The Republican ideal of a non-sectarian society was greatly damaged by sectarian atrocities committed by both sides during the rebellion . The British response was swift and harsh : days after the outbreak of the rebellion local forces publicly executed suspected United Irishmen in Dunlavin and Carnew . Government troops and militia targeted Catholics in general and the rebels on several occasions killed Protestant loyalist civilians . In Ulster , the 1790s were marked by naked sectarian strife between Catholic Defenders and Protestant groups like the Peep O'Day Boys and the newly founded Orange Order
Dunlavin
Dunlavin Green executions
History of Ireland (1691–1800)