James Hope (Ireland)

James "Jemmy" Hope (August 25, 1764 – 1847) was a United Irishmen leader who fought in the 1798 and 1803 Rebellions against British rule in Ireland.

He was born in Templepatrick, County Antrim, to a Presbyterian family originally of Covenanter stock. He was apprenticed as a linen weaver but attended night school in his spare time. Influenced by the American Revolution, he joined the Irish Volunteers, but upon the demise of that organisation and further influenced by the French Revolution, he joined the Society of the United Irishmen in 1795.

He quickly established himself as a prominent organiser and was elected to the central committee in Belfast, becoming close to leaders such as Samuel Neilson, Thomas Russell, and Henry Joy McCracken. Hope was almost alone among the United Irish leaders in targeting manufacturers as well as landowners as the enemies of all radicals. In 1796, he was sent to Dublin to assist the United Irish organisation there to mobilise support among the working classes, and he was successful in establishing several branches throughout the city and especially in the Liberties area. He also travelled to counties in Ulster and Connaught, disseminating literature and organizing localities.

Upon the outbreak of the 1798 rebellion in Leinster, Hope was sent on a failed mission to Belfast by Henry Joy McCracken to brief the leader of the county Down United Irishmen, Rev. William Dickson, with news of the planned rising in Antrim, unaware that Dickson had been arrested only a couple of days before. Hope managed to escape from Belfast in time to take part in the battle of Antrim where he played a skillful and courageous role with his "Spartan Band", in covering the retreat of the fleeing rebels after their defeat.

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