On 7 June 1798 Henry Joy McCracken, a Presbyterian cotton manufacturer, led between 3,000 and 4,000 men against the British forces in the town of Antrim. The rebels managed to take the town but were quickly driven out by the artillery of the British. Although McCracken escaped and hid in Cave Hill overlooking Belfast, he was later captured and hanged on 17 June.
In County Down, Henry Munro, an Anglican linen manufacturer, led almost 7,000 rebels against the British at Ballynahinch but they were driven back by cannon fire. They also showed their inexperience when they heard the British bugler sound the retreat during the battle but thought that it was, in fact, the arrival of reinforcements. Fearing fresh British troops, they quickly began to retreat and lost both the initiative and, soon after, the battle. Munro was hanged and beheaded with his head put on a spike in Lisburn’s marketplace.
Source C u
Looking at the evidence
This image is of an event that took place during 1798. It was drawn by George Cruikshank in 1893. 1.
Is this a primary or secondary source. Give reasons for your answer.
2. Examine the drawings of the Irish rebels and the image of the woman. Do you think that the artist is biased towards one side? Give reasons for your answer.