← Daniel O'Connell makes his first public speech, opposing Union with England
William Pitt, the younger, Prime Minister of Britain, advocates the union of Britain and Ireland →- January 15, 1800
The last session of the Irish Parliament began on January 15, 1800. This session marked a crucial moment in Irish history, as it led to the passage of the Act of Union, which resulted in the union of Great Britain and Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
The Act of Union, formally known as the “Acts of Union 1800,” was passed later that year and came into effect on January 01, 1801. It dissolved the Irish Parliament and integrated Ireland into the broader United Kingdom, sharing one united Parliament with Great Britain.
The Act of Union had significant political, social, and economic consequences for Ireland and its relationship with Britain. It effectively ended the separate Irish legislature and led to the centralization of power in the United Kingdom’s Parliament in Westminster, London.