The late nineteenth century and early twentieth century were years of radical change in Ireland that forced the Irish people to define their identity. The Nationalist Movement, which drove this most of this change came to engulf the nation as a multifaceted call for the reclamation of an independent Irish identity though culture, religion, and policy which were greatly influenced by traditional Gaelic values. These values, shaped by Christianity, tribal culture, and farming, were the mainstay of Irish society prior to English rule. After years of rising conflict and civil war, the Treaty with England was signed in 1922 which granted Ireland independence, . However, this newly founded freedom which was based on pre-modern Irish ideals became
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However, unlike its steadily industrializing European neighbors like Germany and France, Ireland continued to rely on a rural lifestyle well into the twentieth century. In 1947, over a third of the Ireland’s population depended directly on agriculture, making it what many considered to be the essential Irish life (Freeman 38). According to historian Jenny Beale, this economic dependence on farming influenced the Cultural Revival, especially the “poets and patriots” who romanticized rural life (Beale 20). Yet, in contrast to the romantic picture that was often painted by public figures, rural dwellers often lived in poverty and austerity (Beale 20). Women bared the brunt of this desolate reality, largely due to the social and economic structures that took form following the Great Famine of the 1840’s. As Rosemary Cullen Owens asserts, rural Irish society became increasingly patriarchal as more emphasis was placed on larger farms and the direct transfer of land and status from father to son (Owens 167). This structure weakened the role of women because their labor was needed less, their “duty” was to have sons to inherit the land. Although the marriage rate in rural communities was low, historian Myrtle Hill argues that poor single women still had few prospects outside of marriage and little independence from their families (Hill 31). This phenomena …show more content…
As the Irish people sought to reclaim an independent and unifying identity, the idyllic rural lifestyle and the dominant Catholic Church proved to play the most significant roles in narrowly defining the new “ideal Irish woman”. The conservative Catholic beliefs entrenched strict and misogynistic norms regarding women all throughout Irish society. Despite this aspect being shared with its Catholic European neighbors like France and Germany, Ireland stood out because it did not embrace industrialization and thus preserved its traditional rural social structures. It was this unique combination of antiquated rural values and strict Catholic moral principles that fostered and ingrained a socially conservative attitude in the IFS. As the world rapidly changed around it, Ireland continued to hold on to its premodern national identity for the majority of the twentieth century which effectively held back women in the nation as a
However, unlike its steadily industrializing European neighbors like Germany and France, Ireland continued to rely on a rural lifestyle well into the twentieth century. In 1947, over a third of the Ireland’s population depended directly on agriculture, making it what many considered to be the essential Irish life (Freeman 38). According to historian Jenny Beale, this economic dependence on farming influenced the Cultural Revival, especially the “poets and patriots” who romanticized rural life (Beale 20). Yet, in contrast to the romantic picture that was often painted by public figures, rural dwellers often lived in poverty and austerity (Beale 20). Women bared the brunt of this desolate reality, largely due to the social and economic structures that took form following the Great Famine of the 1840’s. As Rosemary Cullen Owens asserts, rural Irish society became increasingly patriarchal as more emphasis was placed on larger farms and the direct transfer of land and status from father to son (Owens 167). This structure weakened the role of women because their labor was needed less, their “duty” was to have sons to inherit the land. Although the marriage rate in rural communities was low, historian Myrtle Hill argues that poor single women still had few prospects outside of marriage and little independence from their families (Hill 31). This phenomena …show more content…
As the Irish people sought to reclaim an independent and unifying identity, the idyllic rural lifestyle and the dominant Catholic Church proved to play the most significant roles in narrowly defining the new “ideal Irish woman”. The conservative Catholic beliefs entrenched strict and misogynistic norms regarding women all throughout Irish society. Despite this aspect being shared with its Catholic European neighbors like France and Germany, Ireland stood out because it did not embrace industrialization and thus preserved its traditional rural social structures. It was this unique combination of antiquated rural values and strict Catholic moral principles that fostered and ingrained a socially conservative attitude in the IFS. As the world rapidly changed around it, Ireland continued to hold on to its premodern national identity for the majority of the twentieth century which effectively held back women in the nation as a