'Close enough to toss a ship's biscuit ashore'—THE FRENCH FLEET AT BANTRY BAY, 1796.

The article discusses a failed effort by the French Navy to invade Ireland in 1796. It focuses on the role played by an Irish man, Theobald Wolfe Tone, who helped to plan and lead the invasion, with the aim of separating Ireland from England and thereby promoting the cause of Irish independence. It describes factors in the failure of the expedition, including poor naval strategy and a hurricane at sea. INSETS: CROWN FORCES;FRANCO-IRISH FORCES.