Nationalism In 19Th Century Ireland Essay Research

Nationalism In 19Th Century Ireland Essay, Research Paper

Nationalism in Ireland during the Nineteenth Century

After the Act of Union in 1801 the fate of the Irish people was in the hands of

British M.P.s. They ruled the majority in Parliament and were making all of the decisions

without much regard for the opinion from the people of Ireland. In order for the voices of

the Irish people to be heard there would have to be a new nationalist approach to dealing

with the British Parliament. Leaders such as Daniel O’Connell and Charles Parnell

revolutionized strategies of approaching government. The beginning of the century

belonged to O’Connell and his nonviolent approach, but the second half of the century

belonged to Parnell who was not concerned as much with peace.

At the beginning of the eighteenth century the question at hand was whether or not

Catholics could be trusted, however the early part of the nineteenth century dealt with a

new issue, Catholic Emancipation. The success of the emancipation effort can be

attributed to the political genius of one man, Daniel O’Connell. O’Connell was a

successful lawyer in Ireland and wanted to join his people together to fight for Catholic

Emancipation. Although the penal laws at the end of the eighteenth century had allowed

Catholics to have their own schools, vote at parliament elections and join professions, they

were still banned from sitting in parliament, becoming judges, and holding high offices in

the army and navy. O’Connell realized that in order to receive full emancipation they

would have to join together in a single organized effort. His actions displayed a nationalist

effort that had never been seen before to this caliber before. In 1823 O’Connell started

the Catholic Association. What was different about the Association than any other prior

movement groups was that it included everyone. It was not aimed solely at the wealthy.

This mass of people included the Catholic Clergy who became trusted leaders of local

agitations. O’Connell established a “rent” which was a one penny per month subscription

to the association. This rent not only produced more revenue for the cause than ever

before, but also created a sense of belonging to the cause. In order to change the voice of

parliament to support Catholic emancipation the Association pushed its members to vote.

They did not want them to vote according to their landlords whishes like they had done in

the past. O’Connell and the association wanted the people to vote to help their cause.

The association was able to help financially support those who were kicked off of their

land for not complying with their landlords wishes of who to vote for. This enabled a few

members of parliament who were opposed to emancipation be replaced by those who did.

Another turning point of the movement was when O’Connell decided to run against

Fitzgerald for a seat in Parliament. Although O’Connell was prohibited by law to actually

sit in parliament he was allowed to run. In 1828 O’Connell’s people showed up at the

voting booths in large numbers and he defeated Fitzgerald, adding fire to his cause.

Wellington and Peel were very powerful leaders in Parliament and opposed to the

emancipation of Catholics, but could not fail to recognize the intensity and organization of

the Association. Even though O’Connell called for a peaceful resolution Peel and

Wellington feared violence. When the Catholic Emancipation bill was introduced in 1829

they supported and it was passed on April thirteenth of that year. This was a huge victory

for O’Connell and they Catholic people. It also showed how when a feeling of nationalism

was created for a cause that goals could be accomplished. This was the most defining

moments of O’Connell’s career and inspiration for his repeal association which followed

soon after.

The repeal association was organized in a similar fashion to the Catholic

Association. It included a rent, and encouraged support from the masses. O’Connell and

his followers believed that if they stood up to parliament in an organized fashion with large

numbers of people then change could be made without the use of physical force. Monster

meetings were organized where attendance was unprecedented. It seemed as though the

people would be heard again, but O’Connell did not realize that the circumstances of

parliament differed greatly during the repeal movement than those of the emancipation

movement. The conservative party had taken control of parliament and O’Connell’s rival

Robert Peel was Prime Minister. Peel and the parliament were not nearly as welcoming

to the idea of repeal as they were emancipation. When Peel banned one of O’Connell’s

monster meetings in 1843, threatening to use physical force if necessary, O’Connell

canceled the meeting. This was obviously a turning point of the movement and a clear

indication that peaceful protest would not always be succ

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