This book examines the pivotal period immediately after the Irish Union from the unique perspective of the Reverend William Richardson (1740–1820). A clerical polymath, Richardson’s activities ranged from Ulster politics to international scientific debates. His private correspondence adds to our knowledge of central Ulster before and during the 1798 rebellion and provides insights into the tensions between Irish provincial science and the metropolitan scientific world. The book is based on extensive primary research, including material new to Irish historiography, and follows the political and scientific themes of Richardson’s career in a broadly chronological sweep, assessing the role of various shaping features, including religion, politics, personality and Enlightenment ideology, and analysing each theme in terms of its broad contemporary historical significance. This book will appeal to students and academics with an interest in the period, or politics, religion or science.

This is the first full-length study of Irish Ribbonism, tracing the development of the movement from its origins in the Defender movement of the 1790s to the latter part of the century when the remnants of the Ribbon tradition found solace in a new movement: the quasi-constitutional affinities of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Placing Ribbonism firmly within Ireland's long tradition of collective action and protest, this book shows that, owing to its diversity and adaptability, it shared similarities, but also stood apart from, the many rural redresser groups of the period and showed remarkable longevity not matched by its contemporaries. The book describes the wider context of Catholic struggles for improved standing, explores traditions and networks for association, and it describes external impressions. Drawing on rich archives in the form of state surveillance records, 'show trial' proceedings and press reportage, the book shows that Ribbonism was a sophisticated and durable underground network drawing together various strands of the rural and urban Catholic populace in Ireland and Britain. Ribbon Societies in Nineteenth-Century Ireland and its Diaspora is a fascinating study that demonstrates Ribbonism operated more widely than previous studies have revealed.

Sheds new light on the presence and impact of Continental European literary traditions in post-Napoleonic Britain.

A richly detailed exploration of the complex urban culture of the Presbyterian elite in late-Georgian Belfast, The 'Natural Leaders' and their World offers a major reassessment of the political life of Belfast in the early nineteenth century. Examining the activities of a close-knit group of individuals who sought to reform British and European politics, Jonathan Wright addresses topics such as romanticism, evangelicalism, and altruism, with a look at writers such as Lord Byron, Walter Scott, Robert Owen, and Thomas Chalmers. In doing so, he tells the story of a Presbyterian middle class and the complex entanglement of their political, cultural, and intellectual lives.

'The old woman opened the door, and the next moment I was in the presence of Uncle Silas.' In Victorian Derbyshire, 17 year old orphan and heiress Maud Ruthyn is sent to live at the claustrophobic Bartram-Haugh house with her mysterious Uncle Silas. Silas has a reputation for gambling debts and past accusations of murder, but now lives as a reformed Christian. Sinister schemes and preternatural events unfold as Silas, his son, and a malevolent governess plot against Maud and her fortune. Uncle Silas has been hailed by contemporaries and modern critics alike as one of the finest works of sensation fiction. With elements of tragic romance, horror, and psychological thriller, Uncle Silas shows Le Fanu at the height of his powers. With an introduction from Claire Connolly, this edition places the novel in its broadest context and unpicks the layers of Celtic, Christian, and mystic influence behind Le Fanu's best known work. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

The untold story of a group of Irish cities and their remarkable development before the age of industrialization A backward corner of Europe in 1600, Ireland was transformed during the following centuries. This was most evident in the rise of its cities, notably Dublin and Cork. David Dickson explores ten urban centers and their patterns of physical, social, and cultural evolution, relating this to the legacies of a violent past, and he reflects on their subsequent partial eclipse. Beautifully illustrated, this account reveals how the country's cities were distinctive and--through the Irish diaspora--influential beyond Ireland's shores.