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Robert Emmet (1778-1803) is highly regarded by Irish nationalists as the
martyred leader of an abortive insurrection against the British, an uprising
whose objective was to establish a republic based on French principles in accord
with the aims of Wolfe Tone (1763-98), founder of the United Irishmen and
Emmet's idol. With the leaders of the organization, Emmet had spent 1800-02 in
France, developing plans for the uprising, to be aided by the French. An
accidental explosion at one of Emmet's secret arms caches made early action
necessary in late July 1803, but confusion ruined the insurrection: one
contingent of rebels never arrived, a second went home thinking the uprising
postponed, and a third waited vainly for a signal someone forgot to give. Emmet
and about 100 followers rashly and unsuccessfully stormed Dublin Castle. He then
fled and hid in the mountains of Wicklow. Returning to be near his fiancee, he
was captured, tried for treason, and hanged on September 20, 1803.
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