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Anglo-Irish people

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"Anglo-Irish" redirects here. For the medieval Anglo-Irish, seeOld English (Ireland).For the bank, seeAnglo Irish Bank.For Anglo-Irish poetry, seeIrish poetry.

Anglo-Irish
Angla-Éireannach
St Patrick's Crossis often seen as a symbol of the Anglo-Irish.
Regions with significant populations
Northern Ireland407,454[1][2]
(Northern Irish Anglicans)
(Northern Irish Methodists)
(Other Northern Irish Protestants)
Republic of Ireland177,200[3]
(Irish Anglicans)
(Irish Methodists)
(Other Irish Protestants)
Languages
Standard English,Hiberno-English,Northern Ireland Sign
Religion
Anglicanism
(someMethodist,Catholicor other Protestant)
(see alsoReligion in Ireland)
Related ethnic groups
English•Scots•Anglo-Normans•Anglo-Saxons•Ulster Scots•Ulster Protestants•Welsh

Anglo-Irish people(Irish:Angla-Éireannach) denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the EnglishProtestant Ascendancyin Ireland.[4]They mostly belong to the AnglicanChurch of Ireland,which was theestablished churchof Ireland until 1871, or to a lesser extent one of theEnglish dissentingchurches, such as theMethodist church,though some wereRoman Catholics.They often defined themselves as simply "British", and less frequently "Anglo-Irish", "Irish" or "English".[5]Many became eminent as administrators in theBritish Empireand as seniorarmy and naval officerssince theKingdom of EnglandandGreat Britainwere in areal unionwith theKingdom of Irelandfor over a century, before politically uniting into theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Irelandin 1801.

The term is not usually applied toPresbyteriansin the province ofUlster,whose ancestry is mostlyLowland Scottish,rather than English or Irish, and who are sometimes identified asUlster-Scotsor Orangemen. The Anglo-Irish hold a wide range of political views, with some being outspokenIrish Nationalists,but most overall beingUnionists.And while most of the Anglo-Irish originated in theEnglish diasporain Ireland, others were descended from families of the oldGaelic nobility of Ireland.[6]

As a social class[edit]

See also:Protestant Ascendancy

The term "Anglo-Irish" is often applied to the members of theChurch of Irelandwho made up the professional andlanded classin Ireland from the 17th century up to the time of Irish independence in the early 20th century. In thecourse of the 17th century,this Anglo-Irish landed class replaced theGaelic IrishandOld Englisharistocracies as the ruling class in Ireland. They were also referred to as "New English"to distinguish them from the" Old English ", who descended from the medievalHiberno-Normansettlers.

Under thePenal Laws,which were in force between the 17th and 19th centuries (although enforced with varying degrees of severity),Roman Catholicrecusantsin Great Britain and Ireland were barred from holding public office, while in Ireland they were also barred from entry toTrinity College Dublinand from professions such as law, medicine, and themilitary.The lands of the recusant Roman Catholiclanded gentrywho refused to take the prescribed oaths were largely confiscated during thePlantations of Ireland.The rights of Roman Catholics to inherit landed property were severely restricted. Those who converted to the Church of Ireland were usually able to keep or regain their lost property, as the issue was considered primarily one of allegiance. In the late 18th century, theParliament of Irelandin Dublin won legislative independence, and the movement for the repeal of theTest Actsbegan.

Marble bust ofThe V. Rev.Jonathan Swift,insideSt Patrick's Cathedral,Dublin.Swift wasDeanof St Patrick's from 1713 to 1745.

Not all Anglo-Irish people could trace their origins to the Protestant English settlers of the Cromwellian period; some were of Welsh stock, and others descended from Old English or even native Gaelic converts to Anglicanism.[6]Members of this ruling class commonly identified themselves as Irish,[5]while retaining English habits in politics, commerce, and culture. They participated in the popular English sports of the day, particularlyracingandfox hunting,and intermarried with the ruling classes in Great Britain. Many of the more successful of them spent much of their careers either in Great Britain or in some part of theBritish Empire.Many constructed largecountry houses,which became known in Ireland asBig Houses,and these became symbolic of the class' dominance in Irish society.

The Dublin working class playwrightBrendan Behan,a staunchIrish Republican,saw the Anglo-Irish as Ireland'sleisure classand famously defined an Anglo-Irishman as "a Protestant with a horse".[7]

The Anglo-Irish novelist and short story writerElizabeth Bowenmemorably described her experience as feeling "English in Ireland, Irish in England" and not accepted fully as belonging to either.[8]

Due to their prominence in the military and their conservative politics, the Anglo-Irish have been compared to thePrussian Junkerclass by, among others,Correlli Barnett.[9]

Business interests[edit]

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Anglo-Irish owned many of the major indigenous businesses in Ireland, such asJacob's Biscuits,Bewley's,Beamish and Crawford,Jameson's Whiskey,W. P. & R. Odlum,Cleeve's,R&H Hall,Maguire & Patterson,Dockrell's,Arnott's,Goulding Chemicals,theIrish Times,the Irish Railways, and theGuinness brewery,Ireland's largest employer.[citation needed]They also controlled financial companies such as theBank of IrelandandGoodbody Stockbrokers.

