The Story of Ireland, Part 4

• traumatized by violence of failed rebellion of 1798
• catholic majority appear vanquished
• story of how modern Ireland was born
• act of union - binds together two nations
• january 1 1801, shall be known as the united kingdom
• men willing to kill to break the union
• in ireland, a protestant parliament ruled over catholic majority
• catholics were promised repeal of penal laws
• belief that unification would grant catholic freedom
• William Pitt - prime minister, faced anti-catholic faction
• Pitt backed down from King who argued against catholic emancipation and resigned one year later
• catholic alienation deepened by economic decline
• dependent on farming
• land subdivided into smaller and smaller portions
• catholic peasantry without lands, rights
• Daniel O'Connell - their champion
• born into catholic elite, educated in france, feared revolutionary violence
• O'Connell brought catholic church into politics, took collections outside of church
• provoked a crisis, became first catholic to stand for parliament in over 100 years
• won easily
• catholic emancipation empowers catholics
• in Ulster, rise of O'Connell causes fear
• thriving industry in protestant Ulster
• O'Connell failed to understand Protestant fear
• O'Connell set out to repeal the act of union, wanted Irish parliament where catholics would hold power, did not want out of British union
• O'Connell arrested and jailed after mass demonstration, dead 3 years later during pilgramage to Rome
• "righteous men must make our land and nation once again" - Thomas Davis, young radicals wanted own nation
• rural peasants relied almost entirely on potatoes
• blight rotted potatoes
• 1846, first deaths
• Peel imported food, people depended on public works
• frustration that Irish are not grateful
• Whigs believed in laissez-faire, saving people not the role of government
• soup kitchens closed after being open for just 6 months
• cholera and plague swept through
• workhouses became overcrowded, mansions of the dead, foul air
• tens of thousands evicted
• Skibbereen near Cork one of the hardest hit
• 10,000 parished in the famine in Skibbereen
• "God had sent the famine to teach the Irish" - Charles Trevellion, self-reliance, danger of over population, wouldn't learn their lesson
• Reverand Townsend lobbied for English help
• 1 million died of starvation and disease, among them - Townsend, who died of typhus
• scale of famine common in the world, but unique in Europe
• more than 1 million emigrated
• more Irish living in New York than in Dublin
• Chinatown, previously Five Points District... Charles Dickens said it smelled
• Fenian Brotherhood raised political support and funds for new revolution, arranged meeting in Cooper Union, where Lincoln once spoke
• were a cry for revenge from the famine
• tried to invade Canada
• 1867, carried out first acts of Irish terrorism in Britain
• self-elected Elite will form Irish shock troopers, anarchists
• Fenian Rebellion crushed, but inspired others
• movement to protect farmers from eviction
• led by two far different men - 31 year old Michael Davodid returned to County Mayo, radical, socialist
• family forced to emigrate to England
• class warrior formed alliance with an aristocrat - Charles Stuart Parnell
• called himself a dictator
• 1880-1890, political success for Irish nationalists
• Irish Land League, organized civil disobediance against increased rents
• Antony Dempsey faced eviction, thousand gathered to prevent eviction
• Parnel came up on a white horse
• vasts sums of money raised in Finean leagues in America
• rent strike declared
• boycotting, social ostracism
• mock funerals
• parallel to industrial revolution in United Kingdom, landlords seem out of step
• secret ballot, Irish nationalists a force in Parliament
• William York Gladstone - land act offered rent control
• right of Irish tenants to buy their own land
• 1881 until land acts, British state allowed peasant owners
• social revolution with land wars -- conservative revolution
• acts of british parliament dismembered protestant ascendancy
• Cardinal Paul Cullain - archbishop of Dublin
• set up institutional framework -- catholic life
• tried to control Catholic population
• tough as he needs to be to serve Catholic institution
• home rule campaign
• led by leader of land league, Charles Stuart Parnell
• found Gladstone as a willing partner
• 1886, Gladstone put home rule act in front of Parliament
• bill defeated by 30 votes
• feared home rule could break up empire
• Ulster protestants viewed home rule and Rome rule
• beat Catholics in Belfast, riots
• protestants celebrated defeat of home rule in Belfast
• age of violence and division to come
• Parnell and Gladstone made one more attempt for home rule
• calamity descended, sex scandal with Catherine O'Shea's husband sought divorce, one of Parnell's MPs, relationship with Parnell
• Gladstone cut Parnell lose, but Parnell would not step down
• Parnell placed his leadership ahead of the cause
• dead within a year, classic tale of hubris
• "never trust Britain," thousands attended funeral
• age of political titans over
• cultural nationalists rose
• GAA became central to revival of Irish language
• "Irish was the language of the poor"
• Douglas Hyde cofounded Gaelic League, attracted militant nationalists
• "English as contimination"
• William Butler Yates, writes in English but inspired by Gaelic
• 1830s and 1840s interest in translation of old works
• British empire in late 19th century seemed powerful, Dublin an imperial city, part of largest empire in history, offered opportunity to willing
• east indian company, 1/6th Irish
• joined army
• 1897 empire celebrated diamond jubilee
• Pax Britainica shattered in South Africa
• miltant nationalists rallied to their cause, the Bohrs
• fighting British in South Africa next best thing to fighting them in Ireland
• riots in Dublin, pro Boor
• Irish reality in south africa - lots fought on British side
• Battle of Kalinso, one of worst defeats on British side, 500 men dead, 500 wounded, many fellow Irishmen
• proved dedicated Irish committed to breaking with England, would lead to violent revolution