Rev. James Porter (1753-1798) was a Presbyterian minister executed for high treason following the failed 1798 rising in Ulster. Born in Ballindrait, County Donegal, Porter would become the minister for Greyabbey, County Down. He was a principal contributor to the Northern Star, which was the paper of the Society of United Irishmen, writing satirical articles against the system of espionage titled “Billy Bluff and Squire Firebrand”. Extracts of his writings survived in the work by the renowned historian of the United Irishmen Richard Robert Madden titled Antrim and Down in ’98. Porter, despite having little role in the rebellion, was arrested and charged with high treason and executed in Greyabbey, several weeks after the United Irishmen’s defeat at Ballynahinch.
Writings
Extracts From The Writings of Rev. James Porter (1796-1797)