6. IrishNationalismin the early 20th century
• At the start of the 20th century, nothing
threatened the predominance of Home Rule
(I.N.P).
• After Parnell's death, John Redmond, a southern
catholic, lead the Irish nationalist party.
• His aim was much like Parnell's, in that the party
would hold the balance of power in parliament
and gain home rule.
7. The new generation
• Redmond failed to realise that his party was
losing the younger generation. They saw the
party as being based on home rule and little
else.
• The I.N.P was full of the middle aged and middle-
class. These member failed to understand the
emotion powers of the recent Gaelic revival.
• Eventually, increasing complaints were made
about Redmond and his attachment to England.
8. Sinn Fein
• In 1905, an Irish journalist, Arthur Griffith,
started a new political party called Sinn Fein.
Gaelic for “ourselves” or “ourselves alone”.
• He wanted “an Irish state governed by
Irishmen for the benefit of the Irish people.”
• His chosen method was to gain parliamentary
members and then boycott the English
parliament.
• They would have their meetings in Dublin at
the Irish Dail.
9. Sinn Fein
• In the Dail, they would make Ireland’s laws
and choose their own government while
the British monarch would remain.
• Griffith also suggested economical reform.
Ireland should no longer rely on farming
exports and British imports. They would
develop their own industries and protect
them with tariffs on the British
competition.
10. Sinn Fein and others
• Sinn Fein remained small and did not
become a vital political force until 1916.
• Along with other similar nationalist
groups, Sinn Fein struggled for numbers.
Their memberships were made up of the
middle-class and the educated.
• It was only the labour movements that
gained large support.
11. The labour Movement
• The movement was lead by two figures, James
Connolly and James Larkin, based in Dublin.
• Dublin had the worst slums and highest death
rates of any European city. One third of the
population lived in the slums, one fifth were
unemployed.
• Connolly used these statistics as evidence of Irish
suffering under British rule. His solution was a
socialist independent Ireland.
12. Larkin
• Larkin also blamed British rule as the cause of
Dublin’s misery.
• As a trade union organiser, he played a leading
role in a number of labour disputes during 1908-
13
• The most famous was the general strike/lockout
of 1913, which lasted six months.
• Both men believed that the police mistreated
the transport workers and formed the Irish
citizen army to protect them.
13. Connolly as a leader
• Despite the unsuccessful disputes,
Connolly's ideas and influence had
considerable impact.
• Connolly rejected the constitutional
approach of the I.N.P and Sinn Fein.
• He was another voice urging separatism
and as the third Home Rule bill arrived the
separatist ideal was becoming increasingly
popular.
14. Activities
• Read case study 6 on pg. 25 about James
Larkin and Dublin
• Answer the Following:
• What were Larkin's abilities as an orator?
And are they affective?
• How did Larkin’s early life shape his views?
• What were his activities during WW1?
• How would the conditions of Dublin help
the rise of nationalism?
