Rural Ireland was remade in the experiences of ordinary people who lived on the land in the closing decades of nineteenth-century Ireland. But what was this remaking? And how can we grapple with the complexities of local conditions? While small farmers, labourers and town tenants lived ordinary lives, their collective contribution to the changes that took place in provincial Ireland during this formative period was extraordinary. The nature of political movements, such as the Ballinasloe Tenant Defence Association, Land League, Irish National League and United Irish League as well as lectures and provincial newspapers provided educational outlets for them and were also vehicles for political change and agitation.

This lecture is an introduction to ‘Land Wars in Ireland, 1876-1909’ – a course that explores the origins of the first Land War, the campaign and suppression of the Land League, the Plan of Campaign, land legislation, the role of the Land Commission in the redistribution of land and the Ranch War. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with key political and social concerns surrounding the land question, learn about the varying differences of opinion among nationalists regarding agrarian issues, be able to discuss the various responses of the 'challenging collectivity', government and landlords to tenant demands.