The sons of the owner of The Orange Tree, a late 18th century pub in Lucan village, Thomas (jnr.) and Patrick Lynch, were both heavily involved in the 1798 Rebellion. We think the location of The Orange Tree may be where Kenny’s Pub is now, but we are still researching this, and would welcome any further information researchers have
Patrick Lynch had, in fact, been a member of the Kildare Militia. Militia were private, local armies raised by the Ascendancy to support British law in Ireland, and suppress rebellion. Militia recruited both Catholic and Protestant men. However, after having been part of the Kildare Militia for some time, Patrick defected to join the other side; the forward-thinking, egalitarian and religiously-tolerant United Irishmen.
The United Irishmen aimed to achieve “an equal representation of all the people” in a “national government.” Their members included members of the Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Unitarian (these 3 faiths were all branches of Protestantism,) and Catholics, making them an exceptionally dangerous, unified political force against British rule. It is worth noting that the Penal Laws applied in part, not just to Catholics, but to all non-Anglican Protestants as they were classed as “dissenters” against the Church of Ireland/England.
A “Lynch from Lucan” is recorded as being the Aid-de-Camp of Colonel Aylmer of the United Irishmen, during the events in Prosperous in 1798, where heavy casualties were incurred on both sides. See https://prosperousheritage.com/1798-rebellion
Patrick Lynch was reported as wearing his white uniform of the Kildare Militia into the Battle of Tara, and was described as being in charge of the rebels.
What we didn’t know until now was what happened Patrick Lynch, or his brother; were they executed or deported?
Elaine Hurley of SOL found these petition records in the National Library of Ireland and the brothers’ Lynch are the last record on page 1, and the first record of page 2. Not the peculiarity between them that says both parents are alive, the other says both are dead! You will notice the other petitioners from Lucan that point to substantial involvement of Lucan people in 1798. For example, from the newspaper in England, the Norwich Packet on Aug 14, 1798, the following article was published:
Progress of the Rebellion in Ireland
London, May 31st 1798. “By the Dublin mail of the 26th, which came to hand yesterday, we have received accounts of several fresh actions having been fought between military and the insurgents, in the whole of which his Majesty’s forces have completely triumphed. The rebellion has extended its influence into the counties of Wicklow and Carlow, so that there are now five counties in an open state of insurrection. The official details of two of the engagements, which took place at Hacketstown, in the county of Carlow, and at Baltinglass, in the county of Wicklow, state that the rebels lost in the former three hundred men, and in the latter between one and two hundred. Battles have also been fought at Clare, Ballimor, Berresttown, Lucan and Lusk, which terminated in a similar manner.”
Amazingly, I’ve found a letter in a database of US Civil War material, dating from the 19th century in which Patrick Lynch’s story is recounted. Either there were two Patrick Lynch’s from Lucan who were United Irishmen, or our Patrick was not transported to Australia in the end!
We now think that he was banished to US, met and married the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel in the US Revolutionary War, moved from Vermont to Pennsylvania (then the US capital) and then on to Connecticut. He then left his young family to claim land in Cuba, travelling from Havana intending to get to Puerto Principe by sea, but died en-route, leaving his young wife a widow and 2 children, aged 6 & 4 years old in the early 19th century. What a journey; from Lucan, to Cuba.
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