From Parnell to Paisley: Constitutional and Revolutionary Politics in Modern Ireland

Unionist and Nationalist politics in modern Ireland have been defined by their use of both constitutional and revolutionary methods. From the battles over the land question and Home Rule in the 1880s to contemporary Northern Ireland’s troubles and the ensuing peace process, Irish political life has witnessed lengthy periods of constitutional and revolutionary struggle - and, at times, a significant blurring of the two. This book represents the first sustained engagement with the concepts of constitutional and revolutionary politics in Ireland from Parnell to Paisley. Irish historiography is dominated by studies of constitutional or revolutionary politics, but rarely are the interweaving dynamics of both political impulses systematically interrogated. This book represents the first sustained analysis of the clash between the constitutional and revolutionary ideals and actions from the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first century, encompassing both the unionist and nationalist political traditions. Each chapter presents a case-study with a detailed analysis of the fusion of constitutional and revolutionary politics in Ireland. As an accessible guide to over one hundred years of Irish history, contributing to our understanding of the causes and consequences of constitutional and revolutionary politics there, this book will appeal to the academic and general reader alike.