The expression Irish of Nantes denotes a community formed in the 17th century and of great importance in the 18th century. It was originally composed of Jacobite political refugees from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

fleeing the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

of 1688. This community eventually extended to the ports of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

and

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

as well as to the French colony of

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...

Origins

The refugees were largely aristocrats, no longer able to bear arms or command troops. They threw themselves instead into colonial trade, creating numerous trading companies, among them those leading in the

Transatlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

. They also integrated themselves fully into the city of

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

, marrying the daughters of the local nobility. In Ireland these refugees in France were known as Wild Geese by their detractors. Nantes was the foremost port for the Irish trading fleet. Out of sixty Jacobite company headquarters and trading houses in Europe in the mid-18th century, two thirds were based in four ports: 12 in

, 9 in

, 8 in Cadiz and a dozen in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

(although these were essentially branch offices). The community also included a large number of priests. Bishop Robert Barry of Cork, Bishop Cornelius O’Keefe of Limerick and Bishop Patrick Comerford of Waterford all lived in Nantes. In 1695, the Bishop of Nantes gave them the use of his residence during the summer, the manoir de la Touche, which was to become a seminary for Irish priests, active until the French Revolution. Lastly, there were Irish people of more modest rank or means, who generally took on occupations relating to maritime commerce – captains, pilots, coopers and porters.

Development of the community

The standing of the Irish in Nantes grew steadily, if we observe the course of events across three generations. The first generation, of Nicolas Luker, Paul Sarsfield, André Geraldin and Nicolas Lée, emigrated to France in the middle of the 17th century, after the

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...

. They were joined later on by other Irish refugees following the

of 1688 and the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. This wave of emigres was not confined to Nantes. The historian Gabriel Audisio notes the presence of Irish Catholic soldiers in the armies of the

Duke of Savoy The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...

and of the Marquis of Pianezza, which took part in the bloody repression of the

Waldensians The Waldensians, also known as Waldenses (), Vallenses, Valdesi, or Vaudois, are adherents of a church tradition that began as an ascetic movement within Western Christianity before the Reformation. Originally known as the Poor of Lyon in the l ...

during the Piedmont Easter.http://stephanemantoux.unblog.fr/2008/11/10/ The second generation included Luc O'Shiell, the pirate Phillip Walsh, based in

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

, and Jean Stapleton, with his associate Jacques Rulidge. They were welcomed with open arms by a country in the midst of the War of the League of Augsburg and

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

welcomed several thousand Irish exiles at the Jacobite court of

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

. He made the Irish the spearhead of his army, and above all of his navy, particularly during the Jamaica Expedition of 1694. On 8 June 1694, Irish ships formed the bulk of a fleet of 22 vessels and 1,500 men which left Nantes under Admiral Jean-Baptiste du Casse, heading for

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. They burned hundreds of houses and seized 1,300 slaves, whom they took to Saint-Domingue. They did not however attempt to seize the island of Jamaica as they judged this too difficult. The third generation included the wives and daughters of Luc O'Shiell, Antoine Walsh, Jean Stapleton Junior and Jean-Baptiste MacNemara. They had considerable fortunes, which they invested in property while plotting to overthrow the British government. The Irish expatriate community was also notable at

, where, from 1715, it developed an important trade in salted beef with Ireland, which was used in supplying merchant fleets and overseas colonies.

Significant figures

* Nicolas Lée was the first to settle in Nantes in 1649 * Paul Sarsfield settled in France in 1658 and Louis XIV granted him French nationality in 1678. His son

Patrick Sarsfield Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan ( 1655 – 21 August 1693) was an Irish army officer. Killed at Battle of Landen, Landen in 1693 while serving in the French Royal Army, he is now best remembered as an Irish patriot and military hero. Born ...

served in the king's army 1671–1678 and again 1691–1693, commanding the Irish Brigade after the Treaty of Limerick. * Jean Stapleton Senior founded a dynasty of Nantais shipowners. He owned plantations in Saint-Domingue as well as running a business in the

Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

. * Antoine Walsh, the most important trader in 18th century Nantes, founder of the Angola Company in 1748. * The Butler family of shipowners, whose name was gallicised as 'Bouteiller', were major importers in Nantes * Agnès O'Shiell, daughter of Luc O'Shiell one of the richest traders in Nantes, who were also property owners in Saint-Domingue * Anne O'Shiell, manager of one of the biggest slave trading firms in the Nantes slave trade * At La Rochelle, Denis Mac Carthy was an important trader * Victor Martin O'Gorman was elected député from Saint-Domingue. The O'Gorman family owned two plantations at Cul-de-sac. * A member of the Sutton de Clonard family took part in the La Pérouse Expedition * The O'Riordan family, originally from Cork and Limerick, were important traders and shipowners in 18th century Nantes.

References

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Irish Jacobites Louis XIV Louis XV Nantes History of Loire-Atlantique Flight of the Wild Geese Irish diaspora

Origins

Development of the community

Significant figures

See also

Bibliography

External Links (in French)

References