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Defenders (Ireland)

Main article: Armagh disturbances

The Defenders were a Catholic agrarian secret society in 18th-century Ireland, founded in County Armagh.[1] Initially, they were formed as local defensive organisations opposed to the Protestant Peep o' Day Boys; however, by 1790 they had become a secret oath-bound fraternal society made up of lodges.[2] By 1796, the Defenders had allied with the United Irishmen, and participated in the 1798 rebellion.[1] By the 19th century, the organisation had developed into the Ribbonmen.[1]

Into the 21st century, some commentators on ad-hoc nationalist political violence in Ireland will still refer to it generically as Defenderism.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Connolly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference McEvoy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ History Ireland letter, vol.17, 2009

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