Land, its ownership, its occupancy and the fate of the dispossessed has long been one of the most controversial issues in Irish society. Never was this truer than in the Land War period of the 1870s and 1880s. In this well-documented volume, Frank Thompson has provided a clear and refreshing analysis of the land question in Ulster. In political terms, it determined the path of Ulster politics at a critical juncture in Irish history to the extent that it was the central factor in first the rise, then the fall of the Ulster Liberal Party. This thorniest of issues provided the dynamic of the growth of the Liberal Party in Ulster so that, whereas Liberalism was in terminal decline in the other three provinces, there grew an almost irresistible tide of Liberal feeling in the North. However, the very success of the broader movement for land reform ultimately deprived the Liberal Party in Ulster of much of its political capital. Furthermore, the Parnellite campaign in the province from 1883 and Orange reaction to it increasingly divided Ulster along sectarian lines, to the detriment of the Liberal cause. By 1886 Home Rule had become the defining question it would remain until Partition. The Land Question, of course, remained important but it had become clear that the time when it could radically influence the shape of Ulster was past. Within a dramatically short period of coming to prominence, though the Ulster Liberal was not quite an extinct political species, Ulster Liberalism was well and truly a spent force.

Draws from a wide range of disciplines to bring together 36 leading scholars writing about 400 years of modern Irish history

Taking a fresh look at the roots and implications of the enduring major historic fissure in Western Christianity, this book presents new insights into the historical dynamics of Protestant-Catholic conflict while illuminating present-day contexts and suggesting comparisons for approaching other entrenched conflicts in which religion is implicated.

Explains how William Gladstone responded to the 'Irish Question', and in so doing changed the British and Irish political landscape. Religion, land, self-government and nationalism became subjects of intensive political debate, raising issues about the constitution and national identity of the whole United Kingdom.

This book explores the life and career of Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava (1826–1902). Dufferin was a landowner in Ulster, an urbane diplomat, literary sensation, courtier, politician, colonial governor, collector, son, husband and father. The book draws on episodes from Dufferin’s career to link the landowning and aristocratic culture he was born into with his experience of governing across the British Empire, in Canada, Egypt, Syria and India. This book argues that there was a defined conception of aristocratic governance and purpose that infused the political and imperial world, and was based on two elements: the inheritance and management of a landed estate, and a well-defined sense of ‘rule by the best’. It identifies a particular kind of atmosphere of empire and aristocracy, one that was riven with tensions and angst, as those who saw themselves as the hereditary leaders of Britain and Ireland were challenged by a rising democracy and, in Ireland, by a powerful new definition of what Irishness was. It offers a new perspective on both empire and aristocracy in the nineteenth century, and will appeal to a broad scholarly audience and the wider public.

This final volume in the Cambridge History of Ireland covers the period from the 1880s to the present. Based on the most recent and innovative scholarship and research, the many contributions from experts in their field offer detailed and fresh perspectives on key areas of Irish social, economic, religious, political, demographic, institutional and cultural history. By situating the Irish story, or stories - as for much of these decades two Irelands are in play - in a variety of contexts, Irish and Anglo-Irish, but also European, Atlantic and, latterly, global. The result is an insightful interpretation on the emergence and development of Ireland during these often turbulent decades. Copiously illustrated, with special features on images of the 'Troubles' and on Irish art and sculpture in the twentieth century, this volume will undoubtedly be hailed as a landmark publication by the most recent generation of historians of Ireland.

The essays in this volume, taken together, span the era of British history from 1780 to the present that has engrossed the attention of Brian Harrison in a career of more than fifty years. In keeping with his diverse interests, they vary widely in subject matter. Yet each contributes, in some fashion, to an appreciation of the complexities of reform in modern Britain. Throughout his career Harrison has demonstrated an unwavering interest in social movements and pressure groups. He has analysed the organisation of reform movements and their bases of support; explored the aspirations and beliefs motivating individuals to start or join such movements; and examined the ideas and ideals shaping their conception of human improvement. No one has done more to show that the significance of a reform movement's triumphs and disappointments can be grasped only in relation to the forces amassed to resist its claims. The essays gathered here, on the Harrisonian theme of reform and its complexities, form an acknowledgment of the massive mark their honouree has made on the study of modern British history. They are preceded by a Foreword composed by Keith Thomas and an editorial Introduction tracing the course of Harrison's scholarship and connecting that scholarship to the substance of the essays. The volume encompasses both wide-ranging analytical investigations and telling case studies. All have new things to say on the subject of reform and its complexities in modern Britain.