This is the first full-length study of Irish Ribbonism. It traces the development of Ribbonism from its origins in the Defender movement of the 1790s until the latter part of the century when the remnants of the Ribbon tradition found solace in the quasi-constitutional affinities of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Placing Ribbonism firmly within Ireland's long tradition of collective action and protest, this book shows that, owing to its diversity and adaptability, it shared similarities, but also stood apart from, the many rural redresser groups of the period and showed remarkable longevity not matched by its contemporaries. The book describes the wider context of Catholic struggles for improved standing, explores traditions and networks for association, and it describes external impressions. Drawing on rich archives in the form of state surveillance records, 'show trial' proceedings and press reportage, the book shows that Ribbonism was a sophisticated and durable underground network drawing together various strands of the rural and urban Catholic populace in Ireland and Britain. Ribbon Societies in Nineteenth-Century Ireland and Its Diaspora is a fascinating study that demonstrates Ribbonism operated more widely than previous studies have revealed.

This is a new departure in Scottish and Irish migration studies. The Scottish diasporic communities closest to home - those which are part of what we sometimes term the 'near diaspora' - are those we know least about. Whilst an interest in the overseas Scottish diaspora has grown in recent years, Scots who chose to settle in other parts of the United Kingdom have been largely neglected. This book addresses this imbalance. Scots travelled freely around the industrial centres of northern Britain throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries and Belfast was one of the most important ports of call for thousands of Scots. The Scots played key roles in shaping Belfast society in the modern period: they were essential to its industrial development, they were at the centre of many cultural, philanthropic and religious initiatives and were welcomed by the host community accordingly. Yet despite their obvious significance, in staunchly Protestant, Unionist, and at times insular and ill at ease Belfast, individual Scots could be viewed with suspicion by their hosts, dismissed as 'strangers' and cast in the role of interfering outsiders. This is the only book-length scholarly study of the Scots in modern Ireland. It brings to light the fundamental importance of Scottish migration to Belfast society during the 19th century. It advances our knowledge and understanding of Scotland's 'near diaspora'. It highlights areas of tension in Ulster-Scottish relations during the Home Rule era. It puts forward a new agenda for a better understanding of British in-migration to Ireland in the modern period.

The study of crime and violence in all its multifarious forms remains one of the most productive areas of enquiry for Irish historians. Considered an inordinately violent and unruly society by many contemporaries, nineteenth-century Ireland was notorious for sectarian unrest, agrarian disorder, alcohol-fuelled casual fighting, the seditious activities of various illegal underground organisations, as well as a host of other 'outrages'. The image of an Ireland in an almost perpetual state of tumult during the nineteenth century, however, is a false one, invariably pedalled by partisan observers with a particular political or religious agenda to satisfy. Modern historical scholarship has corrected many lingering assumptions about the extent and character of Irish violence, but much work remains to be done. This important collection of essays, based on original research delivered at one of the Society for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Ireland's most successful annual conferences, draws together some of Ireland's leading historians as well emerging talents to examine a broad range of topics under the banner of crime and violence. Irish secret societies, agrarian disorder, security and the law, sectarian violence, and a host of similar topics benefit from innovative methodological perspectives and advanced historical scholarship. List of contributors: Kyle Hughes, Donald M. MacRaild, Michael Huggins, Terence M. Dunne, Jess Lumsden Fisher, John McGrath, Richard J. Butler, Colin W. Reid, Richard A. Keogh, Ciara Breathnach, Laurence M. Geary, Ian d'Alton, Daragh Curran, Gemma Clark, Patrick Maume, Teresa O'Donnell and Virginia Crossman.