a popular rebel Irish republican group, in their planned rebellion against British rule. The French intended to land a large expeditionary force in Ireland during the winter of 1796–1797 which would join with the United Irishmen and drive the British out of Ireland. The French anticipated that this would be a major blow to British morale, prestige and military effectiveness, and was also intended to possibly be the first stage of an eventual invasion of Britain itself. To this end, the French Directory gathered a force of approximately 15,000 soldiers at Brest under General Lazare Hoche during late 1796, in readiness for a major landing at Bantry Bay in December.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expédition_d'Irlande


Another attempt was made in 1798.
On 22 August, nearly two months after the main uprisings had been defeated, about 1,000 French soldiers under General Humbert landed in the north-west of the country, at Kilcummin in County Mayo. Joined by up to 5,000 local rebels, they had some initial success, inflicting a humiliating defeat on the British in Castlebar (also known as the Castlebar races to commemorate the speed of the retreat) and setting up a short-lived "Republic of Connacht". This sparked some supportive risings in Longford and Westmeath which were quickly defeated, and the main force was defeated at the battle of Ballinamuck, in County Longford, on 8 September 1798. The French troops who surrendered were repatriated to France in exchange for British prisoners of war, but hundreds of the captured Irish rebels were executed. This episode of the 1798 Rebellion became a major event in the heritage and collective memory of the West of Ireland and was commonly known in Irish as Bliain na bhFrancachand in English as "The Year of the French".[21]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Rebellion_of_1798#Counter-insurgency_and_repression
 
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raharris1973

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I suspect it would end much the same as the Egyptian adventure did. Boney would have to sneak back though the British blockade in a small vessel, while leaving his army to surrender to the British on whatever terms it could get.

Boney could try, but he faces a much greater chance of being caught by the British trying sneak through Irish waters than the Mediterranean, making the scenario below more probable:

Various what-ifs are written on the effect that General Bonaparte might have had on the French Revolution if he had not been lost with his army during the Battle of the Irish Sea.

Also, the Egyptian campaign could be sold in advance to the Directory as not only harming British interests, but protecting and expanding France's own interests in Egypt and the Levant, whereas Ireland's positive value to France is very little except insofar as it is a nuisance to Britain.
 
Boney could try, but he faces a much greater chance of being caught by the British trying sneak through Irish waters than the Mediterranean, making the scenario below more probable:



Also, the Egyptian campaign could be sold in advance to the Directory as not only harming British interests, but protecting and expanding France's own interests in Egypt and the Levant, whereas Ireland's positive value to France is very little except insofar as it is a nuisance to Britain.

I would not term losing Ireland as a "nuisance" to Britain.

First, it is the breadbasket of Britain, ensuring the food supply (Britain always imported), not to mention being a major textile and shipbuilding location.
Second, in this time period, Ireland is about 1/3 of Britain and Ireland's population and provided a huge portion of George III's naval and army manpower (the Catholic restrictions having been lifted in the American War of Independence).
Third, the prevailing winds, I believe, go from west to east, thus giving Ireland's occupiers the advantage of initiative in any engagement. This severely opens up Britain itself to invasion.
Also, it allows a perfect base to cut off British trade with the Americas.

Yes, the trade of the Levant would be nice for France but losing Ireland would utterly cripple Britain's demographic, military and economic capacity to fight the war. I'm actually surprised that so little effort was paid by France in this war to encourage rebellion. It would have taken only a small amount of France's resources but a huge portions of Britain's.

One possible explanation is that the French Revolution was considered by the Irish clergy as the living embodiment of the anti-Christ, something that made even the hated English look good in comparison.
 
Britain would have won, but it's easy to see this becoming a British Vendee. And one big effect: assuming the revolt takes a while to put down, the first Irish revolt would be emphatically based on the enlightenment, with Protestant leaders.
 
Britain would have won, but it's easy to see this becoming a British Vendee. And one big effect: assuming the revolt takes a while to put down, the first Irish revolt would be emphatically based on the enlightenment, with Protestant leaders.

I am not that sure that Britain would have won. And as you noticed, Ireland's uprising in 1796/98 was much more national and revolutionary than religious. The irish catholic in fact played no big part in it and even did not support it. The irish catholic church later forged the myth of a catholic uprising which favoured it.

The difficulty for any invader was crossing through the Britishnaval forces. But once crossed, with enough french support and ammunitions, there could be much more effect than the Castlebar race. And once the irish seize effective control of Ireland away from british forces, it will be far more complicated to take control back for Britain.
 
One idea I've kicked around in a couple places is Napoleon taking a page from the Spartans; not wanting to risk the deaths of their own citizens, their armies were usually made up of allies and mercenaries, but were commanded by Spartans according to a pattern of a commander with about thirty staff. They were unique among Classical Greek armies in that they had a detailed officer hierarchy, trained in formation drill, and could maneuver on the battlefield. The Spartans made their allies far more effective fighters by training them in this way, even if they resented it.

Sending military missions to all of Britain's colonial enemies to train them in French drill to me seems like a better option than the Continental System in terms of striking at Britain. American performance in the War of 1812 became much better after Winfield Scott began training American soldiers along French lines, and I could see the Irish legion being cannibalized to provide cadre for an Irish rebellion closer to home. Providing the Maratha with increased Western military expertise would allow Napoleon to threaten Canada, Ireland, and India simultaneously if he could get the relatively small numbers of French officers in theatre.
 
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