Events 2 - Vinegar Hill/Irish Rebellion

The 1804 uprising by Irish convicts has been variously referred to as the Irish Uprising and "The Battle of Vinegar Hill 2". This is because its roots were in the Irish Rebellion in Ireland in 1798 where the first Battle of Vinegar Hill took place.

In 1804 about 200 mostly Irish convicts rebelled in the area of Castle Hill, raided farms for weapons and made a stand at Rouse Hill where they fought an ill-fated engagement with soldiers and their supporters under the command of Major George Johnston.

The insurrection was crushed quickly by Johnston, when he dishonoured a flag of truce in meeting with the rebel leaders;  instead overpowering them and scattering the ill-equipped rebels. The ring leaders were then quickly tried and executed.

Depiction of "Vinegar Hill Two"

The rebellion was mostly led by political prisoners from the Irish Rebellion of 1798, who had been transported to Australia. Their main aim was to escape back to Ireland to continue the struggle against English rule there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Hill_convict_rebellion

There were people in Castlereagh who took both sides of the battle. Irish Catholic ex-convicts like James McCarthy had great sympathy for the rebel cause. His wife Ann came to the colony on board a ship containing many of the rebels.
McCarthy was a friend of Father Harold, who was also transported for his part in the Irish Rebellion. He in turn knew the Reverend Henry Fulton, as they both came to the colony on board the "Minerva"as political prisoners.

Some of their neighbours played a part in defeating the rebels at Rouse Hill, however. Thomas Francis (1764-1820), who is buried in the Old Anglican Cemetery, was of the "Active Defence Force" that defeated the rebels; while Lieutenant Thomas Hobby played his part in raising the alarm against the rebels as he rode back to Parramatta to muster the troops.