Ireland and the Crimean war, 1854-6 : a study of domestic response

• Main Author: Huddie, P.
• Published: Queen's University Belfast 2014
• Subjects: 941.5081
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.676614

This thesis aims to show that the Crimean War was an important and noteworthy period in Ireland's nineteenth-century history, just as it was in Britain and wider Europe, as well as in its relationship with the United Kingdom and the British Empire. This research is necessary because, in spite of the impact which the war had on Irish society between 1854 and 1856, and thereafter, a lack of substantial analysis, comparable to that conducted on Britain, exists within Ireland's historiography. Analysing the areas of parliamentary and nationalist politics, popular and religious responses, and the military and economy, this thesis will argue that Irish MPs and peers criticised the conduct of the war in a fashion often indistinguishable from their British colleagues, but unlike some of the latter never opposed it. Although some Irish nationalists hoped for rebellion, enthusiasm for it was lacking in Ireland, yet Dublin Castle took preventative measures, and also sought to foster a patriotic mentality throughout the war. A large cross-section of Irish society expressed substantial interest in and support for the conflict through the press, public demonstrations, ballads, and memorials. The war encouraged friendly interdenominational relations, while all the denominations (except the Quakers) supported the war and saw it as just, providential and even a sign of the imminent millennium, as well as an opportunity for advancing missions and providing spiritual provisions for Irish servicemen. Many Irish people, primarily Protestants, partook in an empire-wide popular philanthropic endeavour in aid of the soldiers and their families, while a large cross-section of Irish civilians and garrison personnel, for various reasons, volunteered to fight in the East. The war helped stimulate Ireland's post-Famine agricultural recovery, and while the Irish linen industry suffered, certain Irish companies and individuals obtained lucrative government contracts; others partook in a nationwide anti-taxation movement.