The Rise of Irish Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century free essay sample

Ireland at this time was a deeply divided society. Catholic’s and Presbyterians made up eighty five percent of the population, yet they had no power what so ever and were very ill treated. That power belonged to the Church of Ireland. It was they who held all the parliamentary and government jobs. But this was a time in Irish history that was about to see a change. For too long had the lower class been subject to penal laws and below standard conditions. The French revolution rekindled the dream that Ireland could one day become a free and independent nation again. And it was a young protestant lawyer called Theobald Wolfe Tonne, who would go on to be known as the father of Irish republicanism, who ignited the flame in the search for a free Ireland. The formation of the United Irishmen in 1791 was the catalyst of Irish nationalism. After achieving their original goal of alleviating religious discrimination, Wolfe Tonne and the United Irishmen, inspired by the French revolution, turned their attentions to freeing Ireland thus creating an Irish Republic. Wolfe Tonne travelled to France in 1796 to gain the support of the French revolutionists. Together they would return to Ireland to mount an attack on the British to break the connection with England. However this revolt never was in vain as high winds and rough seas prevented the French ships from landing. The significance of this failed invasion resulted in England being able to recover and strike back. They did so using ferocious methods. With martial law being declared, many rebels and those suspected of being rebels were severely dealt with, eventually resulting in the capture of most of the United Irishmen’s hierarchy. Not being deterred by military intervention, the rebels continued in their quest resulting in rural guerrilla war in Wicklow, Leinster and Kildare against military and loyalist forces. However, without the necessary leadership on the ground the rebellion eventually failed. (Pelling 2003). One significant outcome from the 1798 rebellion is that it was the start of a revolutionary period in Irish history. It was seen more as a retreat by the United Irishmen into secretive underground societies planning for the future, rather than defeat. (Pelling 2003). The 1798 rebellion also resulted in bringing Britain closer to Ireland. Fear of further rebellions and possible invasions by the French, the Act of Union came to pass in 1800 and Ireland’s parliament was voted out of existence. Protestants initially opposed the act on grounds of their Irish patriotism and the feeling within Catholics was that the rebellion was a cause of mistreatment of the Protestant ascendancy towards the public. Therefore it was deemed that union with Britain would lead to a more pacified and fair system for the Irish people. However Catholic opinion quickly reversed and was no longer in favour of union as promises of Catholic Emancipation were not fulfilled and led to disillusion and unrest. As a result of this self-determination for Ireland and nationalist ambitions grew stronger. The Catholic Church began to play a larger role in society with new church buildings opening over the country. Belfast’s economy began to prosper with the linen and brewery industries attracting more nationalists to the city. (Irishhistorylinks. net). The expansion of linen manufacturers in ulster sparked other enterprises, both industrial and commercial and the social and economic differences between ulster and the rest of the Ireland became more evident. Ulster Protestants now came to regard the union as the essential basis for their prosperity. (Beckett 1981). The first threat of nationalism after the union came in the form of an uprising by Robert Emmet. Emmet had a poorly armed army and almost certainly knew that chances of success were faint. But his rebellion was not about success. It was to remind everyone that 1798 was not forgotten and he wanted to spur on the rebels in their quest against the British. Emmet was evidently captured and sentenced to death. He did however have one small victory in his final speech. He requested that ‘no man write his epitaph until his county be free’. This speech had long lasting historical value, motivating republicans and nationalist movements from then to the present day. Daniel O’Connell became a great political influence in Ireland during the 1820’s. He had a significant effect on the political landscape in fighting for the rights of Catholics. He brought the grievances of Catholic’s to the forefront of constitutional Irish nationalism. The creation of Catholic rent and linking politics with religion made great strides in his campaign for Catholic Emancipation. O’Connell had always said that emancipation was only the first stage in his programme and that repeal of the union was his ultimate goal. He didn’t believe in the rebellions that went before him. He always felt it was best to assert themselves politically rather than use force. O’Connell wanted repeal of the union and for Ireland to run its own affairs, while at the same time keeping its link with Britain. The majority of people were angry that Catholic Emancipation brought no improvement in economic conditions but would still follow in whatever direction O’Connell would go. (Beckett 1981). Daniel O’Connell spent the next decade in Westminster during which time he got the tithes to the Church of Ireland abolished and improvements in Irish government, education and health care. O’Connell continued in his mission for repeal of the union. He and the Catholic Association held monster meetings and in 1843 the government intervened leading to the arrest of O’Connell. He was sent to jail for conspiracy but that was later overturned by the lords. It was after this period that O’Connell’s fight for repeal began to dwindle. Many felt O’Connell was the victim of his own success. Catholic Emancipation restored credibility to the union. Therefore O’Connell would find it extremely difficult to repeal a union that he effectively made stronger by winning emancipation. (Pelling 2003). When the Great Famine took hold of Ireland it created mass economic poverty for most of Irelands poor class, resulting in thousands of Irish people immigrating to America. Many people blamed England for not doing enough to help Ireland in this time of hardship. And it can be argued that this was the creation of the anti-English feeling which fuelled all manner of nationalist movements. At this same time in 1847 James Fintan Lalor emerged from total obscurity. Having spent most of his short life in England, Lalor became the driving force for the protection and well-being of Irish tenant farmers. Land was the main issue of his argument, so much so that he even claimed repeal of the union was of secondary importance. He made such a huge impact in his writings at a time when Ireland was in need of political and economical motivation. (Lyons 1985). As the famine ended there was still mass immigration and this continued through the 1850’s and into the 1860’s as the need for survival in Ireland became extreme. The revolt of the Young Irelanders in 1848 carried very little weight in England. Once followers of O’Connell, the Young Ireland movement published their extreme repealer newspaper ‘The Nation’ with emphasis on rebellion. The paper used Irish history to argue that Ireland could become ‘a nation once again’. Led by William Smith O’Brien, the Young Irelanders became incensed by the lack of support from Britain. O’Brien hoped to unite landlord and tenant to protest against British rule. The Young Ireland movement faded after the failed rebellion of 1848 but its ideas remained, exported to America with the formation of the Fenian Brotherhood. Irishhistorylinks. net). The 1850’s brought a new kind of politics centred upon the tenant farmer and in some ways this was a result of the famine. The creation of Tenant Leagues and eventually a National Land League became the main goal for a new powerful nationalist movement. The success of the Land movement, aided by Laler, eventually resulted in Gladstone’s 1881 Land Act and Tory Wyndham’s act of 1903. This also resulted in tenant farmers becoming owner-occupiers of their land. It could be said that for all the devastation the famine brought, it created a social revolution in Ireland’s countryside. Pelling 2003). The 1850’s also seen a rise in fenianism, leading to the formation of the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1858 by James Stephens. Their agenda was to fight for Ireland as an Independent Democratic Republic. In the years to follow Stephens claimed to have 80,000 members; however that number seems to be slightly exaggerated given the scale of the 1867 rebellion. The rebellion failed largely due to the informing of a trusted fenian, JJ Croydon. But the rebellion would go down in history as another attempt to overthrow British rule of Ireland.