In what ways did the Irish Question change between 1800 and 1922?

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Rebecca Johnson                 Ms. Savage

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In what ways did the Irish Question change between 1800 and 1922?

The Irish Question changed dramatically between the years 1800 and 1922. The Anglican Ascendancy meant that Ireland was governed indirectly from England. The Ascendancy angered the Catholics, limited their rights and made them pay taxes to the Protestant church. This led to dissatisfaction amongst Catholics culminating in the 1798 Rebellion. This caused the British Government to become more involved with Ireland, as they began to fear that Revolution could occur. It revealed to them the weaknesses of the existing, divided system in Ireland and the need for the Question to be addressed.

The Act of Union represented the first phase of the Irish Question. It was a response to the 1798 Rebellion and fears of Ireland possibly being used as a base for France to bring about revolution. It aimed to unite Ireland and England and to dissolve the Irish Parliament into the English Parliament. The British Government now had to take responsibility for Ireland, but it was still treated as a separate country and Duke of Wellington later described it as “the enemy’s country”. The divides between the English and the Irish and the Catholics and the Protestants that had existed before were strengthened to an even greater degree after the Act of Union. This was because Irish Protestants in the North gained both economically and religiously from the Act as they still continued to control Ireland via the Protestant Ascendancy; therefore they became pro-union, and favoured the Act of Union. Whereas many Catholics in Ireland felt betrayed, because the Act of Union was not followed by Emancipation like they had hoped and the Ascendancy had been made stronger and still controlled Irish Politics. Therefore the Act of Union as a whole caused more separation and dissociation and instead of solving the Irish Question it created more problems. Emancipation would be the focus of the Irish Question from this point onwards.

Daniel O’Connell became the key individual at this point as he formed the Catholic Association in 1823 and he believed that Emancipation was a step towards Home Rule. He campaigned by using peaceful methods and mass organization. This was therefore a new way of addressing the Irish Question and gaining middle class support, which wouldn’t want to support violent rebellion that might harm their property. O’Connell convinced the population that there was a link between political equality and economic prosperity, by saying that if they got the vote they would also gain economic benefits and the Ascendancy would end as Catholics gained positions of power. The ‘Catholic Rent’ of one penny a month was introduced, which was paid by the Catholics to fund the Catholic Association. This separated the Catholics and Protestants further as it alienated Protestants. It made the Irish Catholic Church a vital part of the movement, because priests were required to spread the message and help collect Catholic rent. The Catholic Association organised open public meetings in which O’Connell was the speaker, who hinted that if the British Government did not adhere to the Irish demands the result would be mass disobedience, possible violence and separation. At the County Clare election Daniel O’Connell was a candidate, but couldn’t sit in the House of Commons until the law was changed. He knew if elected there could be widespread disorder this indeed resulted in the government been forced to grant emancipation. The Emancipation Bill granted full civil and political rights to Roman Catholics, which meant that they could become MP’s and occupy the highest positions in the state. However as the franchise qualification was raised to a £10 household suffrage, it cut the electorate to one sixth of its former size; therefore limiting Catholic suffrage. O’Connell proclaimed that the Act was ‘One of the greatest triumphs recorded in history-a bloodless revolution.’ Most historians agree because J.C Beckett writes ‘1829 proved a more important turning point in the history of modern Ireland than 1800.’ The government still hadn’t addressed issues such as Social Issues, Land Ownership and Property Rights; therefore the Irish Question was about these issues from this point. In 1840 O’Connell realized that these issues were not being addressed and he wanted to achieve Repeal of the Act of Union. The Repeal Association was tied to Catholic Rights and this increased the religious divide, as Protestants did not want to be ruled by a Catholic majority. Catholics hoped emancipation would result in economic and social improvement but this didn’t follow and the Irish Question now became about Repeal.

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