Editing Ulster (section)

===Republicanism, rebellion and communal strife===
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Most of the 18th century saw a calming of sectarian tensions in Ulster. The economy of the province improved, as small producers exported linen and other goods. Belfast developed from a village into a bustling provincial town. However, this did not stop many thousands of Ulster people from emigrating to [[British North America]] in this period, where they became known as "[[Scotch-Irish American|Scots Irish]]" or "[[Scotch-Irish American|Scotch-Irish]]".{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

Political tensions resurfaced, albeit in a new form, towards the end of the 18th century. In the 1790s many Roman Catholics and [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterians]], in opposition to [[Protestant Ascendancy|Anglican domination]] and inspired by the American and French [[revolutions]] joined in the [[United Irishmen]] movement. This group (founded in Belfast) dedicated itself to founding a non-[[sectarian]] and independent Irish republic. The United Irishmen had particular strength in [[Belfast]], [[County Antrim|Antrim]] and [[County Down|Down]]. Paradoxically however, this period also saw much sectarian violence between Roman Catholics and Protestants, principally members of the [[Church of Ireland]] (Anglicans, who practised the British state religion and had rights denied to both Presbyterians and Roman Catholics), notably the "[[Battle of the Diamond]]" in 1795, a faction fight between the rival "[[Defenders (Ireland)|Defenders]]" (Roman Catholic) and "[[Peep O'Day Boys]]" (Anglican), which led to over 100 deaths and to the founding of the [[Orange Institution|Orange Order]]. This event, and many others like it, came about with the relaxation of the [[Penal Laws (Ireland)|Penal Laws]] and Roman Catholics began to be allowed to purchase land and involve themselves in the linen trade (activities which previously had involved many onerous restrictions). Protestants, including some Presbyterians, who in some parts of the province had come to identify with the Roman Catholic community, used violence to intimidate Roman Catholics who tried to enter the linen trade. Estimates suggest that up to 7000 Roman Catholics suffered expulsion from Ulster during this violence. Many of them settled in northern [[Connacht]]. These refugees' linguistic influence still survives in the dialects of Irish spoken in [[County Mayo]], which have many similarities to [[Ulster Irish]] not found elsewhere in Connacht. Loyalist militias, primarily [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]], also used violence against the [[Society of United Irishmen|United Irishmen]] and against Roman Catholic and Protestant [[Irish republicanism|republicans]] throughout the province.

In 1798 the United Irishmen, led by [[Henry Joy McCracken]], launched a rebellion in Ulster, mostly supported by Presbyterians. But the British authorities swiftly put down the rebellion and employed severe repression after the fighting had ended. In the wake of the failure of this [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|rebellion]], and following the gradual abolition of official religious discrimination after the [[Act of Union 1800|Act of Union]] in 1800, [[Presbyterians]] came to identify more with the State and with their Anglican neighbours, due to their civil rights now being respected by both the state and their Anglican neighbours.

The [[1859 Ulster Revival]] was a major [[Christian revival]] that spread throughout Ulster.