Clane was involved to a greater or lesser extent in every major political episode down through the centuries. The Castles at Blackhall and Donadea came under siege during the rebellion of 1641. Cromwell confiscated much of the local land in the 1650s. There was some Jacobite activity in 1690. A remarkable feature of Clane and the North Kildare area in general was the way it came through the Penal Laws with little interference with the activities and properties of the major Catholic families. The Aylmers of Donadea and the Wogans of Rathcoffey, together with the Fitzgeralds of Maynooth, were typical. The Catholic church in Rathcoffey was built in 1710 at the height of the Penal Laws under Queen Anne. It is in fact believed to be one of the oldest post Reformation churches in Ireland. It was built by Lady Frances Jennings, (Lady Tirconnell), a Wogan, whose husband, the Viceroy, died during the Siege of Limerick. Such was the unquestionable power they held. More than in any other period perhaps, there was much local activity during the Rising of 1798. No less than two of the national organisers of the United Irishmen lived locally. They were Theobald Wolfe Tone (whose father Peter Tone farmed at Blackhall) and Archibald Hamilton Rowan, who resided in Rathcoffey. The first battle of 1798 was fought simultaneously in Clane and Prosperous, on the night of Wednesday 24th May. The insurgents in both towns were led by the local medical doctor, John Esmonde. After initial successes, including defeat of detachments of militia in both towns, Esmonde was taken under arrest and later hanged on Carlisle Bridge. It was a bloody and excessive affair and shameful acts were committed on both sides, including the burning of the roof of the local Protestant church.