Henry Grattan (1746-1820) was an Anglo-Irish member of the Irish House of Commons who successfully achieved legislative independence in 1782 through the help of the Irish Volunteers, although Ireland still remained under the authority of the English Crown. Renowned as a powerful orator, the parliament established in 1782 was named “Grattan’s Parliament.” Despite this legislative freedom, power still remained vested in the Protestant Ascendancy and this led to the formation of the more radical United Irishmen, whose failed uprising in 1798 led to the enactment of the 1800 Act of Union and the end of Grattan’s Parliament.
Writings
A Plea For Irish Legislative Independence (1780)
A Free People (1782)
Invective Against Corry (1800)