Land Act of 1881

In the late 1870s the nationalist movement took a backseat to the more demanding land crisis. That being said, the land war ultimately fed into nationalist sentiment by consolidating feelings against the government. The crisis boiled down to land ownership and the exuberant rent demands of the landlords. Most Irish farmers did not own the land they farmed. The solution came in the form of the 1879 National Land League of Ireland, with Parnell as its president. The Land League sought to reduce rents and bring about legal reform that would “enable every tenant to become the owner of his holding.”[1] The Land League achieved tenable success through the Land Act of 1881.[2] The Land Act was successful in its control of rents; however it was a temporary solution to a crisis that would continue until the Land Purchase Act of 1903.[3] The land crisis and the historical plight of the Irish farmer would later become a frequently cited occurrence of Irish suffering in Sinn Fein propaganda.

The success of the reforms implemented by the Imperial Government had an unintended effect on the nationalist movement. Now, it seemed, the attraction of Home Rule was less from an economic standpoint, but rather an Irish desire for “national self-respect” and a distinct identity.[4] In 1882, Parnell founded the Irish National League, an organization which demanded Home Rule. Turning away from the Fenians and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), Parnell now sought to work directly with Gladstone.[5]

‍ ‍

[1] Robert Kee, The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism (Penguin Books, 1972), 373.

[2] Kee, The Green Flag, 378.

[3] Kee, The Green Flag, 406.

[4] Kee, The Green Flag, 388.

[5] Kee, The Green Flag, 384.