TRANSPLANTED IRISH INSTITUTIONS - University of Canterbury

47
Defenders were simply securing the right of Catholics to worship their Catholic faith and
once this was achieved they turned to other issues such as landlordism. 12
The securing of an ancient lineage for a society was a useful way of giving an
organization credibility. The Irish used this method to their advantage when trying to gain
members. Marianne Elliott, in her study of Irish republicanism from 1791-1815, states that
"The secret society has become such a part of modem Irish history that one tends to assume
its ancient vintage. In the late eighteenth century, however, it was still something of a
novelty, having made its appearance only in 1760."13 Even though the Hibernians were not
a secret society, assuming an ancient lineage proved important to the success of their early
development.
The A.O.H. can be traced back to the Defenders who originated in Armagh in the
mid-1790s and were first headed by a dissenting minister to protect Catholics from militant
Protestant groups such as the Nappagh Fleet and Peep O'Day Boys. The name 'Defenders'
was adopted by groups of Catholics resisting Peep O'Day Boy raids. 14 By 1795 the
Defenders had become anti-settler, anti-Protestant and anti-English. They were also known
for their extreme violence and anti-state belief which could have been in response to the
repressive measures instigated by Dublin Castle. Essentially "Defender terror and official
terror mirrored each other." 15
The 'Armagh Outrages' occurred after the Battle of the Diamond in 1795 when a
group of Defenders were defeated by a combined Protestant force of such groups as the
Peep O'Day Boys and probably members of the Boyne societies. The Orange Society was
formed after this in reaction to the Defenders' increased ability to organize. The combining
of the Defenders and Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen in 1796 gave the independence
movement more numerical strength. This alliance was an uneasy one especially with one of
12J.J. Bergin, History of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Dublin, Ancient Order of Hibernians, 1910,
pp. 1-10.
13Marianne Elliott, Partners in Revolution. The United Irishmen and France, New Haven & London,
Yale University Press, 1982, p. 39.
14Hereward Senior, Orangeism in Ireland and Britain 1795-1836, London, Routledge and Kegan Paul,
1966, p. 8.
ISIbid., pp. 376-377.