Irish Patriot Party
Irish Patriot Party | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Henry Flood (1760s–1780s) Henry Grattan (1780s–1800) |
| Founded | c. 1760 |
| Dissolved | c. 1803 |
| Merged into | British Whig Party |
| Headquarters | Dublin, Kingdom of Ireland |
| Ideology | Whiggism Irish nationalism Irish autonomy Catholic emancipation (factional) Irish autonomy Classical liberalism Free trade |
| Political position | Centre to centre-left |
| Slogan | "The channel forbids union; the ocean forbids separation" |
The Irish Patriot Party, also referred to as the Irish Whigs, was an informal political grouping in the Irish House of Commons during the 18th century. They were primarily supportive of Whig concepts of personal liberty combined with an Irish identity that rejected full independence but advocated strong self-government within the British Empire.
Due to the discriminatory penal laws, the Irish Parliament at the time was exclusively Anglican Protestant. Their main achievement was the Constitution of 1782, which gave Ireland legislative independence.