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Catholic churches influence on irish social policy
Parnell was the most effective irish nationalist leader in the period 1798-1921
The history of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland
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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 The Act of Union that had consumed Irish political thinking for over 100 years was eventually repealed in1920 with the Government of Ireland Act.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.
that brings the reader’s eye to the effect of sociopolitical policies on the Irish by the
...ehind leaders such as Wolf Tone, pledging their support in the form of the United Irishmen. Even though the 1798 Uprising would ultimately fail, this milestone in Irish history had the other citizens of Ireland that the Catholics were willing to lay aside their past differences for the betterment of their nation. This begs the question that will they continue to work together in the future. Based off the past evidence, Protestants and Catholics have little to lose in assisting each other and having Ireland progress into a nation that is one unified completely. What needs to happen though is that each side has to lay out the terms with no outside influence. There can be no ambiguous statements surrounding these terms and officials have to free of bias, as much as a person can be, to effectively write equal terms that ensure economic progress and religious tolerance.
During the mid 1840’s, blight in the potato crops in Ireland caused widespread starvation and migration of Irish citizens to the United States. Yet, the massive loss of life and massive exodus could have been avoided if British taxation upon the working class of Ireland was nullified. Though the struggle for liberation was already taking place, the potato famine furthered the cause and helped spread awareness. Furthermore, the potato famine made the average Irish family more reliant upon the government for subsidies and supports to get by.
Ever since the occupation of Ireland by the English began in 1169, Irish patriots have fought back against British rule, and the many Irish rebellions and civil wars had always been defeated. To quash further rebellion, the Act of Union was imposed in 1800, tying Ireland to the United Kingdom of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Laws discriminating against Catholics and the handling of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-50 led to increased tension and the proposal of introducing Home Rule gained support.
Gray, Peter. Famine, Land, and Politics: British Government and Irish Society. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1999.
Populated by 8 million people, Irish, with a majority of Roman Catholic, are among the poorest people in the western world. Only about a quarter of the population could read and write, and their life expectancy was relatively short. Ireland was an exceedingly impoverished country. Under the english rule, citizens lost many of their political and religious rights. They were separated between protestants, who represents the continued presence of England, and Roman Catholics, who were hostile to Britain. The hostile of Britain faced many more challenges like being charged outrageous sums to live on the land that once belonged to them and their ancestors. They was on the verge of catastrophe politically, religiously, and economically. That is why emigration became an intrinsic part of Ireland before independence, and especially after the great famine. Many were forced to move, while others left voluntarily to search for employment and a better quality of life. Moreover, not all immigrants enjoyed their new life at British North America. Even though leaving Ireland appeared to be the only escape, Irish Catholic immigrants should not be thankful for a new start at British North America. Throughout the emigration, they have received phony promises by landlords during the famine, Irish faced the same problems of poverty and discrimination as before, and their living and working environment was deficient.
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...
As most Irish immigrants came over around the same time, in large numbers, they all most likely had the same kind of hope, that America was going to be great. When Ireland gained their freedom from Britain, it placed an achievement upon their sleeve, and no one was about to take that away. Not even Great ‘ole America.
The years 1870 to 1890 in Ireland saw the fervent battle of Charles Stewart Parnell and his Home Rule party for home rule in Ireland. This consisted of Ireland having its own parliament to deal with internal affairs while still remaining under the control of Westminster in international affairs. It was not the desire for a full separation from Britain that would come later. However, by 1890, problems in Parnell’s personal life lead to a breakdown in communication with the Prime Minister and to a split in the Home Rule party. According to M E Collins, this left a void in Irish politics and life that was filled with a new cultural awareness and a questioning of Irish identity: ‘the new movements were different. They stressed the importance of Irish identity, Irish race and Irish culture’ (170 M E Collins, Ireland 1868 - 1966). It is at this point that Fanon’s ‘Wretched of the Earth’ becomes relevant to Irish history. In his chapter entitled ‘On National Consciousness’, Fanon stresses the colonised native fears of being assimilated totally into the culture of the coloniser, of being ‘swamped’ (169 Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth). These were the exact concerns that occupied the minds of the Irish people after the failure of home rule. They began to be anxious about what Collins terms ‘the distinguishing marks of Irishness’: ‘a culture and language that was different to Britain’s’.
Allen, Kieran, The Celtic Tiger: the mith of Social Partnership in Ireland, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 2000.
During the time of England’s dominance of Ireland, the citizens of Ireland desperately sought to be free of England’s rule. Because of Ireland’s longing, the Home Rule Movement (HRM) came into existence. In Irish and English history, Home Rule is defined as a political slogan adopted by Irish nationalist in the 19th century to describe their objective of self-government for Ireland (“Home Rule”). The Home Rule Movement started in 1870 and ended in 1922. Isaac Butt and Charles Parnell led the movement (Home Rule). Because the Irish were insistence in obtaining their freedom, the Home Rule movement caused the following events to occur: The Easter Uprising, an increase in attendance of the Irish Republic Treaty (IRA), the founding of the Sinn Fein, and the Irish Free State. During the HRM, three Home Rule bills were produced and promptly rejected. Ultimately, the fourth Home Rule Bill ended in victory in 1922 (“Home Rule”).
Ireland, otherwise known as Éire in Gaelic Irish, became a republic in 1949. It had represented a long battle for independence from Britain, dating back to the middle of the 12th century. After the success of the Anglo-Norman intervention that had began in 1167, by 1171 Ireland had become a colony of Britain (2). This meant that the King of England, King Henry II, would be the country’s new lord (2). Throughout the next 600 years or so, Irish resentment against the British would continue to arise. With attempted rebellions, and resistance to British rule and religion, resulted the establishment of the Act of Union in 1800 (16, pg 420). From this Act, followed the Great Potato Famine in 1845 (16, pg 420). With the amount of carelessness shown by the British government, came the result of Home Rule (16, pg 420). This was an idea presented in 1870, which carried out into the early 20th century (16, pg 420-421). Development of the group Sinn Féin as well as others carried out these beliefs in Home Rule, resulting in the Easter Rising. Easter Rising was a turning point – it was one of the first major acts towards gaining Irish independence. In 1919 the Anglo Irish War, began, and from there result a civil war between the northern and southern states of Ireland ( ). In 1949, Ireland declared themselves a republic – finally gaining full independence as a nation ( ).
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
Kennedy, P., Kiely, G., Mathews, A. and Quin, S.,eds. (2005) Contemporary Irish Social Policy, 2nd edition, Dublin: UCD Press.