WI: The Irish Rebellion of 1798 had suceeded?

[tubendo]

In 1798, an organised rebellion in Ireland occurred, which was heavily inspired by the recent French and American revolutions. The First French Republic did send a rather large force of 14,000 to Ireland but due to storms they could not land and gave up on the Irish. Let's say if the fleet was sent a month later or earlier, landed in Munster and assisted the 50,000 organised Irish rebels under Wolfe Tone, succeeded in pushing the British forces off the island.

What is the change in the geopolitical situation in Europe with a pro-French independent Ireland? What do the Irish do after their victory? Do they support Napoleon? What about the Irish diaspora in British colonies and the United States?

I'd like to see some of these questions answered as I think it's an interesting idea of a independent Irish republic that is probably plausible (it surviving to modern times is another question).

 

[frustrated progressive]

Very hard to pull off in the first place. Massive French support would be vital, and France didn't want to sink so many troops into Ireland, particularly without a great navy.

 

[frustrated progressive]

Then again, I've always wanted to see someone pull this off, so good luck.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

Very hard to pull off in the first place. Massive French support would be vital, and France didn't want to sink so many troops into Ireland, particularly without a great navy.

Massive French support would be fatal. At least direct support. The British wouldn't rest until the French were out, and 'conspiring with the enemy' would ensure that the existing leaders were ignored, and the cause of Irish rights put back a generation or more.

 

[Lateknight]

I wonder if there's a way for America to support this republic , probably need to less pro British people in charge.

 

[Alcsentre Calanice]

Massive French support would be fatal. At least direct support. The British wouldn't rest until the French were out, and 'conspiring with the enemy' would ensure that the existing leaders were ignored, and the cause of Irish rights put back a generation or more.

Just that the British can't defeat a revolutionary army. And Ireland is big enough to feed the French troops, so a blockade isn't viable.

 

[deathscompanion1]

Massive French support would be fatal. At least direct support. The British wouldn't rest until the French were out, and 'conspiring with the enemy' would ensure that the existing leaders were ignored, and the cause of Irish rights put back a generation or more.

The cause of Irish rights brought down any government that tried to admit they were human beings. The place existed for absentee landlords to extract crippling rents and marginally survivable food exports from the Irish peasantry.


A revolution that gets anywhere would probably have massive support outside Dublin and parts of Ulster and the British had rather severe limits on the number of troops they could send.

 

[Shinsu]

I wonder if there's a way for America to support this republic , probably need to less pro British people in charge.

They really didn't have anything/anyway to give them support. Not to mention that the American leaders wouldn't be willing to go "side by side" with the French at the moment due to the Quasi-war.