The Lib­er­ty Tree com­mem­o­rates the 640 vic­tims of the Unit­ed Irish­men, who died on May 25, 1798. Dur­ing a planned ris­ing against British defend­ers, 2,000 rebels invad­ed the town, how­ev­er the plot was secret­ly leaked in advance, mean­ing the plan was des­tined for fail­ure. The land­mark itself was built in the late 1990s ahead of the 200th anniver­sary of the ris­ing. It is a foun­tain, which was designed by John Behan and pro­vides a cen­tral focal point in the town, around which many peo­ple socialise and take a break dur­ing the sum­mer months.