Describe and critically assess the impact of the movement for political reform in Ireland from Daniel O'Connell to the fall of Parnell.
Throughout the nineteenth century Ireland experienced much change in many aspects of society. Politically, constitutionally and socially. The onset of the Great Famine in the middle of the century would define much of the Irish catholic thought towards British rule in Ireland. The Act of Union in 1801 became a catalyst for the political reform which would consume political thought in Ireland over the next 120 years. Throughout this essay I will critically assess the political movements and reforms in Ireland from the political movement and leadership of Daniel O Connell in the early years of the 1800s until the fall of Parnell at the conclusion of the century.
The act of union in 1801 was considered a defence against the radical ideas that were simmering in Ireland in the late eighteenth century . The repeal of the Penal laws in the late eighteenth century invoked fears of Catholic uprisings in the minds of the Protestant ascendency . The Act of Union abolished the home parliament in Dublin in return for 100 Irish elected MP's in Westminster. The Union also created Anglicanism as the official state church. The union afforded Ireland some advantages including open and free trade in the Empire. However it was not mutually as favourable for Ireland as England. Fiscally, Ireland remained to possess a separate exchequer and national debt. The Union meant that Catholics were still ostracised within their own country and continued to be being banned from holding public office. Laws were not universal across the whole of the United Kingdom with some adhering only to Irish citizens. Over the next hundre...
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... Parnell in 1881 it did not halt the campaign for home rule. The home rule bills were rejected in 1886 and 1893. It was not until 1912 that the Home rule bill was passed. It was put on the shelf due to the onset of the first world war. The Act of Union that had consumed Irish political thinking for over 100 years was eventually repealed in1920 with the Government of Ireland Act. The political reforms of O Connell to Parnell covered a multitude of social issues. Whilst O’Connell’s constitutional approach secured emancipation, his aversion to violence led to a decline in support and momentum for his campaign for repeal. Charismatic popular groups such as the Young Irelanders and the IRB succumbed to violence to to achieve their aim with figures such as Isaac Butt and Parnell at the helm. The moves for political reform was influenced by all these aspects.
The failure of the home rule bill in 1886 was due, to a large extent, to the tactical mistakes made by gladstone, such as the failure to unite his party and his underestimation of conservative opposition towards the bill. However, it could also be argued that other factors, such as the sectarian nature of Irish society and subsequent opposition in Ulster also played a major role in the failure of the Home Rule Bill and thus inevitable regardless of Gladstone’s actions.
First off, it is important to understand the political and social whereabouts of Northern Ireland from 1898 to gage the changes that have been made in policy. Before 1921, the North and South of Ireland were under British rule. When the government of Ireland Act 1920 partitioned the island of Ireland into two separate states, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, the North of Ireland remained under British rule while...
After the Act of union had been passed, Daniel O’Connell worked effectively in addressing Irish grievances; his actions were significant in contributing to the changing nature of the Irish question. Even though O’Connell tried to address the same issues as the society of united Irishmen, he abandoned the use of violence and instead took a constitutional approach such as the use of monster meetings and working alongside parliament in order to gain catholic emancipation and repeal of the union. O’Connell’s zeal for reform influenced parliament in passing the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. Even though in the short term the Act had been insignificant in Ireland as the British government purposely reduced the Irish electorate by increasing qualifications from 40 shillings to £10 in an attempt to retain Protestant dominance, it was the prime cause for the d...
Bone, Martyn. "Ireland Historical Summary 18th-19th Centuries ." Our Family History. Martyn Bone , 11 Mar. 2006. Web. 17 May 2010. .
The relationship between Ireland and England played a major role in the causes of the Great Famine. Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801 due to the Act of Union (Edwards & Williams 19). Under this act, Ireland was placed under "the jurisdiction of the richest and most industrially advanced empire in the world" (Kinealy 33). From this act, Ireland's parliament was abolished and became controlled by England through political leadership established throughout the Irish state. A...
O'Connor, Thomas H. The Boston Irish: A Political History. Boston, MA. Northeastern University Press, 1995.
Violence, terror, suffering and death. The conflict that has been burning in Northern Ireland seems to be an unstoppable battle and it has flooded over the land of Northern Ireland. The struggle for power and the persistence of greed have fueled the raging fires of the opposing groups. The conflict in Northern Ireland has been discussed continually over the past few decades. Ever since the beginning of the “Troubles,” organizations have been scavenging to find a plan that will cease the violence. Throughout my research for this project, the questions of what are the main sources of conflict in Northern Ireland and why have they continued today guided me to many fascinating pieces of evidence that provided me with a more compassionate view of the situation of Northern Ireland. My research topic was very broad and to get down into a more explicit viewpoint, I chose to search for my sources by selecting three disciplines.
In 1801, the political Act of Union created a legislative bond between Great Britain and Ireland, bringing Ireland under British control as part of the “United Kingdom”. Within the poem ‘Act of Union’ Heaney draws upon the double meaning of this titular phrase to compare the long lasting effect of this lawful union with an act of sexual domination.
Gray, Peter. Famine, Land, and Politics: British Government and Irish Society. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1999.
Ireland in The Coming Times- Essays to Celebrate T.K. Whitaker’s 80 Years edited by F. O’ Muircheartaigh, IPA, Dublin, 1997.
The Irish and British governments fought for many years over the ownership of Northern Ireland. Britain had main control over Northern Ireland, and Ireland did not think that was fair. Be...
Since the 1950s Ireland has moved from an old fashioned rural conventional country to a modern economy and society moving from church authority to a confident diversity. It has moved from an emigrant society. Where 1/3rd of a generation emigrated to find work to a diverse society.it has moved from a country with marginal social services to a modern welfare state. While the Irish social security system was initially considered as a pale copy of that of its nearest neighbor, the United Kingdom.
During the twentieth century, Ireland was suffering through a time of economic hardship. “Economic growth was stagnant, unemployment was at a historic high and exceeded anywhere in the EU, except possibly Spain, and the state was one of the most indebted in the world” . Irish men and women who had received a formal education had immigrated to other nations due to the unavailability of jobs at home. This left Ireland in a state of further economic downfall, and the lack of skilled workers left Ireland stuck. The 1990’s were a turning point for Ireland. A rise in industry within the nation, as well as an increase in exports, led Ireland to become the “shining nation” in Europe. It became internationally linked with one of the biggest power nations, the United States, and international trade became Ireland’s new source for a booming economy. This brought the rise of what was known as the Celtic Tiger in Ireland.
The following essay will look at the main areas of difference between the Irish Constitutions of 1922 and 1937. There are many reasons why the Constitution was redrawn and changed in 1937 after first being drawn up in 1922. The 1922 Constitution was made after a time of serious turmoil in Ireland and needed to be upgraded by the late 1930’s. There are a number of reasons why it needed to be transformed. It was outdated by the 1930’s and as Ireland began to grow and move away from the influence of the British, the laws of the time did not reflect the culture of the day. Another reason why it was changed was the very strong relationship between the Irish people and the Catholic Church. Finally there was also changes in the running of the country
Lengel, Edward G. 2002. The Irish Through the British Eyes: Perceptions of Ireland in the Famine Era. Westport: Praeger Publishers.