1803 saw an attempted revolution in Ireland, that has some interesting parallels with today’s conflict in Syria. Robert Emmet (1778-1803) was the leader of the revolution and was sponsored to some degree by other regional states (France under Napoleon and individuals from the USA). Emmet and his fellow revolutionaries had been inspired by the revolutions in both those nations (perhaps similar to the Arab spring revolutions inspiring events in Syria).
Emmet was an enthusiastic inventor who developed innovative home made weapons and probably the first Irish IEDs. While in Paris trying to encourage Napoleon’s support for Irish revolution he met Robert Fulton, and seems to have been inspired by his use of explosives (I’ve discussed Fulton before, here)
Emmet returned to Ireland to plan the revolution. He designed rockets to be launched in salvoes from special batteries, and so called “infernals” which were hollowed-out beams packed with gunpowder to be pulled into the middle of streets to halt cavalry charges. The devices were crafted by Emmet’s assistants in Marshal Lane South and Patrick Street. Essentially, the infernals were bored and plugged logs packed with black powder and readied for initiation by burning fuses. Each log was rendered more lethal by hammering deal strips to their length that held small stones, metal scraps and nails in place. Emmet decided to bind two infernals to each other and mount them together on small carriages from which the wheels had been removed. Thus elevated, immobilised and sited in confined, narrow streets, the initial blast wave would have dispersed splinters, stone shards and jagged metal with good effect.
Emmet also designed and had made numerous grenades. In one depot alone Emmet had 240 hand grenades made to his own design, formed of ink bottles filled with gunpowder and encircled with buckshot; 100 larger grenades made from wine bottles covered with canvas; numerous rockets and flares; explosive beams; and fire balls made of flax, tar and gunpowder which would stick to walls when thrown and burn fiercely when ignited.
Subsequently the revolution failed when key potential supporters failed to commit – in particular key parties of United Irishman revolutionaries from Kildare and Wicklow failed to join the fight. Emmet failed to control other revolutionaries and the effort rapidly descended into farce.
Nonetheless the concept of Emmet’s “infernals” seems to have inspired Irish revolutionaries for a couple of centuries. And revolutions today in Libya and Syria are still characterized by innovative use of home made explosive devices and other weapons. Brown Moses posts some excellent analysis of improvised weapon systems in Syria and frankly some of them wouldn’t have seemed out of place in Dublin in 1803.