An Examples Of Political Nationalistism And Cultural Nationalism

This essay presents examples of political nationalism and cultural nationalism. It will show how and why ideas about the past were used by Irish nationalists between 1800 and 1915 to justify their political cause. The examples of political nationalism focus on the campaign for Catholic emancipation, the repeal of the Act of Union and, Daniel O’Connell’s memorial at Glasnevin. The examples of cultural nationalism focus on Young Ireland, Newgrange, the Gaelic League movement, and its language and literary revivals. Finally, it will be demonstrated that the examples used, conform to Eric Hobsbawm’s three types of tradition.

Daniel O’Connell (1775–1847) campaigned tirelessly for Catholic emancipation, seeking equal civil rights for Catholics and

164). Notably, plays written by middle-class and upper-class revivalist’s, such as The Countess Cathleen by W. B. Yeats, In the Shadow of the Glen and The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge, offended Catholic sensibilities by creating characters incompatible with the values of the Catholic Irish working-classes, signifying complex moral divisions within the Irish nationalist

(Hobsbawm, 1983)

The political nationalism of Daniel O’Connell and the cultural nationalism of Thomas Davis and George Petrie, formed a united group of Irish nationalists bound by the Gaelic language, a prehistoric, and early Christian past which conforms to a) and b) of Hobsbawm’s three types of tradition. The education policies that stemmed from the language and literary revivals headed by Douglas Hyde and W.B. Years are examples of c). In summary, Daniel O’Connell mobilised support for the Catholic emancipation and repeal of the Act of Union by evoking the spirit of the high kings of ancient Ireland. These acts of political nationalism were then memorialised at O’Connell’s monument at Glasnevin. Young Ireland, Thomas Davis’ The Nation, Newgrange, and George Petrie’s belief that Ireland's past held its future success, introduced cultural nationalism, and the language and literary revivals espoused the Gaelic language and Irish literature. Finally, the examples used were shown to conform to Hobsbawm’s three types of