Statue of Anglo-Irish mathematician and theologianGeorge Salmon(1819–1904), in front of the campanile ofTrinity College Dublin,the traditionalalma materof the Anglo-Irish class. Salmon was provost of Trinity from 1888 until his death.

Prominent members[edit]

Prominent Anglo-Irish poets, writers, and playwrights includeOscar Wilde,Maria Edgeworth,Jonathan Swift,George Berkeley,Sheridan Le Fanu,Oliver Goldsmith,Laurence Sterne,George Darley,Lucy Knox,Bram Stoker,J. M. Synge,W. B. Yeats,Cecil Day-Lewis,Bernard Shaw,Augusta, Lady Gregory,Samuel Beckett,Giles Cooper,C. S. Lewis,Lord Longford,Elizabeth Bowen,William TrevorandWilliam Allingham.The writerLafcadio Hearnwas of Anglo-Irish descent on his father's side but was brought up as a Catholic by his great-aunt.

In the 19th century, some of the most prominent mathematical and physical scientists of the British Isles, includingSir William Rowan Hamilton,Sir George Stokes,John Tyndall,George Johnstone Stoney,Thomas Romney Robinson,Edward Sabine,Thomas Andrews,Lord Rosse,George Salmon,andGeorge FitzGerald,were Anglo-Irish. In the 20th century, scientistsJohn JolyandErnest Waltonwere also Anglo-Irish, as was the polar explorer SirErnest Shackleton.Medical experts includedSir William Wilde,Robert Graves,Thomas Wrigley Grimshaw,William Stokes,Robert Collis,Sir John LumsdenandWilliam Babington.The geographerWilliam Cooleywas one of the first to describe the process ofglobalization.

The Anglo-IrishmenRichard Brinsley Sheridan,Henry Grattan,Lord Castlereagh,George Canning,Lord Macartney,Thomas Spring Rice,Charles Stewart Parnell,andEdward Carsonplayed major roles in British politics. Downing Street itself was named afterSir George Downing.In the Church, BishopRichard Pocockecontributed much to C18 travel writing.

The Anglo-Irish were also represented among the senior officers of theBritish Armyby men such asField MarshalEarl Roberts,first honorary Colonel of theIrish Guardsregiment, who spent most of his career inBritish India;Field MarshalViscount Gough,who served underWellington,himself a Wellesley born in Dublin to theEarl of Mornington,head of a prominent Anglo-Irish family in Dublin; and in the 20th century Field MarshalLord Alanbrooke,Field MarshalLord Alexander of Tunis,GeneralSir John Winthrop Hackett,Field MarshalSir Henry Wilsonand Field MarshalSir Garnet Wolseley.(see alsoIrish military diaspora).

Others were prominent officials and administrators in theBritish Empire,such as:Frederick Matthew Darley,the Chief Justice of New South Wales;Henry Arthur Blake,Antony MacDonnellandGavan Duffy.Others were involved in finding better ways of managing it, heading theDonoughmore Commissionor theMoyne Commission.

Sir John Winthrop Hackettemigrated to Australia where he became the proprietor and editor of many prominent newspapers. He was also influential in the founding of theUniversity of Western Australiaand was its first chancellor.

Prolificart musiccomposers includedMichael William Balfe,John Field,George Alexander Osborne,Thomas Roseingrave,Charles Villiers Stanford,John Andrew Stevenson,Robert Prescott Stewart,William Vincent Wallace,andCharles Wood.

In thevisual arts,sculptorJohn Henry Foley,art dealerHugh Lane,artistsDaniel Maclise,William OrpenandJack Yeats;ballerinaDame Ninette de Valoisand designer-architectEileen Graywere famous outside Ireland.

William Desmond Taylorwas an early and prolific maker ofsilent filmsinHollywood.ScriptwriterJohanna Harwoodpenned several of the earlyJames Bondfilms, among others.

PhilanthropistsincludedThomas BarnardoandLord Iveagh.

Confederate generalPatrick Cleburnewas of Anglo-Irish ancestry.

