Robert Emmet

Robert Emmet was born in Dublin, in 1778 into the Protestant Ascendancy. He became heavily influenced by the ideals of the French and American revolutions and became a member of the Society of the United Irishmen. From 1800 to 1802, Emmet resided on the continent with leaders of the United Irishmen who had been exiled from Ireland following the rebellion of 1798. Emmet was involved in the Irish delegation attempting to persuade the French to ally with their cause against British rule. With the promise of aid secured, Emmet returned to Ireland in 1802 and began to prepare for insurrection and the French landing. However, a premature explosion at one of the arms depots forced him to move his plans for rebellion forward. Emmet was unable to secure the support of Michael Dwyer’s rebels and the Kildare rebels turned back when they discovered the scarcity of arms available. However, undaunted, Emmet led a small band on Dublin Castle but failing to take it the rising became nothing more than a full-scale fight reserved to Thomas St. Emmet’s followers seized the Lord Chief Justice and his nephew from their carriage and stabbed them to death, disillusioned with his supporter’s behaviour and realising the cause was lost, Emmet fled into the Wicklow hills. He moved back into the city to be close to his sweetheart Sarah Curran but was captured. He was tried and sentenced to death for treason. After he had been sentenced he delivered his famous Speech from the Dock which became highly influential amongst Irish republicans, it’s final lines went thus: ‘Let no man write my epitaph; for as no man who knows my motives dare now vindicate them, let not prejudice or ignorance, asperse them. Let them and me rest in obscurity and peace, and my tomb remain uninscribed, and my memory in oblivion, until other times and other men can do justice to my character. When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then and not till then, let my epitaph be written. I have done.’



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