IHR 1867-90

• Act of Union brought an end to Ireland being a colony, and the end to the Irish Parliament in Dublin (came after rebellion)


  1800
• The majority of Ireland had an agrarian economy, rented small parcels of land, bad economic conditions seen to be particularly detrimental to the peasantry's situation
• Potato famine began, 1 million die and 2 million emigrate to places such as Britain and the USA, creating an effective movement of nationalism across the country and subsequent financial support for radical movements


  1845
• Decision made by Peel to repeal the Corn Laws in 1846, advocating for free trade, did little to help the plight of the peasantry however
• Protestant ascendancy


  Majority of the land owned by Anglo- Irish Protestants (historically due to the origins of the Civil War as land distributed across Cromwell's supporters), landlords often absentee, leaving agents to manage tenancies and frequently evicting at short notice
• Casual sub-letting agreements


  Lack of security of tenure - little improvements made to land as seen to not receive rewards - little crop yield - tenants unable to keep up with rents
• Deep resentment against the landowning class (sectarian divide due to economic conditions), lack of security of tenure
• Landlords often accused of charging 'rack rents', extortionate rents where the threat of eviction due to non-payment would be held over their heads
• Irish Tenant League established the 3 Fs, Fair rent, Fixity of tenure, Freedom to sell interest (freedom to sell rented holding to another tenant)


  1850
• 88% of the population was Catholic, however the official church was the Protestant Church
• By 1868, a small movement of radical Irish Republican Nationalists had emerged, not seeking IHR but rather full independence
• Fenians and IRB


  Often membership intertwined, membership of one typically involved membership of another (happy to achieve aims through revolt, dissatisfied with the prospect of IHR)
• Ulster Custom


  The only place in Ireland where there was security of tenure for tenants, also only area that effectively benefitted from industrialisation, less agrarian economy, they were able to sell their interests to other tenants and therefore able to benefit from a more prosperous lifestyle (also mean they were incentivised to invest in the land)
• The Fenians unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion in Ireland, attacking police in an attempt to release the young fenian that had been involved, therefore Gladstone seen to come in 1868 with a 'mission to pacify Ireland', wanted to identify a cause of the violence and promote peace through reforms


  1867
• Gladstone believed the solution to the sectarian divide and economic frustrations was to solve the issue of tenancy, in order to create a more equitable relationship between landlords and tenant
• However, wanted to be careful as to not ostracise the Whig faction of the Liberals, particularly as the party themselves had only really emerged in 1865
• Irish Church Act - aimed to achieve the dis-establishment of the Protestant church to reflect the 88% Catholic population, tithe abolished and church property was used for things such as hospitals and schools


  1869
• Land Act - aimed to formally legalise the Ulster Custom, and to establish that the only legal allowance for evictions was non payment, also to implement financial penalties if these occurred outside of these stipulations


  1870
• Bright (Radical) believed the issue of tenancy could be solved by giving the peasantry proprietorial rights, and introduced 'Bright's Clause', in an attempt to allow tenants to buy interest with a loan from the govt and repay it However NOT introduced, fears over upsetting the Whig faction
• Landlords were threatened by the challenge towards Protestant ascendancy, and land owning Whigs indirectly viewed it as an attack on their own property interests
• Despite well intentioned aims by Gladstone, ostracised both factions he intended to placate
• Led to Whigs being more anxious about the maintenance of the Union, and expressing more Conservative views
• Coercion Act - passed after the Land Act, Gladstone made the mistake of following an act of reform, with one of oppression - limited the positive aspects of reform as gave police increased powers of arrest


  1870
• The 1870 Land Act demonstrated Gladstone perceived Ireland as a 'special case', demonstrated he was willing to intervene in the market
• Gladstone believed he had achieved a permanent solution to the land problem, visited Ireland on his first and only visit


  1877
• Ireland experienced particularly wet summers and subsequent bad harvests, glut of cheap American corn combined with the economic depression in 1873, resulted in decreased profits for farmers and subsequent evictions due to non payments


  1877-79
• Strong rural discontent emerged as a result of the poor harvests, leading to the subsequent Land Wars, encouraged by the Land League (set up by Davitt and Devoy)
• Rent arrears arose as a result of the depression, 6000 evicted in 1879, and between 1879-83, 14000 evicted overall
• Both Davitt and Devoy were Fenians, however were willing to collaborate over Parnell's IHR aims - resulting in the name of the 'Great New Departure' as it was seen to be the first instance where these groups were seen to be aligned with more moderate aims
• As President of the Land League (invited by Davitt and Devoy), Parnell demanded the 3Fs, and together they begin a campaign of boycotts, non-rent payment, occupation of land, and indirectly, violence towards landlords
• By 1879 Ireland was seen to be largely ungovernable
• Gladstone's Land Act lacked sufficient protection against the harvests for tenant farmers, demonstrated the necessity of the Land League to provide this
• The League was funded by Irish Nationalists in the USA who had emigrated due to the potato famine, they aimed to campaign for self government and land reform
• Irish University Bill - largely unsuccessful, defeated by Anglican and Catholic opposition, failed to satisfy both sides of the sectarian divide and seen to be not enough by Catholics, and too much for Protestants


  1873
• Economic disparities in many ways allowed the movement for nationalism to spread, Catholics were often disproportionately poor in comparison to their Protestant counterparts
• Lack of effective legislation from Gladstone led to many feeling independence was the only solution
• Butt (strong Unionist) set up the Home Rule League in 1873, in the belief that peaceful aims would achieve this, however led to the emergence of a more militant group
• Land League : Strengthened by the economic depression, many workers were unable to find work in England and so returned with a stronger desire for seperation
• Pressure of LL contributed to the Land Act 1881
• LL and HR League both came under the leadership of Parnell, after Butt's death and HR League later to become the Irish Parliamentary Party