In August 1798 1,000 French troops led by General Humbert arrived in Killala, County Mayo. Humbert was a little disappointed in the number of Irishmen that joined with him but he captured the town of Ballina. When they attacked General Lake and his men in Castlebar, the British troops (who were largely Irish militia) were so surprised that they fled leaving all their guns behind. They left so quickly that the event became known as the Races of Castlebar. Humbert continued eastwards towards Dublin and was defeated by a far larger British army of 10,000 led by General Lake and Lord Cornwallis at Ballinamuck, County Longford. The French soldiers who were captured were allowed to return home to France but the captured Irish rebels were hanged.
Source D u
10
Looking at the evidence
The image shows rebels executing Protestants atWexford bridge in 1798. The rebel flag’sMWS stands for Murder Without Sin. In pairs, discuss and answer the following questions:
1. What weapons are the rebels using? 2. What does this picture tell you about the discipline of the rebels? Give reasons for your answer. 3. Looking at the different images of the Protestants and the rebels, do you think the artist is in favour of the uprising?
4. What do you call images that are designed to promote one opinion over another? 259