Before the Revolution: Nationalism, Social Change and Ireland's Catholic Elite, 1879-1922 Book

Although much has been written about the impact of politics on the Irish cultural revival, little is understood about the pre-Home Rule generation of Irish Catholic intellectuals. Before the Revolution sets out to redress this imbalance by looking at the influence of education and employment in the formation of a Catholic elite. Gender and class are two important focuses of the study. The experience of employment, membership of political and cultural associations, and the pursuit of entertainment are used to describe the development of this new stratum of modern Irish society.

Structured thematically, the book uses the Irish University question and the development of secondary schools as its starting point. These developments lead to greater influence for Catholic intellectuals in Irish politics. The experience of university education is central to understanding how this influence began. Using profiles of a cross-section of representative groups, Pa eta challenges the accepted view that Gaelicist rhetoric influenced large numbers of politically-minded students. The evidence also challenges the view that employment opportunities open to these graduates were not blocked by the State or intransigent Protestants. The book chronicles the rise of Catholic organisations which developed in response to the pervasive idea that the professions were actively discriminating against Catholics. The emergence of these organisations, and the various rifts within Irish society resulting from new ideas of Ireland's place in the world, illustrate the necessity for a re-evaluation of the influence of the cultural revival on education and politics.

About the Author:
Senia Pa eta is a junior Research Fellow in Merton College, Oxford. She was awarded the prestigious J. G. Crawford Medal for Academic Excellence from the Australian National University in 1996 for the dissertation upon which the book is based.