The final 20 years of the 18th century in Ireland were decisive in the country’s entry into and evolution within the modern era. These two decades saw Dublin emerge as a capital city, the rise and fall of an independent parliament, the passage of a number of bills improving the condition of Catholics, and the introduction of republican ideology. One of the outcomes of these changes was the rebellion of 1798, which in turn contributed to conditions leading to the Act of Union of 1800.