A BUST of Henry Joy McCracken - the premier figure in the ranks of the Northern United Irishmen in the 1790s - has been unveiled in Kilmainham Gaol.
Artist, painter and designer Robert Ballagh unveiled the sculpture yesterday to mark the 250th anniversary of McCracken's birth.
The Belfast Presbyterian cotton manufacturer had a leading role at the Battle of Antrim in the 1798 rebellion.
He was a leading member of the Society of United Irishmen, established in Belfast in October 1791. It aimed to include members of all religious denominations in the unrepresentative Irish Parliament.
McCracken was detained in Kilmainham Gaol for two years before being released in early-1798, having suffered sustained ill-health.
After his release, he went on to lead the insurgents in at the Battle of Antrim in June that year. The mainly Ulster Scots rebels were defeated by the English forces. Although he initially escaped, a chance encounter with men who recognised him from his cotton business led to his arrest.
He was offered clemency if he testified against other United Irishmen leaders, but refused. He was court-martialled and hanged at Corn Market in Belfast in July 1798, aged 30.
The unveiling of the bust, by sculptor Yoram Drori, was followed by songs and poems relevant to the 1798 rebellion.
