Few men have risen to prominence more rapidly or spectacularly than John Fitzgibbon. Entering parliament in 1778, he was Attorney General within five years, Lord Chancellor in 1789. In 1794 he advanced to the rank of Viscount of Limerick and, in 1795, he attained the Earldom of Clare. A fervent advocate of the current governmental philosophy who freely expressed his contempt for Irish Catholicism, the period of his tenure saw Ireland descend into a state of economic entropy and social chaos. A man of enormous power, who inspired hatred and fear in equal measure, Fitzgibbon was described thus by Sir Jonah Barrington: Authoritative and peremptory in his address, commanding, able and arrogant in his language, a daring contempt for public opinion was the fatal principle which misguided his conduct and Ireland became divided between the friends of his patron, the slaves of his power, and the enemies of his tyranny.

This speech, delivered by John Fitzgibbon, the Earl of Clare, in the House of Lords of Ireland in 1800, argues in favor of measures to promote the interests of Great Britain and Ireland. Fitzgibbon was a prominent lawyer and politician who played a key role in shaping Irish politics during this period. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.