On July 21, the British government suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus in Ireland, intending to arrest the leaders of the Irish Confederation. Preempting their arrest, the Irish Confederation left Dublin for Kilkenny, hoping to rise up also Tipperary. O’Brien remained reluctant, but Meagher and Dillon worked hard to convince the leadership that an uprising could succeed. Popular support was limited in the rural region. In Killenaule, O’Brien urged the people to support an uprising, but he did not desire a social revolution or destruction of property. On July 28, the revolutionaries encountered a detachment of 8th Royal Irish Hussars. After verbal opposition, the soldiers marched through Killenaule without incident. The Irish revolutionaries claimed a victory.
Image: Illustrated London News (1848)