The Penal Laws and the Protestant Ascendancy
(1691-1800)

Mass Rock

Text assignments
The Course of Irish History: Chapters 14-15
The New Oxford Book of Irish Verse:
17th-19th Century Folk Poetry

On the Internet:
A Modest Proposal http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~benjamin/316kfall/316kunit2/studentprojects/group1/modestproposal.html
Jonathan Swift: http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~benjamin/316kfall/316kunit2/studentprojects/group1/003bioswift.html

Timeline
1667-1745 Jonathan Swift
1670-1738 Turlough O'Carolan
1680-1756 Cathal Buí MacGiolla Ghuna
1688 Glorious Revolution in England against James II
1689 Siege of Derry; Deposed James II flees to Ireland;
1690 James II defeated at the Battle of the Boyne by the forces of William II (William of Orange).
1691 Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Aughrim; Treaty of Limerick promised Catholic Irish rights, but lead to the Penal Laws; Flight of he Earls soon follows:
1695-1704 Penal Codes enacted; Catholics barred from voting, education, the public practice of their religion, and the military.
The Ascendancy develops, a class of elites based upon wealth and membership in the Anglican religion.
1728-1774 Oliver Goldsmith
1766 Fr.Nicholas Sheehy hanged, drawn and quartered for White Boys activities in Munster. First legal acts against the White Boys, Hearts of Oak, Hearts of Steel (in Ulster)
1776 American War of Independence foments Irish unrest.
1778 Restoration of some Catholic rights by Britain
1782 Grattan's Parliament persuades British to declare Irish independence, but in name only.
1791 Wolf Tone influential in forming the United Irishmen in Belfast and Dublin as debating societies.
1792 Catholics once again allowed to practice law.
1793 Catholic Relief Act gave Catholics the right to vote
1795 Rural rioting between Catholic and Protestant lead to the foundation of the Orange Order after the 'battle of the diamond'.
1798 Year of the French: United Irishmen of Dublin betrayed by informers. French land at Killala under French General Humbert. Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen uprising crushed by Cornwallis (the same who lost America).

Possible Monograph Subjects:

Concepts:

Outline:
D. Repression and rebellion 5 hours
  1. Flight of the Wild Geese;" their
    contribution to political and cultural
    developments in France, Spain, South and
    North America
  2. Cromwell and the Penal Laws: The Protestant
    Ascendancy
  3. Cultural deprivation and its effect on the
    Irish people
  4. The Uprising of 1798; French involvement
  5. English reaction; Act of Union of 1800

3. Irish writers of the period achieve international
fame
a. Jonathan Swift
b. Maria Edgeworth
c. Thomas Moore
d. Playwrights: Farquhar, Goldsmith, Sheridan

The Penal Laws enacted after the Treaty of Limerick, in which was pledged faith and honour of the English crown, that the Irish Catholics were to be "protected in the free and unfettered exercise of their religion", provided amongst other things that:

-The Irish Catholic was forbidden the exercise of his religion,
-He was forbidden to receive education.
-He was forbidden to enter a profession.
-He was forbidden to hold public office.
-He was forbidden to engage in trade or commerce.
-He was forbidden to live in a corporate town or within five miles thereof.
-He was forbidden to own a horse of greater value than five pounds.
-He was forbidden to purchase land.
-He was forbidden to lease land.
-He was forbidden to vote.
-He was forbidden to keep any arms for his protection.
-He was forbidden to hold a life annuity.
-He could not be guardian to a child.
-He could not attend catholic worship.
-He could not himself educate his child.
-The law soon came to recognize an Irishman in Ireland only for the purpose of repressing him.

The laws were barely enforced after 1716 because, after all, the majority of the people were Irish Catholics, and only the heartless and obsequious would enforce those laws. Many landlords didn't enforce the laws and while all church property went to the Church of Ireland, many new "chapels" opened up, es.p outside of town. Also, the Church of Ireland did not attempt to convert people because they had a good thing going already and more converts would make it so that they would need to share the power.
The Ascendancy developed, a class of elites based upon wealth and membership in the Anglican religion.
By the 1750's the respectable Catholic middle classes and remaining lords were seeking mitigation of the penal laws, but White Boy violence tended to justify Protestant fears against any break for Catholics. The White Boys fought to redress injustices which they could not get in court. Dublin's harsh response tended to solidify regional acceptance of the secret societies.
Wandering Gaelic poets were the propagandists of a dreamy new society in which Irish Catholics were on top. The American revolutionary war made England push for more civil rights for Catholics to prevent unrest while they fought France. This was over the backs of Ascendancy Protestants who wildly objected.
  1. 1800 years of much political debate moved toward greater Catholic emancipation and more Irish parliamentary independence. Voluntary militias form throughout the island to defend Ireland from the French. These militias for the heart of many a debating group and later, a political group. England does too little too late.
    Wolf Tone influential in forming the United Irishmen in Belfast and Dublin as debating societies.
    1798 Year of the French: United Irishmen of Dublin betrayed by informers. French land at Killala under French General Humbert. Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen uprising crushed.

