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Ireland history from 1800's

Irish history in the 1800's saw the introduction of the Act of Union which gave Britain direct power over Ireland and became part of the state called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This brought major changes for the Irish people as decisions on the Irish economy would be made by people in London who had little or no understanding of Ireland and its needs.
During the 1800's in Ireland the right to vote, also known as franchise, was only for men who owned property and were over the age of 21, which was approximately 3% of the Irish population. The franchise was changed in 1884 which allowed all men to vote except younger males and all females but was yet changed in 1918 to allow all women over the age of 30 to vote in Ireland.

The people of Ireland had been divided on the "Act of Union" with nationalists wanting Ireland run by the Irish within Ireland and who felt uncomfortable that Britain was making decisions for them. With the majority of Unionists being descended of English and Scottish settlers from the 16th & 17th Century they believed they were just as much British as they were Irish and remained loyal to the British monarchy, this is where the term loyalist derived from.

Policing 1800 Ireland

There were two police forces in Ireland which was the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP), an unarmed force that policed Dublin and the Royal Irish Constabulary who were armed and policed all over Ireland outside of Dublin. Most of the men on these two forces were ordinary Irishmen but were disliked by their fellow Irish people as they were seen as the eyes and ears for the British.

With the majority of people being Protestants in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British monarch having to be Protestant most Catholics felt disadvantaged of being the minority and believed they were directly discriminated against in jobs and education. Irish Catholics knew if there was an Irish Parliament Catholics would be the majority and in control of the whole country which was why most Catholics wanted an end to the Act of Union.

During the 1830's Daniel O'Connell attempted to have the Act of Union repealed and for an Irish Parliament to be setup but still to have the Queen of Britain also act as the Queen of Ireland. O'Connell did this by having MP's elected into British parliament to try and persuade the establishment of the Irish Parliament but the idea was rejected by the British and forgotten after Daniel O'Connell's death in 1847.

Young Irelanders

The Young Irelanders came about in the 1840s and believed that Ireland should cut all ties with Britain and setup a separate Irish state. The methods of the Young Irelanders was one of force as they knew the British would never agree to a separate Irish State so during 1848 they attempted a revolution but were defeated.

Irish Republican Brotherhood

A member of the Young Irelanders by the name of James Stephens established a new movement called the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) also known as the Fenian Brotherhood. Their goal was to be the same as the Young Irelanders, a free Ireland and completely separate from Britain and who were prepared to use violence to reach their goals. Any member of the IRB had to undertake a secret oath by swearing to fight the complete independence of Ireland, to keep the secrets of the IRB and to obey orders from superiors of the IRB. Before any rebellion took place many spies had infiltrated the IRB and most of its skilled leaders had been arrested so when the orders to up rise came about it was a failure. The IRB however did make British politicians realise that the Irish were not accepting the union which before hand the foolishly thought they had.

The Great Famine of Ireland

Between 1846-51 Ireland was suffer from a number of different famines. These would have a drastic effect on the population with many people and other fleeing to other counties. The great famine in Ireland would become a major piece in Irish history but would also lay down the foundations of the Irish culture spreading to other parts of the world.

GAA Organization is formed

By the late 1800's the GAA was formed by Michael Cusack who believed that British sport was to blame as one of the reasons why Irish identity was being undermined in Ireland. Much support for the GAA was found around the country as the land war was developing, disputes with Irish farmers and their English landlords. The Irish Republican Brotherhood, IRB, also took interest in GAA sport as it was found to be a valuable meeting place for recruiting young men who believed in an Ireland for the Irish.

GAA was strictly for Irish nationalists banning British police and any armed force from joining and playing Irish sports. Also anyone who watched or participated in British sport was prohibited from joining the GAA. The GAA had promoted athletics with Gaelic football and hurling later.

Gaelic League is formed

By 1893 the Gaelic league was formed in Ireland by Douglas Hyde and Eoin MacNeill to revive the Irish language which fading fast from Irish culture. They believed the Irish language was the key to persevering Irish culture and that it played an important role in Irish society.