Lecture | Every breeze from the west brings news of fair liberty – Ulster and the American Revolution
Lecture by John Gray on the influence of Ulster Presbyterians on the American revolution, and the influence of the American revolution on radicalism in Ulster.
Date & Time
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Venue
Booking
Admission is free, with booking essential by e-mailing: admin@armaghrobinsonlibrary.co.uk
Every breeze from the west brings news of fair liberty – Ulster and the American Revolution
During the 18th century, up to 200,000 Ulster Presbyterians emigrated to what would become the United States, fleeing religious and economic hardships. Many supported the American Revolution, which was widely welcomed by Presbyterians and praised by both the United Irishmen and moderates, despite the constitution allowing slavery. Some migrants helped build democratic institutions, while others moved westward, sometimes becoming slave owners or participating in conflicts with Native Americans.
The ideas which propelled the United States to Independence then flowed back across the Atlantic fostering a renewed sense of radicalism in Ulster.
A lecture in a series of six, Armagh and USA 250, exploring intellectual and historical links between Armagh and early America, highlighting thinkers such as Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, John Locke and Thomas Paine.
Organised by Armagh Robinson Library, Armagh County Museum and Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library & Archive.
Speaker | John Gray
Belfast born John Gray is the former long-standing librarian of the city’s historic Linen Hall Library. He is Chair of Reclaim the Enlightenment, a charity formed in 2017 to celebrate the town’s progressive era and as a trigger for radical interventions in the present. As a social historian he has been widely published.
