Irish Nationalism

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the cause of the Irish Catholic and nationalist leaders in Ireland and how this cause was advanced depending upon a number of criteria, which concerned public support for the leaders and their aims, the view of the Catholic church, and the adaptability of leaders when speaking in terms of how well they forced Westminster to respond to Irish events. The paper attempts to show that during this period, it did not necessarily matter how charismatic or inspiring a leader was, but rather what mattered most were the circumstances in which a particular leader was operating, and that leader's adaptability to the constantly changing socio-political climate in Westminster.

From the Paper:

"From evaluating the evidence thus far, one could say that the nationalist revolutionary wing was more effective that their constitutionalist counterparts who did not achieve the Irish Free State. However, for people like De Valera his cause of independence had still not been achieved and he continued to fight. Without the efforts of Parnell and O'Connell and their legacy, it is unlikely that Westminster would have responded as they did to the Irish question. In addition to this, the role of Redmond must not be forgotten. Redmond's role is often negated and he is viewed as merely being Parnell's successor, but he was much more. Redmond was responsible for the passing of the third Home Rule Bill (1912), and although it was suspended for the duration of the war, it had finally been achieved. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• E. Norman, A History of Ireland, A. Lane, London (1971)
• John Mitchel, Jail Journal (1868)
• K.T. Hoppen, Ireland since 1800: conflict and conformity, Longman, London (1989)
• From the Debate in the Dail on the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, December 1921
• Gladstone's speech to the Commons 1868, Pearce and Stewart, British Political History 1867-1990, Democracy and Decline, Routledge & Kegan Paul (1994)

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