In
1797 William Pitt appointed Lord
Castlereagh as his Irish chief secretary. This was a time of great
turmoil in Ireland and in the following year Castlereagh played an
important role in crushing the Irish uprising. Castlereagh and Pitt
became convinced that the best way of dealing with the religious conflicts
in Ireland was to unite the country with the rest of Britain under
a single Parliament.
The policy was unpopular with the borough proprietors and the members
of the Irish Parliament who had spent large sums of money purchasing
their seats. Castlereagh appealed to the Catholic majority and made
it clear that after the Act of Union the government would grant them
legal equality with the Protestant minority. After the government
paid compensation to the borough proprietors and promising pensions,
official posts and titles to members of the Irish Parliament, the
Act of Union was passed in 1801.
George III disagreed with Pitt and Castlereagh's
policy of Catholic Emancipation and after
the passing of the Act of Union approached Henry
Addington to become his prime minister. When he heard what had
happened William Pitt resigned from office
and was therefore unable to deliver religious equality in Ireland.
In 1823 Daniel O'Connell, Richard Lalor
Sheil and Sir Thomas Wyse formed the Catholic Association. The organisation
campaigned for the repeal of the Act of Union, Catholic
Emancipation, the end of the Irish tithe system, universal suffrage
and a secret ballot for parliamentary elections. The Catholic Association
grew rapidly and in 1829 Sir Robert Peel,
Duke of Wellington and other leading
members of the government began arguing for reform. They warned their
Conservative colleagues that here would be civil war in Ireland unless
the law was changed. In 1829 the British Parliament passed the Roman
Catholic Relief Act, which granted Catholic
Emancipation. However, despite Daniel
O'Connell forming the Repeal Association, the Act
of Union remained in place.
Daniel
O'Connell talking to supporters
of the Repeal Association
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