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Irish Politics in Manchester 1890–1914*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

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This article questions the prevalent assumption that prior to 1914 the Irish in Britain were unquestioningly attached to the Liberal party. It suggests that Home Rule forced the Irish into wider political sympathies which embraced both radical Liberalism and Labour. The Irish in Manchester are highlighted and the “progressive” nature of local Nationalism described. It is also denied that the transfer of Irish loyalties to Labour was proof of the emergence of a class politics or of their integration into the unskilled working-class. It is suggested that this was, in fact, evidence of their continued cultural and political distinctiveness.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 1988

References

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