Throughout his life George Washington had a great deal of sympathy for the struggles of the Irish against their English rulers, seeing in those struggles a mirror for the American fight for independence. Irish immigrants to America, Protestant and Catholic, were enthusiastic in their embrace of the American cause, and during the Revolutionary War many of the soldiers who served in the Continental Army were Irish or of Irish descent. Therefore when General Washington heard in March 1780 that the Irish Parliament had passed free trade legislation, he issued the following general order to the Army on March 16, 1780:
The general congratulates the army on the very interesting proceedings of the parliament of Ireland and the inhabitants of that country which have been lately communicated; not only as they appear calculated to remove those heavy and tyrannical oppressions on their trade but to restore to a brave and generous people their ancient rights and freedom and by their operations to promote the cause of America.
Desirous of impressing upon the minds of the army, transactions so important in their nature, the general directs that all fatigue and working parties cease for tomorrow the seventeenth, a day held in particular regard by the people of the nation. At the same time that he orders this, he persuades himself that the celebration of the day will not be attended with the least rioting or disorder, the officers to be at their quarters in camp and the troops of the state line to keep within their own encampment.
The Founding Fathers were well acquainted with English deprivations of liberty. It was not only Lexington and Concord that inspired them to fashion the 2d Amendment, but the knowledge that the long history of English attempts to disarm the citizenry helped contribute to the English defeat of the Jacobites at Culloden in 1746 and the subsequent persecution of the mostly Catholic Highlanders.
As a contemporary historian relates this history:
Tom, interesting bit of history regarding the English and firearms. Thanks.
He said that soldiers can have the day off, but no drinking and brawling. Maybe the holiday hasn’t changed so much in the past centuries?