Ireland's hope : the "peculiar theories" of James Fintan Lalor / James P. Bruce.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bruce, James P., author.

Series:

Series in world history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lalor, James Fintan, 1807-1849.

Lalor, James Fintan.

History.

Ireland--Politics and government--1837-1901--Historiography.

Ireland.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (161 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Wilmington, Delaware : Vernon Press, 2020.

Summary:

This book examines the public and private writings of James Fintan Lalor, with particular emphasis on his treatment of the national and land questions. By elucidating Lalor's key messages under these headings, exploring possible influences on his thinking, and assessing the impact of his writings on his contemporaries, this book attempts to address two historiological deficiencies as purported by the author. The first of which is the scholarly tendency to assign only a minor, supporting role to Lalor during the brief heyday of Young Ireland; where he is typically portrayed merely as a catalyst in the radicalisation of figures like John Mitchel, rather than as a profound original thinker in this own right. The second is the popular interpretation of Lalor's proposals on land tenure as foreshadowing the creation of a 'peasant proprietary' later in the century. The author argues that Lalor advocated a much more radical plan that would link his two primary objectives: the creation of a sovereign Irish republic, and transfer of control over landholding from a small number of landlords to the entire Irish people. Comparing and contrasting Lalor's theories with ideas on landholding and property rights put forward by contemporary and near-contemporary thinkers, including Thomas Paine and James 'Bronterre' O'Brien, this ground-breaking book allows Lalor and his writings to be assessed outside the usual context of Irish nationalism. As the author argues, Lalor's unique contribution to Irish radical thought merits a more prominent place in nineteenth-century intellectual history than it has hitherto received. This book will, therefore, be of great value to anyone interested in modern Irish history, especially in the areas of the Great Famine, the Young Ireland movement, and the Land War.

Contents:

James Fintan Lalor's "peculiar views on the tenure question"

"Destitute of books" : Lalor's literary precursors

"I sometimes wish for someone to speak to" : Lalor and his contemporaries.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-64889-081-4