Discussing what he considered the lack of Irish civic morality in 2011, formerTaoiseachGarret FitzGeraldremarked that before 1922: "In Ireland a strong civic sense did exist – but mainly amongst Protestants and especially Anglicans".[10]

Henry Ford,the Americanindustrialist and business magnate,was half Anglo-Irish; his father William Ford was born in Cork to a family originally fromSomerset,England.[11]

Attitude towards Ireland's independence[edit]

The Anglo-Irish, as a class, were mostly opposed to the notions ofIrish independenceandHome Rule.[12]Most were supporters of continued politicalunion with Great Britain,which existed between 1800 and 1922. This was for many reasons, but most important were the economic benefits of union for the landowning class, the close personal and familial relations with the British establishment, and the political prominence held by the Anglo-Irish in Ireland under the union settlement.[13]Many Anglo-Irish men served as officers in theBritish Army,were clergymen in the established AnglicanChurch of Irelandor had land (or business interests) across the British Isles – all factors which encouraged political support forunionism.Between the mid-nineteenth century and 1922, the Anglo-Irish comprised the bulk of the support for movements such as theIrish Unionist Alliance,especially in the southern three provinces of Ireland.[14]

DuringWorld War I,Irish nationalistMPTom Kettlecompared the Anglo-Irish landlord class to thePrussianJunkers,saying, "England goes to fight for liberty inEuropeand for junkerdom inIreland."[15]

However, Protestants in Ireland, and the Anglo-Irish class in particular, were by no means universally attached to the cause of continued political union with Great Britain. For instance, authorJonathan Swift(1667–1745), a clergyman in the Church of Ireland, vigorously denounced the plight of ordinaryIrish Catholicsunder the rule of the landlords. Reformist politicians such asHenry Grattan(1746–1820),Wolfe Tone(1763–1798),Robert Emmet(1778–1803),Sir John Gray(1815–1875), andCharles Stewart Parnell(1846–1891), were alsoProtestant nationalists,and in large measure led and defined Irish nationalism. TheIrish Rebellion of 1798was led by members of the Anglo-Irish and Ulster Scots class, some of whom feared the political implications of the impending union with Great Britain.[16]By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however, Irish nationalism became increasingly tied to aRoman Catholicidentity.[16]By the beginning of the twentieth century, many Anglo-Irishmen in southern Ireland had become convinced of the need for a political settlement with Irish nationalists. Anglo-Irish politicians such asSir Horace PlunkettandLord Monteaglebecame leading figures in finding a peaceful solution to the 'Irish question'.

During theIrish War of Independence(1919–1921), many Anglo-Irish landlords left the country due toarson attacks on their family homes.[17]The burnings continued and many sectarian murders were carried out by theAnti-Treaty IRAduring theIrish Civil War.Considering the Irish State unable to protect them, many members of the Anglo-Irish class subsequently left Ireland forever, fearing that they would be subject to discriminatory legislation and social pressures. The Protestant proportion of the Irish population dropped from 10% (300,000) to 6% (180,000) in theIrish Free Statein the twenty-five years following independence,[18]with most resettling inGreat Britain.In the whole of Ireland the percentage of Protestants was 26% (1.1 million).

The reaction of the Anglo-Irish to theAnglo-Irish Treatywhich envisaged the establishment of theIrish Free Statewas mixed.J. A. F. Gregg,theChurch of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin,stated in a sermon in December 1921 (the month the Treaty was signed):

It concerns us all to offer the Irish Free State our loyalty. I believe there is a genuine desire on the part of those who have long differed from us politically to welcome our co-operation. We should be wrong politically and religiously to reject such advances.[19]

In 1925, when the Irish Free State was poised to outlawdivorce,the Anglo-Irish poetW. B. Yeatsdelivered a famous eulogy for his class in theIrish Senate:

I think it is tragic that within three years of this country gaining its independence we should be discussing a measure which a minority of this nation considers to be grossly oppressive. I am proud to consider myself a typical man of that minority. We against whom you have done this thing, are no petty people. We are one of the great stocks of Europe. We are the people ofBurke;we are the people ofGrattan;we are the people ofSwift,the people ofEmmet,the people ofParnell.We have created the most of the modern literature of this country. We have created the best of its political intelligence. Yet I do not altogether regret what has happened. I shall be able to find out, if not I, my children will be able to find out whether we have lost our stamina or not. You have defined our position and have given us a popular following. If we have not lost our stamina then your victory will be brief, and your defeat final, and when it comes this nation may be transformed.[20]

Peerage[edit]

See also:Irish House of LordsandPeerage of Ireland

Following the English victory in theNine Years' War(1594–1603), the "Flight of the Earls"in 1607, the traditional GaelicIrish nobilitywas displaced in Ireland, particularly in the Cromwellian period. By 1707, after further defeat in theWilliamite Warand the subsequent Union of England and Scotland, the aristocracy in Ireland was dominated by Anglican families who owed allegiance to the Crown. Some of these were Irish families who had chosen to conform to the establishedChurch of Ireland,keeping their lands and privileges, such as theDukes of Leinster(whose surname isFitzGerald,and who descend from theHiberno-Normanaristocracy), or the GaelicGuinness family.Some were families of British or mixed-British ancestry who owed their status in Ireland to the Crown, such as theEarls of Cork(whose surname is Boyle and whose ancestral roots were inHerefordshire,England).

