The Irish Patriot Party was the name of a number of different political groupings in Ireland throughout the 18th century. They were primarily supportive of Whig concepts of personal liberty combined with an Irish identity that rejected full independence, but advocated strong self-government within the British Empire. The definition of "patriot" in the 18th century was subtly different from its meaning today, but it was commonly used before the rise of chauvinist popular nationalism in the 19th century.
For historical reasons the Irish Parliament at the time was exclusively Anglican Protestant (Episcopalian). Their main achievement was the Constitution of 1782, which gave Ireland legislative independence.
Read more about Irish Patriot Party: Early Irish Patriots, Grattan's Patriots, Act of Union and Legacy
Famous quotes containing the words irish, patriot and/or party:
“Of all the characters I have known, perhaps Walden wears best, and best preserves its purity. Many men have been likened to it, but few deserve that honor. Though the woodchoppers have laid bare first this shore and then that, and the Irish have built their sties by it, and the railroad has infringed on its border, and the ice-men have skimmed it once, it is itself unchanged, the same water which my youthful eyes fell on; all the change is in me.”
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—Anonymous. Latin phrase.
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