Book Description

The latter half of the eighteenth-century saw Irish opposition movements being greatly influenced by the American and French revolutions. The political landscape of the country underwent dramatic changes as both Protestant and Catholic groups expanded their ideologies in reaction to this foreign radicalism.This two-part edition illustrates the depth and reach of this influence by collecting rare pamphlets dealing with the major political issues of these decades.Part I covers the impact of the American Revolution on Irish radicalism and the rise of the Irish Volunteers. Part II presents materials prompted by the French Revolution, including the ideology of the Society of United Irishmen. The edition includes a general introduction, thematic introductions to each part, headnotes and endnotes. It will be of great value to scholars of Irish history as well as those interested in the wider impact of the French and American revolutions.