John Moore (Irish Politician) - Appointment As President

Appointment As President

At the time of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 a force of 1,000 French soldiers under General Humbert landed at Killala. Moore joined the French as did a considerable number of his tenants. After the Battle of Castlebar which took place on 27 August 1798, General Humbert, on 31 August 1798, issued the following decree, which inter alia appointed John Moore as the President of the Government of the Province of Connaught:

Army Of Ireland

Liberty, Equality

Head quarters at Castlebar, 14th Fructidor, sixth Year of the French Republic, One and Indivisible.

General Humbert, Commander in Chief of the Army of Ireland, desirous of organizing with the least possible delay, an administrative power for the Province of Connaught, decrees as follows:

1. The Government of the Province of Connaught shall reside at Castlebar till further orders.

2. The Government shall be composed of twelve members, who shall be named by the General-in-chief of the French Army.

3. Citizen JOHN MOORE is named President of the Government of the Province of Connaught, he is specially entrusted with the nomination and reunion of the members of the Government.

4. The Government shall occupy itself immediately in organizing the Military power of the Province of Connaught, and with providing subsistence for the French and Irish Armies.

5. There shall be organized eight regiments of infantry, each of twelve hundred men, and four regiments of cavalry, each of six hundred men.

6. The Government shall declare rebels and traitors to the country all those who having received clothing and arms, shall not join the army within four and twenty hours.

7. Every individual from sixteen years of age to forty, inclusive, is REQUIRED in the name of the Irish Republic, to betake himself instantly to the French Camp, to march in a mass against the common enemy, the Tyrant of ANGLICIZED IRELAND, whose destruction alone can establish the independence and happiness of ANCIENT HIBERNIA.

The General Commanding-in-Chief

HUMBERT.

The above decree refers to an Irish Republic, not a Republic of Connaught. Hence, strictly speaking, it appears to be incorrect to refer to any formal establishment of a Republic of Connaught or of John Moore being appointed its President. Instead, an Irish Republic had been proclaimed and John Moore was appointed the President of one of its provinces, Connaught. Nevertheless, as civil or political appointments were not made for any other province of the short lived 1798 Irish Republic, the Republic of Connaught is the name for that Irish Republic that has long been commonly used.

The general tasks with which Moore was entrusted as President are apparent from the above decree. However, the rebel Republic was a puppet state and was very short lived (discussed below). Nevertheless, among the things which President Moore did have time to do was to issue "paper money to a considerable extent...n the name of the French Government".