PRE-FAMINE IRELAND: SOCIAL STRUCTURE Book

The companion volume to this one is now almost ready. This book deals with the social and economic aspects of Ireland in the pre-Famine period. The second volume (Ireland 1800-1850}deals with the political history of the same period.

This book, Pre-Famine Ireland, grew out of a project I undertook, after completing my doctoral thesis, to read a copy of one or more Irish newspapers for every day between 1800 and 1850. This not only gave me contemporary perspectives on the period but also provided a wealth of information not otherwise readily available. Information, for example, on the courts, on the duties and responsibilities of officers, like mayors and sheriffs, how they were appointed, to whom they were responsible, and who was responsible for seeing they conducted themselves well; who conducted schools, what was taught in them, who managed schools for girls; long-forgotten religious disputes, and so on.

It had been my intention to write a single volume on the history of the period, but the vast quantity of data I collected on social and economic conditions compelled me to gather it into a separate volume. The subject is so vast that in the course of a single volume only the barest outline of each topic can be given. There is no room for recounting different interpretations among scholars that belong more appropriately to more specialist publications. My aim is to provide a hand-book for the general reader or general student of Irish history, but also one into which the specialist may dip concerning matters not of their speciality.

The period 1800 to 1850 in Irish history has not been particularly frequently or well researched. Distortions too were caused by the political objectives of the various writers. Facts were selected, omitted, or twisted to suit political objectives. Catholic or nationalist writers wrote with their own religious and political objectives in mind, and Protestants or loyalists likewise.

Historians concentrated on the political struggles and conflicts, omitting investigation of other aspects of society, particularly the social and economic conditions and practices of the time. Some of these have long since vanished. Others are still with us but very much altered. Local government for example was drastically altered in the second half of the century. Some people too know institutions and customs only in their British or American forms. Nowadays, for the most part, historians take a much more objective approach, and the study of social and economic history has been developed.

Social and economic institutions were well developed in Ireland in the early nineteenth century. It was not a primitive country, or yet one where a native population was ground down by colonial oppressors. The people, Catholics and Protestants, regarded themselves as living in a free and democratic country. There might be more freedom and democracy in America, but they considered that what they had was more suitable for their country, and congratulated themselves on having escaped the excesses of the French Revolution. Very few after 1800 looked for a republic. There was a free press and letters to the editor were particularly illuminating.

There were great political struggles between Catholics and Protestants, but these were very similar to those between Republicans and Democrats in the United States later in the century, violence and all. Catholics in the nationalist party in Ireland and Catholics in Tammany Hall in the United States came from the same families. It was not an anti-colonial war.

There were troubles and disturbances without doubt. Society was very unequal, and many rewards went to those already rich. But there was equality before the law and equality in business. Attempts were always made to remedy real grievances and numerous commissions of enquiry were appointed. Reliance was normally placed on the ordinary processes of the law. Extraordinary measures to deal with outbreaks of violence were limited as far as possible in their scope and their duration.

For the most part too, the people were forward looking, and could see that many things could be improved. The great economic improvement of the age was the application of steam power to transport on the land and on sea. But education was also improved, and the franchise extended. A comprehensive system of provision for the very poor was provided. Every effort was made to repair defects in religion and the Churches. All the time the population was exploding.

The great event, and great mystery, was the Great Irish Famine. Why did it occur? Agriculture was prosperous, and exports were booming, great developments in railways and steamships were taking place. The possibility of such a famine caused by crop-failure had been foreseen for many years, and every effort had been made to be ready for it. A nation-wide system of poor relief had just been completed. Corn Laws had been passed to develop Irish agriculture, and were so successful that they were no longer needed. But despite all the steps taken a major disaster occurred.

The best description I can give of this book is to list the Table of Contents.

CONTENTS

PART I

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Introduction

1Structure and Values of Irish Society

(i) Social Structure

(ii) Beliefs and Values

2Irish History 1800-1850

PART II

THE ECONOMY

3The Irish Economy

(i) General Observations

(ii) Geographical Aspects

(iii) Levels of Economic Development

(iv) Agricultural Regions

(v) Questions of Population

(vi) History of the Irish Economy

(vii) Overview of the Economy in 1800

4Roads and Railways

(i) The Tertiary Sector

(ii) Roads and Road Travel

(iii) Railways and the Electric Telegraph

5Water Transport

(i) Investment and Return

(ii) Shipping

(iii) Navigational Hazards

(iv) Ports

(v) Inland Navigation

(vi) Steam Navigation

(vii) Aeronautics

6Trade

(i) Internal Trade: Fairs, Markets, and Shops

(ii) Foreign Trade: Imports, Exports

7Financial Institutions

(i) The Currency

(ii) Banks and Banking

(iii) Other Financial Institutions

(iv) Note on Coinage

8The Primary Sector I

(i) Cattle

(ii) Sheep

(iii) Other Livestock

(iv) Tillage: Implements

(v) Tillage: Cultivation of the Soil

(vi) Tillage: Fertility and Crop Hygiene

(vii) Tillage: Seeds and Crops

9The Primary Sector II

(i) Agricultural Incomes

(ii) Fisheries

(iii) The Tenure of Land

(iv) Estate Management

(v) The Study and Improvement of Agriculture

(vi) Bogs and Land Reclamation

(vii) Crop Failures and Scarcities

10Secondary Sector I: Factors of Production

(i) Power and Machinery

(ii) The Financing of Industry

(iii) Work and the Labour Force

(iv) The Guild System

(v) Combinations and Trade Unions

11Secondary Sector II: Processing and Manufacturing

(i) Milling, Brewing and Distilling

(ii) The Textile Industry: Organisation

(iii) The Textile Industry: Branches

(iv) The Provisions Industry

(v) Mining and Minerals

(vi) Manufacturing

PART III

GOVERNMENT

12Local Administrations I

(i) The Organisation of Irish Society

(ii) Local Administrations

(iii) County Officials

(iv) Meetings of Freeholders and County Assizes

(v) Selection of Grand and Petty Juries

(vi) Duties of the Grand Jury

13Local Administrations II

(i) Corporate Towns and their ´Policing´

(ii) Other Administrative Units

(iv) Provision for the Sick and Poor

14Crime and Police

(i) Ordinary Crime

(ii) Agrarian Crime

(iii) Illicit Distillation

(iv) The Dublin Metropolitan Police

(v) The County Police and Irish Constabulary

(vi) Gaols and Penology

15Crown and Parliament

(i) The Flag

(ii) The Crown

(iii) Parliament

(iv) Elections