Class and Community in Provincial Ireland, 1851-1914

Redresses an imbalance in the historiography of the Irish class system, offering a much-needed account of the Irish rural proletariat Examines a wide range of sources to uncover the experiences and social dynamics of the lower rural classes Covers a period of great social and political change, showing how rural communities adapted to and challenged modernisation

Brian Casey is a historian of modern Ireland and Scotland. His research interests focus upon the dynamics of agrarian radicalism and the land question.

1 Introduction.- 2 The post-Famine landscape, estate management and agricultural improvement in east Galway, 1851-1914.- 3 Educational provision and religious tensions, 1853-1863.- 4 A check on deference: Electioneering, the Fenians and the Catholic Church: Galway 1872 and Mayo 1874.- 5 The construction of a proletarian political movement: The Ballinasloe Tenant Defence Association, 1876-1879.- 6 The first phase of the Land War and beyond, 1879-1885.- 7 The era of the Plan of Campaign, 1885-1891.- 8 Plus ca change: Continuity and change in a community, 1891-1914.- 9 Conclusion