The Irish Question and Home Rule
The Irish Question played a significant role in the politics of nineteenth century Britain. Ireland was annexed to Great Britain as a result of the Act of Union in 1800, which opened the door for a slew of conflict between the British and the Irish. The British were unsure how to properly govern the Irish, and the Irish were not inclined to submit to British rule due to cultural differences. Shortly after the Act of Union, Irish politicians such as Daniel O’Connell spoke out against the union and called for its repeal [1]. Throughout the nineteenth century, leaders such as Isaac Butt, Charles Stewart Parnell and William Ewart Gladstone became proponents of Irish Home Rule. The act of Union decreed that Ireland would be under the direct jurisdiction of parliament in Westminster opposed to the government being located in Ireland. A majority of the Irish desired political independence from England due to cultural differences, and the majority of Ireland felt oppressed under British rule. Britain attempted to placate the Irish through legislation. The disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869 abolished the Irish citizen’s mandatory tithe to the Church of Ireland, which was popular because the majority of Ireland was Catholic [2]. The Land Act of 1870 under Gladstone’s government was and attempt to right the wrongs of Irish landlords on their tenants [3]. These acts of legislation were a step in the right direction, but they were small potatoes compared to the self-government the Irish truly desired. The legislation of the British government failed to successfully satisfy the desires of the Irish. It seemed that every time the British enacted legislation to benefit Ireland, the Irish felt it did not go far enough [4]. What the British failed to realize was that Ireland was "different, separate and distinct: that it was a country that required new laws, demanded new thinking and posed new challenges that required new responses [5]." Britain continued to reform Ireland with the land act of 1881. It conceded the Irish demand of the “three F’s” which were; fixity of tenure, fair rents, and free sale of the tenant’s interest in the farm [6]. Parnell refused to support this act because he did not believe it brought about enough reform, and he wanted to hold out until Home Rule was attained [7]. For the Irish, Home Rule was the ultimate goal, and the Irish question could only be solved when Ireland could govern itself.
[1] Thomas Bartlett, Ireland: A History, New York, New York: Cambridge University Press. 2010, 267
[2] Peter Stansky, Gladstone, A Progress in Politics, Boston, Toronto: Little Brown & Company Limited. 1979, 114-115
[3] Lawrence J. McCaffrey, The Irish Question: 1800-1922, Lexington, Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press. 1968, 86.
[4] Bartlett, 314.
[5] Ibid., 314
[6] William E. Gladstone, John Morely, The Life of William Ewart Gladstone Vol. II, New York, New York: The MacMillian Company, 1911, 54-55.
[7] McCaffrey, 115.
[2] Peter Stansky, Gladstone, A Progress in Politics, Boston, Toronto: Little Brown & Company Limited. 1979, 114-115
[3] Lawrence J. McCaffrey, The Irish Question: 1800-1922, Lexington, Kentucky: University of Kentucky Press. 1968, 86.
[4] Bartlett, 314.
[5] Ibid., 314
[6] William E. Gladstone, John Morely, The Life of William Ewart Gladstone Vol. II, New York, New York: The MacMillian Company, 1911, 54-55.
[7] McCaffrey, 115.