Literature A Modest Proposal,
Music

Daniel O'Connell and the Great Famine (1800-1850)

Text assignments
The Course of Irish History: Chapters 16-17
The New Oxford Book of Irish Verse:
17th-19th Century Folk Poetry

On the Internet:
Views of the Famine http://vassun.vassar.edu/~sttaylor/FAMINE/
http://avery.med.virginia.edu/~eas5e/Irish/Famine.html

Timeline
1769-1849 Maria Edgeworth
1775-1847 Daniel O'Connell (The Liberator)
1784-1835 Antoine Raifteiri
1790-1866 George Petrie
1794-1852 Thomas Moore
1794-1869 William Carleton
1795 Rural rioting between Catholic and Protestant lead to the foundation of the Orange Order after the 'battle of the diamond'.
1798 Year of the French: United Irishmen of Dublin betrayed by informers. French land at Killala under French General Humbert. Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen uprising crushed by Cornwallis (the same who lost America).
1800 Ireland becomes part of Britain under the Act of Union with direct rule from Westminster
1803 Robert Emmett executed
1803-1849 James Mangan
1810-1886 Samuel Ferguson
1814-1845 Thomas Davis
1823 O'Connell forms the Catholic Association to work for Catholic emancipation
1824-1889 William Allingham
1829 Catholic Emancipation Act passed after Daniel O'Connell elected as MP. He was elected to a seat for Clare, though at the time, he could not hold the seat in Parliament.
1836-1925 George Sigerson
1840 O'Connell founded the Repeal Association to repeal the Act of Union with Britain and to give Ireland her own Parliament back.
1842-1848 The Nation Magazine
1843 O'Connell began to call "monster meetings", with hundreds of thousands attending all across the country and calling for Repeal of the Union.
1845-48 The Great Famine.
1846-1928 Standish O'Grady
1847 Worst year of Famine
1848 The Young Irelanders Insurrection fails

Possible Monograph Subjects:
Maria Edgeworth, Thomas Moore

Concepts

  1. Daniel O'Connell as Irish leader and world figure
  2. Uprising of 1848 and its consequences for the Irish and English

F. The Great Famine and its consequences
  1. Causes of the famine
  2. English laissez faire policy
  3. The great "exodus," mainly to the United States
  4. The native Irish psychologically maimed

G. Dawn of the literary revival
  1. New interest in Ireland's heroic past
  2. Major precursors of the revival
    a. James Mangan
    b. James Macpherson
    c. James Ferguson
    d. Joseph Sheridan LeFanu
    e. William Carleton
    f. Standish O'Grady

Daniel O'Connell was one of the first Catholic lawyers after the liberalization of the Penal laws, became a popular and effective lawyer and one of the most successful politicians in Ireland.
Ireland at this time experience rapid increase in population (about 6.5 million...now about 3.5 million) with land scarce and valuable.
After the recent close call from the French,Ireland becomes part of Britain under the Act of Union with direct rule from Westminster.
O'Connell formed the Catholic Association to work for Catholic emancipation. It's membership dues (i.e. the Catholic rent) was one penny a month and thousands joined and became politically active. They can now vote, so now they vote for people who will aid in Catholic emancipation. 1826 was a significant election in which many MP's were turned out because they opposed emancipation. The Catholic clergy actually start helping out also as local agents and propagandist for the movement. The clergy actually canvassed and lead bands of people to the polls. The people marched into the towns carrying green boughs and leaves. (Ironically, this helped in the the de-Gaelicisation of Ireland. English was the language of power.)
Catholic Emancipation Act passed after Daniel O'Connell elected as MP. He was elected to a seat for Clare, though at the time, he could not hold the seat in Parliament. Prime Minister Wellington and Home Secretary Peel did not want Catholic emancipation, but they went along because it was politically expedient (and many Irishmen were in the police and army).
O'Connell began to call "monster meetings", with hundreds of thousands attending all across the country and calling for Repeal of the Union. But this time, he had very little support in Parliament and had the Conservative Peel in power. The Repeal movement galvanized new leaders, the Young Irelanders, people associated with the Nation magazine:
Thomas Davis: "Irish Nationality-Anyone who lives in Ireland regardless of origin or creed."
Charles Gaven Duffy: editor of the Nation and developed parliamentary tactics of rejecting all appointments of British officers.
John Mitchel: advocated complete separation from England using force if necessary.
James Fintan Lalor: said that the main issue that would fire the masses was land reform.
The Young Irelanders broke with O'Connell in 1844, then launched their own rebellion in 1848


About 1.4 million die in the Famine
Literature
Music