18th Century Ireland

Background

 * Anglo-Irish consolidate their power
 * 17th Century had seen a lot of rebellion and war
 * Indigenous Irish Catholics sided with the losing side
 * "Penal Laws" established to discriminate against the Irish minority
 * Anglo-Irish ascendancy gains new power

Land / Power

 * Ownership of land key to economic power
 * In 1703, Catholics own 14% of the land
 * By 1753, Catholics own 5% of the land

The Anglo-Irish

 * Very opulent ornate lifestyle
 * Cosmopolitan
 * Leisure
 * Had legal rights to the lands from British Monarchy
 * Titles
 * Johnathan Swift, Oliver Goldsmith come out of this time period
 * Extremely worldly, wealthy, people
 * Saw themselves as Irish element of high European culture

Colonialist Tendencies

 * Tied to English system (economy)
 * Traveled to England regularly for education, politics
 * Status ensured by British power

Absentee Life

 * Moved so often that they were rarely anywhere for long
 * So the Irish came to expect the Lord to be generally absent

Irish Economy

 * More populous than today
 * Boom and bust cycles
 * Ireland does not have an Industrial Revolution
 * It remains agricultural, primary by raising/selling cattle
 * "Beef & Butter"

Position in British Empire

 * Industry does occur in some areas -> Ulster (Northern)
 * Makes it very different from the south

Catholicism

 * British believed they could root out the religion
 * Local clergy, though impoverished, remain culturally and socially central
 * All power located in protestant hands

Rural Unrest

 * 1763 -> "Oak Boys" began rural agrarian violence against taxes for local roads
 * Whiteboy Movement (South of Irish) concentrated in Waterford & Tipperary
 * Tithes were at the center of the issue
 * Ppl forced to pay tithes that went to the "wrong" church (Episcopal)
 * To join, you had to take an oath
 * They wanted to separate formal law from cultural expectations/interests (perfected beyond opinions)

Late 18th Century Change

 * Irish saw a lot of common ground between American Revolution and their own situation
 * French revolution also influential to ideas of independence and desposition of Monarchy
 * "Rights of Man" influence ideological climate
 * Radical revolutionary ideas sweep the country
 * Many Anglo-Irish see reasons to break with Britain and better themselves
 * 1798 -> Property rights established again for catholics
 * 1792 -> Right to intermarriage (Catholic/Protestant)
 * Right to practice law 4 catholics
 * Right to vote (given land possession)

The Volunteers

 * 30,000 - 40,000 local militia
 * Designed to resist possible Napoleonic invasion (convenient backdoor to the British Empire)
 * Militia saw themselves as an active, patriotic citizenry
 * Poynings Law -> British Parliament can rewrite any Irish made law (REPEALED in 1782)
 * Grattan's Parliament (much more independent Irish congress)
 * British motivations for "liberalizing" Ireland
 * Concern over possible Revolution
 * Napoleon Invasion & Sympathy



The United Irishmen

 * Combining of "Catholic Defenders" & Volunteers = "United Irishmen"
 * Predominantly Protestant
 * Predominantly Middle Class
 * Predominantly spoke English
 * Recruited British Soldiers
 * From isolated garrisons
 * Made them take oaths
 * Used radical press and performances (songs)
 * French Radicalism + English Liberalism
 * Locke, Paine, Natural Rights
 * Republicanism

1794

 * Become illegal in 1794
 * Go underground as "secret society"

French Appeal

 * United Irishmen -> appeal to the French for support
 * Theobald Wolfe Tone -> leader, well-spoken, educated at Trinity
 * Amenable to his ideas and advances
 * Send 43 Ships carrying 15,000 men to Bantry Bay
 * French ships are lost in a horrible storm
 * Thereafter French ships return to France
 * Great WHAT-IF of Irish History -> General consensus is that the Irish probably would have won
 * Irish people are inspired, but the British are terrified, make moves to suppress the Irish

Rebellion of 1798

 * Major event in Irish History, tears at the fabric of the Irish people and country
 * Popular uprising -> Instead of being centered on republicanism / ideas for National renewal
 * Secretarian violence occurs as Catholic mauraders rise up against Protestant
 * The ORANGE ORDER arises as protestant rebuff of Irish Catholic Militias


 * County Wexford is the focal point.
 * Rebels take the whole county by don't do anything past there
 * Battle of Vinegar Hill (June 21, 1798)
 * British Army routes Irish Rebels
 * Rebels remain in field until July but its over

Atrocities

 * Painful memory of the events
 * According to Anglo-Irish and British: This event is an unleashed vengeful Irish Catholic People
 * Murder of public figures
 * Half-hanging
 * Total death total is about 30,000
 * May - June 1798

Aftermath

 * Another attempted French landing
 * Wolfe Tone is captured, commits suicide in prison
 * Resistance continues throughout the next couple of years
 * Official United Irishmen policy is to await new major French Invasion

Themes in this Historical Snapshot

 * Expectation of Foreign Assistance
 * This defeat is trying, but only temporary
 * Also: opportunity here for an united Ireland (Protestant + Catholicism) to be united under the visionary leadership of Wolfe Tone
 * Others read it as proof that the religious divide cannot be crossed.

Act of Union

 * After the rebellions, British looked for new solutions to politically administer Ireland
 * The status of Ireland came under intense scrutiny
 * Was it a kingdom? Was it a colony? What it politically autonomous?
 * Act of Union -> Bound British and Irish Kingdoms
 * Ireland represented by British Parliament at Westminster (100 reps)
 * Initially promised full emancipation of the Catholics, but that didn't happen.
 * Details were not worked out until after bill was passed

HIST 1970: Modern Ireland