St. Francis Xavier University
Department of Sociology
Sociology 373: Irish Society
Winter: 2010-2011
Dr. John Phyne
Test #2
Date: Tuesday, March 29
Writing Time: 9:00 to 10:30 PM
Format: The test consists of three questions. You must answer 2 questions. Each
question is worth 50 marks. The test is worth 25 per cent of your final grade. You have
75 minutes within which to write this test, so take your time. Note, the evaluation of your
test will be based upon your use of both class lectures and required readings.
Questions and Answers (note the answers are guidelines and not exhaustive of what
is required)
1) Political nationalism in Ireland embodies constitutional and republican directions.
What are the political dimensions of Irish nationalism from the 1870s to the early
1920s? In your answer, discuss the following: the role of the Irish Parliamentary
Party (IPP) in the Home Rule Campaigns of 1886 and 1893; the rise of Sinn Fein
and Irish Republicanism in the period from 1916 to 1921; the division in Sinn
Fein after the signing of the 1921 treaty.
1886: The IPP held the balance of power in the British Parliament in 1886. In return for
supporting the Liberal Party, the IPP demanded that Ireland receive Home Rule. The
Conservative Party supported the cause of Unionists in Ulster who did not want Home
Rule. The Liberal Party split over this issue. Some members – called ‘Liberal Unionists’
sided with the Conservative Party and defeated the Home Rule Bill.
1893: The IPP holds the balance of power again. This time the Liberal Party is united and
the Home Rule Bill passes the House of Commons. However, it is defeated in the
Conservative dominated House of Lords.
1916-1921: Sinn Fein (SF) forms in the early 1900s. It favours greater autonomy for
Ireland, but does not have the ‘republican stance’ of the Irish Republican Brotherhood or
the influence of the IPP. This changes after the 1916 Easter Uprising. After coalition of
nationalists is defeated by British troops, the execution of nationalists facilitates the rise
of republican nationalism and the decline of the IPP. SF emerges as the dominant
nationalist voice. In the 1918 British Election, SF candidates win most of the seats
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outside Ulster, but refuse to sit in the British Parliament. Instead, they form Dail Eireann
(the Irish Parliament) and declare the independence of Ireland. The British reject this, and
a war of independence ensues. SF, and its military wing, the IRA, forces the British to
accept independence in 1921.
1921 Treaty: SF signs treaty with Great Britain. The 26 southern counties become the
‘Irish Free State’, and remain part of the British Empire. The 6 northern counties stay
with Great Britain. The signatories to the Treaty (including Michael Collins) also agree to
allegiance to the King. This leads to a split in SF. The Pro-Treaty faction becomes the
government (Cuman na Gaedheal), and the Anti-Treaty faction remains as SF. A brief
civil war ensues between the Pro and Anti-Treaty sides.
2) The political and cultural dimensions of Irish nationalism combined in the
movements for language minority rights and political independence from the
1890s to the 1937 Constitution. Discuss this with regard to the following: the role
of the Gaelic League in the 1890s; the interconnection between the Gaelic League
and Irish Republicanism; the place of the Irish language in the 1920s; and, finally,
the place of language and republican issues in the 1937 Constitution.
1890s: After the defeat of the second Home Rule Bill, Irish nationalism takes an
apolitical turn in the form of cultural nationalism. The Gaelic League (GL) is formed in
1893. It is largely a middle class organisation of individuals who favour promoting the
Gaelic language and literature, and the teaching of Irish in the schools. They were trying
to reverse the decline of Irish that accelerated during the Great Famine. Together with the
Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), they promoted Irish culture in opposition to
Anglicizing forces. The GL clashed with individuals such as Yeats who promoted Irish
literature in the English language.
Gaelic League and Irish Republicanism: While the GL was apolitical, as a national
organisation, it attracted the interest of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). The IRB
infiltrated branches of the GL and politicized the organisation. This resulted in the
resignation of GL leader Douglas Hyde in 1915.
Irish Language and Republicanism in 1920s and 1930s: In the 1920s, the ruling
Cuman na Gaedheal Party made Irish and English the official languages of Ireland. In
1926, the government launched a Gaeltacht Commission that led to the designation of
seven Irish-speaking districts (or Gaeltacht). In the 1937 Constitution, Irish and English
were made the ‘first’ and ‘second’ official languages respectively. This dovetailed (or
coincided) with the declaration of republican clauses (Articles 2 and 3) that indicated that
the Irish state included all of the territory and accompanying islands off the coast of
Ireland.
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3) What are the economic dimensions of Irish nationalism during the period from the
1870s to the late 1950s? The important issues here include: the role of the Irish
National Land League (INLL) in the promotion of land tenure for Irish farmers in
the 1870s and 1880s; the ‘economic war’ with Great Britain in the 1930s; the role
of Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI) under Fianna Fail from 1932 to
1958. Finally, discuss how the policies of the Fianna Fail regime in 1959 marked
a departure from economic nationalism.
The INLL in the 1870s and 1880s: The INLL moved to promote land tenure for Irish
farmers. The three ‘f’s’: fixity of tenure, fair rent and free sale of land were the basis of a
campaign that included a mixture of violent and non-violent measures (such as boycotts
promoted by the Ladies Land League). The 1881 Act provided for free sale of some land
to Irish farmers through compensation to landlords, but the INLL did not approve of the
idea that rents were still arbitrary on remaining rental land. Some members of the INLL
wanted the eviction of landlords and the collective ownership and redistribution of land.
Others wanted private property for Irish farmers (especially the large farmers).
Economic War of the 1930s: When the more republican Fianna Fail (FF) came to power
in 1932, they engaged in an ‘economic war’ with Britain over annuity payments dating
back to the land purchases in the early part of the century; these payments (agreed to in
the 1921 Treaty) were compensation for the monies the British state used to buy out
landlords and transfer land to Irish farmers. This ‘economic war’ resulted in higher tariff
walls by both Britain and Ireland. Large Irish graziers who exported beef products to
Britain opposed these measures. In 1938 the ‘economic war’ ended with a one-time
payment by Ireland to end the annuity issue.
Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI): A policy of FF from the 1930s to late
1950s. ISI meant the protection of small Irish manufacturers from cheaper imports from
Britain and other countries. High tariffs were placed on imports to enable small domestic
manufacturers to dominate the Irish market.
Change in Policies in 1959: After the 1958 Whitaker Report, the FF regime under the
new Taoiseach Sean Lemass announced a shift towards freer trade and markets. The ISI
policy was viewed as reaching its limitations. In the 1960s, free trade and export-led
industrialization (ELI) entered the picture. To help facilitate ELI, the Industrial
Development Authority (IDA) promoted foreign direct investment as small Irish firms
were viewed as not being in a position to be major exporters.