Among the prominent Anglo-Irish peers are:

Field MarshalArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington,from a portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence

Until the year 1800, the peers of Ireland were all entitled to a seat in theIrish House of Lords,theupper houseof theParliament of Ireland,inDublin.After 1800, under the provisions of theAct of Union,the Parliament of Ireland was abolished and the Irish peers were entitled to elect twenty-eight of their number to sit in the BritishHouse of Lords,in London, asIrish representative peers.During theGeorgian Era,titles in the peerage of Ireland were often granted by the British monarch to Englishmen with little or no connection to Ireland, as a way of preventing such honours from inflating the membership of the British House of Lords.[21]

A number of Anglo-Irish peers have been appointed byPresidents of Irelandto serve on their advisoryCouncil of State.Some were also considered possible candidates for presidents of Ireland, including:

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^"Census 2011: Religion: KS211NI (administrative geographies)".nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved11 December2012.
  2. ^"Census 2011: Key Statistics for Northern Ireland"(PDF).nisra.gov.uk.Retrieved11 December2012.
  3. ^"8. Religion"(PDF).Central Statistics Office.Retrieved30 October2018.
  4. ^The Anglo-Irish,Fidelma Maguire, University College CorkArchived2 May 2006 at theWayback MachineandDonnchadh Ó Corráin
  5. ^abThe Anglo-Irish,Movements for Political & Social Reform, 1870–1914, Multitext Projects in Irish History, University College CorkArchived2 May 2006 at theWayback Machine
  6. ^abWolff, Ellen M. (2006).An Anarchy in the Mind and in the Heart: Narrating Anglo-Ireland.Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press. p. 37.ISBN0838755569.
  7. ^

    Pat:He was an Anglo-Irishman.

    Meg:In the name of God, what's that?
    Pat:A Protestant with a horse.
    Ropeen:Leadbetter.
    Pat:No, no, an ordinary Protestant like Leadbetter, the plumber in the back parlour next door, won't do, nor aBelfastorangeman,not if he was as black as your boot.
    Meg:Why not?

    Pat:Because they work. An Anglo-Irishman only works at riding horses, drinking whiskey, and reading double-meaning books inIrishatTrinity College.

    — From act one ofThe Hostage,1958
  8. ^Paul Poplowski,"Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973),"Encyclopedia of Literary Modernism,(Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), pp. 26–28.ISBN0-313-31017-3
  9. ^"Roberts, Kitchener and Wolesley were three national heroes of the nineteenth century whom Correlli Barnett sees as prime examples of the Anglo-Irish gentry, the nearest thing Britain ever possessed to the Prussian Junker class". Desmond and Jean Bowen,Heroic Option: the Irish in the British Army,Pen & Sword, Barnsley, 2005.
  10. ^"Ireland's lack of civic morality grounded in our history",Irish Times,9 April 2011, p.14
  11. ^"Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village".5 October 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2001.Retrieved4 August2019.
  12. ^Alan O'Day,Reactions to Irish Nationalism, 1865–1914(Bloomsbury Publishing, 1 July 1987), 376.
  13. ^Boyce, D. George (2 September 2003).Nationalism in Ireland.Routledge. p. 40.ISBN9781134797417.
  14. ^Alan O'Day,Reactions to Irish Nationalism, 1865–1914(Bloomsbury Publishing, 1 July 1987), 384.
  15. ^Cross, Tim (1988).The Lost Voices of World War I.University of Iowa Press. p. 42.ISBN9780877452645.
  16. ^abD. George Boyce,Nationalism in Ireland(Routledge, 2 Sep 2003), 309.
  17. ^Christopher, David (2002)."The fate of Cork unionists 1919-1921".reform.org.Archivedfrom the original on 16 March 2004.Retrieved3 February2011.
  18. ^The Anglo-IrishArchived2 May 2006 at theWayback Machine,Fidelma Maguire, University College of Cork
  19. ^Zealand, National Library of New."Papers Past - RATIFICATION QUESTION. (Ashburton Guardian, 1921-12-14)".paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  20. ^Modern Irish Poetry: Tradition and Continuity from Yeats to Heaney,Robert F. Garratt, University of California Press, 1989, page 34
  21. ^Simon Winchester,Their Noble Lordships: Class and Power in Modern Britain,(New York: Random House, 1984), p. 202,ISBN0-394-52418-7.

Bibliography[edit]

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