The Irish Question: Two Centuries of Conflict

by Lawrence J. McCaffrey

Overview

From 1800 to 1922 the Irish Question was the most emotional and divisive issue in British politics. It pitted Westminster politicians, anti-Catholic British public opinion, and Irish Protestant and Presbyterian champions of the Union against the determination of Ireland's large Catholic majority to obtain civil rights, economic justice, and cultural and political independence.

In this completely revised and updated edition of The Irish Question, Lawrence J. McCaffrey extends his classic analysis of Irish nationalism to the present day. He makes clear the tortured history of British-Irish relations and offers insight into the difficulties now facing those who hope to create a permanent peace in Northern Ireland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813182704
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	05/11/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	563 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Lawrence J. McCaffrey is professor emeritus of history at Loyola University. He is the cofounder of the American Conference for Irish Studies and the author of numerous books, including Textures of Irish America and The Irish Catholic Diaspora in America.

Table of Contents

Catholic Emancipation, 18001829
Repeal, 18291845
Famine, Revolution, Republicanism, 18451870
Home Rule, 18701880
Home Rule, 18801906
The Crisis of Irish Nationalism, 19061914
The Rose Tree, 19141922
Unfinished Business, 1922–1994

Editorial Reviews

The first edition was published in 1968, just before the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland that escalated into nearly 30 years of war. McCaffrey (history, Loyola U.) updates his account of relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom since 1800 both with developments up to the 1994 ceasefire and with new information and insights about earlier events. He writes for American college students. A 20-page bibliographic essay replaces footnotes. Paper edition (unseen), $15.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

An excellent and well-written survey of Irish history over the last two hundred years.

University of Chicago Emmet Larkin

An insightful and generally dispassionate essay that captures, condenses, and clarifies the ambiguities and contradictions that have made 'the Troubles' in post-1922 Ireland so incomprehensible to so many people.... A 'must acquisition' for readers interested in the Anglo-Irish relationship since the Act of Union.

author of Britain and Irish Separatism Thomas E. Hachey

A shrewd, balanced, and richly informed history of Ireland from the 1800 Act of Union to the day before yesterday—and with an informed glance into tomorrow.... Written with clarity, grace, and a concern for the lived experience of the Irish people, all of them.... Beyond question the one essential overview of the last two centuries.

author of Tenants of Time Thomas Flanagan

"A shrewd, balanced, and richly informed history of Ireland from the 1800 Act of Union to the day before yesterday — and with an informed glance into tomorrow.... Written with clarity, grace, and a concern for the lived experience of the Irish people, all of them.... Beyond question the one essential overview of the last two centuries." — Thomas Flanagan, author of Tenants of Time

"An excellent and well-written survey of Irish history over the last two hundred years." — Emmet Larkin, University of Chicago

"An insightful and generally dispassionate essay that captures, condenses, and clarifies the ambiguities and contradictions that have made 'the Troubles' in post-1922 Ireland so incomprehensible to so many people.... A 'must acquisition' for readers interested in the Anglo-Irish relationship since the Act of Union." — Thomas E. Hachey, author of Britain and Irish Separatism

From the Publisher