“And those who were laid at rest
Oh! Hallowed be each name;
Their memories are forever blest –
Consigned to endless fame.”
-Robert Emmet
watercolor on ivory miniature portrait by John Comerford of Robert Emmet during his trial, 1803
Consigned to endless fame
In 1803 the Irish Rebellion was started to become independent from the British rule. The rebellion was quickly squashed but the idea of freedom lingered.
Following the rebellion, Irish Rebel leader Robert Emmet was put on trial. After an OJ type show he was hanged and then beheaded by the British for High Treason on the very street the rebellion took place.
With the overwhelming support for one of their own, this only heightened the tension between the two sides. 8 days after the execution a British poet summed up the Irish spirit for freedom…
“If the government want to extirpate (destroy) disaffection in Ireland by the gallows, they must sow the whole island with hemp.”
– Robert Southey
Painting of the Execution of Robert Emmet