Reviving_and_Even_Inventing_Tradition_Was_a_Major_Aspect_of_Irish_Nationalism

What we know of history is only what we are told and shown. The idea of reviving and inventing tradition in Ireland shows us how history can be manipulated by its tellers in order to suit their cause. Inventing tradition as described by Eric Hobsbawm is ‘A set of practices, normally governed by overtly or tacitly accepted rules and of a ritual or symbolic nature which seek to inculcate certain values and norms of behaviour by repetition, which automatically implies continuity with the past’ – Hobsbawm, Reading 5.1 p176, Tradition and Dissent. It also includes preserving or showing only specific aspects of a history that align with the individual or groups specific cause and encourages specific beliefs about the past that it wants people to have. The British conquest of Ireland was a gradual process which began in 1169, and by 1603 the whole of Ireland was under British rule. It was the belief of the Irish nationalists that Ireland should rule itself. After many years the Irish nationalists won independence from Britain in 1922. Reviving and Inventing tradition was important both prior to gaining this independence, and after gaining independence. Throughout the century prior to Ireland gaining its independence the nationalists were united in the goal to establish that the country of Ireland had a rich and ancient culture. Thomas Davis was an Irish Nationalist who lived from 1814 until 1845. He dedicated a large portion of his short life to Irish nationalism. Davis and others (collectively known as ‘Young Ireland’) founded the newspaper ‘The Nation’ in 1842, its main aim being to promote, encourage and preserve Irish folk culture. Young Ireland looked beyond religion and looked to unite people based on a vision of Irelands past that everyone could share. At around the same time George Petrie (1790 – 1866), believed that Irish culture had been destroyed by England. In order to prove that Ireland had a rich history of its own he spent much time studying archaeology in Ireland, the landscape, bardic writings and antiquities. Another important part of Irelands own culture was the Irish language. Although during the 19th century the Irish language was still spoken, the number of people who spoke the native language was gradually getting lower. This was due to numerous reasons such as deaths, emigration, but also the fact that all schools in Ireland were teaching in the English language. This led to attempts being made to revive the Irish language. One such group emerged called ‘The Gaelic League’ (Conradh na Gaelige) which was founded by Douglas Hyde (1860 – 1949). We are told that Hyde’s ‘Campaign to revive the Irish language and its traditions helped to galvanise the movement for a complete separation of Ireland from Britain’ Anne Lawerence, p163, Tradition and Dissent. In a Gaelic League pamphlet that was based on a lecture given by the Gaelic League, they talk about how important language is and describe it as a ‘striking symbol’ – Reading 5.2 p 180, Tradition and Dissent. They go on to claim that ‘A distinct language is the surest and most powerful bond of a distinctive nationality’ – Reading 5.2. Whilst Hyde himself wished the Gaelic league to avoid politics, the very idea of reviving the Irish language naturally attracted nationalists and was infiltrated by the Irish Republican Brotherhood. These nationalists became unhappy with Hyde’s lack of politics within the group and this led him to resign from his position as president of the league in 1915. Poet W.B Yeats was another man who contributed to the Anglo-Irish literary revival. He was a member of the Gaelic League and he also founded the Abbey Theatre in Dublin (also known as the national theatre of Ireland). The Abbey theatre played host to a generation of writers who were writing works that could claim to be uniquely Irish, through both their content (Often focused on Irish folklore and mythology) and also using the Irish language. These are some of the examples of Irish Heritage that gave the Irish nationalists justification for claiming that Ireland should have its own status as a nation. Though reviving and inventing tradition was important leading up to Ireland gaining their independence, it also played a role after independence whilst building a new Ireland without Britain. This can be demonstrated by taking a look at the way the country was rebuilt after the civil war. Many British buildings were left alone, allowed simply to deteriorate over time. In parliamentary debates in 1929 in the Dáil Éireann it was said ‘every single man with a drop of Irish blood in his veins will remember that the time has come to remember the heroism of our race and it would be sad that the stones erected centuries ago and used by Irishmen would now be used for cow-houses and sheds’ - T. Sheehy. This idea of a respect for specifically Irish buildings was reflected in the restoration of The General Post Office in Dublin that same year. It is the building where the Irish nationalist proclamation of the Republic of Ireland was made on the Easter Monday of 1916. The building was later destroyed in the fighting that followed, but after Ireland won their independence the Post Office was subject to a lavish restoration. In commemoration of the uprising that began there, they placed a statue of Cú Chulainn (A mythical hero who bound himself to a tree to hold his courage in the face of death). There were many buildings, however, that were not subject to such treatment and were simply abandoned. It is widely thought that buildings such as Dublin Castle and the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham were abandoned due their links to British Rule. Dublin Castle was the seat of British rule in Ireland until 1922 and the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham acted as a refuge for Irish soldiers who had fought in Britain’s colonial wars, and was also where the commander of the British troops in Ireland lived. To conclude, it seems clear that many Irish nationalists certainly believed in reviving old Irish traditions and history and considered it an important aspect of uniting the Irish people in a common goal of once again becoming their own nation. However it is unknown whether the revival of these past traditions actually achieved these goals and created nationalists, or just attracted people who were already nationalists. Word Count: 1056 Wikipedia. (2013). Douglas Hyde. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Hyde. Last accessed 27th May 2013. Laurence, A. (2008). Ireland: The Invention of Tradition. In: The Open University Tradition and Dissent. Milton Keynes: The Open University. p150-190. wikipedia. (2013). Abbey Theatre. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Theatre. Last accessed 30th May 2013. Tradition and Dissent, Ireland, 2008. [DVD] The Open University, Milton Keynes: The Open University.