“Was Home Rule then to be a means, not of fulfilling a distinct Irish destiny, but of strengthening a wider sense of Britishness, making Ireland at last a contented province of Britain?” (Boyce 1986:236)
“The answer, of course, was ‘No’, even if John Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party wrestled with those contradictions in a more thoroughgoing, sophisticated and independent-minded way than later national historiography ever gave them credit for doing. The view has gained ground in more recent historical reassessment that by 1914 they had within their grasp at least as much as was to be achieved, after so much bloodshed, in 1921. Certainly they had mapped out the achievable far more clearly than had the architects of the 1916 Rising, or those who inspired the losing side in the Civil War.”
Stephen Howe Ireland and Empire Oxford. p.41.
Ireland and Empire: Colonial Legacies in Irish History and Culture – Chronicon Review, 1999
Ireland and Empire: Colonial Legacies in Irish History and Culture – Amazon Review
Any mature look back at 1916 must honour Redmond – Read more >
John Redmond: Discarded Leader – Read more >
The royal visit: where do we go from here?
On June 22, 1921, when he opened Stormont, King George V said, ‟I appeal to all Irishmen to pause, to stretch out the hand of forbearance and conciliation, to forgive and forget and to join in making for the land which they love a new era of peace, contentment and goodwill.” On 18th May 2011, at a State Dinner in Dublin Castle, Queen Elizabeth II said, “Indeed, so much of this visit reminds us of the complexity of our history, its many layers and traditions, but also the importance of forbearance and conciliation – of being able to bow to the past, but not be bound by it.”
I understand that England withdrew from Ireland gradually during the 19th century and this culminated in the Home Rule process, the emergence of Northern Ireland and then the Irish Free State and its evolution into the Republic of Ireland. The latest manifestation of English support for Ireland is a royal visit, following on the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent Anglo-Irish agreements. It appears to me that the London government wishes all of Ireland well. I believe that the UK government seeks and has always sought to protect the Irish population from the consequences of Irish extremist positions, tensions and actions from whatever group these arise. Royal utterances reflect this position very clearly.
I come from an Roman Catholic background and I find the church in Ireland and the Catholic population have changed in thinking and religious practice way beyond anything I would have ever dreamed possible as I matured during the 1950s and 1960s. This deep change in belief and practice has changed Ireland profoundly. I feel the mainstream Irish population is now very similar to the mainstream English population in religious attitude. Perhaps the majority of English people would describe themselves as ‘C of E’, but set foot in church only very rarely. Similarly, most Irish people would now describe themselves as Catholic but only set foot in church very rarely.
Now that Irish ‘difference’ is so much reduced, I believe that many, indeed perhaps most, Irish people have discovered that the UK is no longer threatening in any way to their sense of identity. The Irish population have in fact become more English in attitude and behaviour. This is not surprising as the population of Southern Ireland is largely English in origin anyway. Hence the success of the Queen’s visit.
I find myself asking, is Ireland now returning to the relationship with England which Ireland threw away so thoughtlessly after 1920? The Queen’s visit symbolises to me some sort of very belated effort by the Irish – and very much encouraged by London – to try to repair some of the damage. Everything to do with the Queen’s visit shouts out to me that Ireland should never have left the UK. The shared history is just too profound.
In 1911, Ireland was a united country and a free democracy. Order was kept by largely RC police forces. Ireland had religious freedom, freedom of speech and was economically pretty prosperous. Irish government was simple, cheap and efficient, and Ireland was well defended. By 1923, Ireland found herself divided into two sectarian states because of the stupidity of many Irish people. By 1931, basic freedoms were curtailed throughout the island. Many had died violently, so the most basic freedom – the right to life itself – was no longer guaranteed. Ireland was determined to cut herself off from her main markets, and sought to undermine her own defence. Common citizenship with the UK was thrown away. Eventually an uneasy sort of peace developed which ended in 1969 with the resurgence of yet more trouble. More deaths have occurred since 1969 than took place in the 1916 to 1923 troubles.
No wonder the extreme Irish republicans protest the visit as it shows the failure of this form of republicanism so clearly. Sadly, Ireland can scarcely be described as normal when the Queen has to drive around in an armoured Range Rover through cleared streets and the public are not allowed near her. Curiously enough though, the Queen was allowed to mingle with ordinary people in the streets of ‘rebel Cork’!
William Hague remarked in Dublin last week that there are 6 million UK residents who are Irish born, or with Irish parents or grandparents (figures from Foreign Secretary Hague). That fact speaks volumes.
For me, the royal visit underlines the failure of Irish dreams and the strength of English pragmatism.
Where do we go from here?