THE UNION
The revolutions of the eighteenth century allied with The Enlightenment had, in the end, a liberalising effect on many European societies.  In the new United Kingdom, liberalising change began to take effect, New attitudes to slavery and social conditions for workers were reflected in Parliament’s attitude to Ireland.  Within Ireland, Catholic and liberal Protestant voices were raised seeking Catholic emancipation.  Under the dynamic though peaceful leadership of Daniel O’Connell Catholic emancipation was attained as the last of the Penal Laws were repealed in 1829.  At the same time, government policy worked against other aspects of Irish cultural and political life.  The qualification for being allowed to vote was raised from, £2 to £10 freehold and since the history of subdivisions of property had left many Catholics with little land, and this effectively disfranchised a large proportion of the population. Attempts at national education had the result of further undermining the Irish language since all text books and all classes were in English.

The greatest disaster to befall Ireland in the nineteenth century and possibly the greatest disaster ever was the Great Famine.  The population of Ireland had swollen to some eight million people, most of whom were rural dwellers, living in conditions of extreme poverty.  Their staple diet was the potato, the one crop that could be grown in sufficient numbers on the tiny strips of land that many families had to live on.  In 1845 potato blight began in Wexford and spread throughout the country.  Initially the government reacted by buying £100,000 worth of corn and grain from America but the administration of this aid was poorly handled by the assistant secretary to the Treasury, Charles Trevelyan who was opposed to Government aid.  In 1846/47 the potato crop failed again.  A new government believing in the non-intervention in the economy decided not to purchase any more relief and people died In their tens of thousands.  The famine, compounded by an unusually harsh winter resulted in deaths from starvation, exposure, typhus and drowning as many sought to escape to America on “coffin ships”.  While some charities started soup kitchens and the government eventually changed its policy in the face of public opinion both from within Britain and from America, it was too late for one million men, women and children who had died and for another one million who had fled to America.

The famine left an enduring bitterness against British administration among many Irish people, it further increased resentment between tenants and landlords, a division which was often reflected in their differing religious affiliations and it helped to create the existence of the Irish-American community, which because of its origins has often been marked by hostility towards Britain and things British.  The population of Ireland continued to decline for more than a century as emigration became a national characteristic, leading to the Irish Diaspora to be found in many nations of the world.

The famine also accelerated social and political change which included the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869.  While there were a few abortive attempts at revolution in the middle of the nineteenth century it was the emergence of a Nationalist Party under the leadership of Parnell that was the most significant feature of the second part of the century.  While Parnell fell from favour because of personal problems nationalism became a powerful force within Ireland.  It was largely, though not exclusively, a Catholic movement.  A number of Presbyterian and Anglo-Irish social activists and writers developed an interest in nationalism and in Celtic culture but these were the exception rather than the rule.