A rebellion led by the Society of United Irishmen started and ended in 1798. It lasted a short 3 months and was fought by many poorly armed soldiers in a poorly organized fashion. Regardless, the death toll numbered within the tens of thousands. The main goal of this rebellion was to proclaim the country independent from Britain and create the Irish Republic. MP was published 16 years after the uprising was put down. Feelings of revolution and unrest were common feelings within the world Austen was writing in at the time. 

In chapter 2 of MP, Maria and Julia fault Fanny for not knowing geography, particularly relating to Ireland. They tell their mother, "Do you know, we asked her last night which way she would go to get to Ireland; and she said, she should cross to the Isle of Wight. She thinks of nothing but the Isle of Wight, and she calls it the Island, as if there were no other island in the world." 

Dorney, John. "The 1798 Rebellion – a brief overview." The Irish Story, 28
     Oct. 2017, www.theirishstory.com/2017/10/28/
     the-1798-rebellion-a-brief-overview/#.Y6D1H1HMK5c. Accessed 19 Dec. 2022.