United Irishman, Drennan born in 1754

THE Irish Volunteers and later the Society of United Irishmen generally grew from an Ulster Presbyterian background. Many of their relations had emigrated to what were then the American colonies and stories of the American Revolution inspired their people at home.

The volunteers had been formed to protect Ireland from French invasion but soon became a force for political reform, which led to the establishment of ‘Grattan’s’ Parliament. Many were disappointed by the conservatism and sectarianism of the parliament on College Green and wanted a more radical approach and this led to the formation of the United Irishmen in 1791.
One of the early founders was William Drennan. It was he who proposed that the society be organised on individual cells or circles, a structure that was later used by the Fenians. Drennan wrote pamphlets for the society but was then charged with ‘seditious libel’. This was a political charge that was introduced to counter the United Irishmen and was a major factor in making it more revolutionary. Drennan was acquitted but withdrew from active involvement. He maintained his interest in radical issues and in Catholic Emancipation.
Drennan was born in Belfast, the son of a Presbyterian minister. He studied medicine in Scotland and then practiced in Belfast, Newry and Dublin. It is said that he advocated inoculation against smallpox and handwashing to prevent the spread of disease. He gave up medicine around 1800 and settled in Belfast. He believed in non-denominational education and, with others, established the school now known as the Royal Belfast Academical Institution.
He was always non-sectarian and on his death he had stipulated that his coffin should be carried by six Catholics and six Protestants and that clergy of all persuasions should attend.
He is mainly remembered today for some of his writings, many of which referred to United Irishmen topics but were written long after his active involvement. His poem, The Wake of William Orr was written in memory of the Antrim Presbyterian who was hanged in 1797 for administering the United Irishmen oath. Indeed, both Orr and Drennan, in his own trail, were defended by John Philpott Curran, father of Sarah Curran.
There is a phrase in one of his other poems that people use on a regular basis but most would not have an idea who Drennan was. It comes from When Erin First Rose, the opening lines of which are:
When Erin first rose from the dark swelling flood, God bless’d the green island and saw it was good; The em’rald of Europe, it sparkled and shone, In the ring of the world the most precious stone.
However, it is a later verse that gives the relevant phrase:
Arm of Erin, be strong! but be gentle as brave; And uplifted to strike, be still ready to save; Let no feeling of vengeance presume to defile, The cause of, or men of, the Emerald Isle.
That is thought to be the first literary reference to Ireland as the ‘Emerald Isle’ and was published in 1795.
William Drennan, doctor, educationalist, United Irishman and the first person to refer to Ireland as the Emerald Isle, was born on May 23, 1754 – 257 years ago this week.