After the turmoil of the 1798 rebellion it was decided that unification with Britain might be a panacea to Ireland's ills. This cartoon lampoons Irish belicosity in the rebellion with "Erin go bray" being a pun on "Erin Go Bragh" a watchword of the rebellion. The donkey says "O how I long for a union with the English Bull, ay by my soul or the English Cow, or the English any thing! To the Devil with all the Priests and Proctors they have not left us a Potatoe between us." I have a sad feeling that on a night like this that many contemporary Irish folk might agree.
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