Ireland, 1815-70 Emancipation, Famine and Religion

by Corrain, Donnchadh O; O'Riordan, Tomas

• ISBN13: 9781846822322
• ISBN10: 1846822327
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-08
• Publisher: Four Courts Press

Summary

This book opens by exploring how nationalist Ireland mobilized a mass democratic movement under O'Connell to secure Catholic Emancipation. This world was soon to be transformed by the horrifying tragedy of the Great Famine of 1846-1850, which set the context for the emergence of a popular mass nationalism, expressed in the Fenians (and later by Parnell and Sinn Fein). This period also witnessed the radical re-organization and politicization of the Catholic Church that began with the Synod of Thurles (1850). All three events, in varying ways, changed the face of 19th-century Ireland. The book also examines how at the same time, the Protestant northeast of Ulster was enjoying the first benefits of the Industrial Revolution. Although post-Famine Ireland modernized rapidly, only the northeast had a modern economy. The rich document-based case studies on Emancipation, Famine, and the Synod are supplemented by thematic essays on politics and administration, society and economy, and culture a