1 Brett, C. E. B., Long shadows cast before: nine lives in Ulster, 1625–1977 (London, 1977), p. 117 Google Scholar Similarly, the brief account of protestant nationalism given in John Harbinson's history of the Ulster unionist party is largely erroneous. See Harbinson, J. F., The Ulster unionist party, 1882–1973 (Belfast, 1973), pp 210–11Google Scholar

2 Galbraith did not coin the phrase, but revived it. It was first used in nationalist literature in the period 1858–60. See MacDonagh, Michael, The home-rule movement (Dublin, 1920), pp 12–13 Google Scholar.

3 For example, a group of presbyterians favouring home rule met at Saintfield, Co. Dublin, in January 1886, while in February, Derry City presbytery refused to pass a motion condemning home rule (Pall Mall Gazette, 23 Jan. 1886; Londonderry Sentinel, 6 Feb. 1886).

4 McCann, P. J. O., ‘The protestant home-rule movement, 1885–95’ (unpublished M.A. thesis, University College, Dublin, 1972), p. 21Google Scholar. Despite the title of McCann's thesis, his work, as he acknowledges, is chiefly concerned with the activities of the Ulster executive of the I.P.H.R.A.: being the first to be formed it was nominally the ‘parent’ branch. This paper, while taking account of the activities of the Ulster executive, is concerned also with providing a more detailed explanation of the role in nationalist politics of protestant home rulers in Dublin and southern Ireland. Although smaller than its Ulster counterpart, this section of the I.P.H.R.A. numbered among its supporters most of the more prominent protestant home rulers.

5 Belfast Morning News, 22 May 1886. The founders of the Belfast section of the I.P.H.R.A. were, in the main, the leaders of the minority section of the Ulster liberal party who opposed resolutions condemning home rule at the party's convention in Belfast on 15 Mar. 1886. See report of the convention in Belfast News-Letter. 20 Mar. 1886.

6 See minutes of meetings held on 28 and 29 May 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657). This collection covers the activities of the Dublin executive only. The papers of the Belfast executive have not been traced.

7 Ibid., 3 June 1886.

8 Ibid., 5 June 1886.

9 Minutes of meeting held on 12 June 1886 in Belfast, printed in the notice entitled, Address to the protest ants of Ireland (ibid.).

l0 McCann, , ‘Prot, home-rule movement’, p. 30 Google Scholar.

11 For some information on Shillington, see Thom's Irish who's who (Dublin, 1923), p. 231 Google Scholar, S. C. McElroy. The Route land crusade (Coleraine, n.d.), p. [831; W. J.|Green, Methodism in Portadown (Belfast, 1960), pp 62–4Google Scholar.

12 J. R. B. McMinn, ‘The Reverend James Brown Armour and liberal politics in north Antrim 1869–1914’ (unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Queen's University of Belfast, 1979), p. 281. Although the term ‘Parnellite’ is usually applied only to those nationalists who supported Parnell after the Irish party split of 1890,1 use it for the pre-split period in order to distinguish between members of the movement he led and members of the I.P.H.R.A.

13 See below, p. 349.

14 McCann, , ‘Prot. home rule movement’, pp 35–6Google Scholar.

15 Houston, J. D. C. and Dougherty, J. B., Are Irish protestants afraid of home rule? (London, 1893), pp 10–11 Google Scholar.

16 Lyons, F. S. L., Ireland since the Famine (2nd ed., London, 1973), p. 360 Google Scholar.

l7 The best single source of biographical information on protestant home rulers, north and south, including Alfred Webb, Rev. J. B. Armour, J. B. Dougherty, Samuel Walker, E. P. Wright, Sophie Bryant, General W. J. Smythe, G. H. Kidd, T. W. Rolleston, R. A. King, Rev. C. H. Irwin, T. A. Dickson, C. H. Hemphill and J. G. S. McNeill, is Crone, Ir. biog. (2nd ed., Dublin, [1937]).

l8 Gwynn, Stephen, Experiences of a literary man (London, 1926), p. 57 Google Scholar.

19 Although O'Leary, being a Fenian, did not formally become involved in home-rule campaigns, he did attend at least one meeting of the Dublin executive of the I.P.H.R.A. and produced an article on guarantees for the protestant minority, as well as supporting protestant home rulers in debates with Parnellites. See minutes, 30 June 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657); ‘Some guarantees for the protestant and unionist minority’ in Dublin University Review, ii, no. 12 (Dec. 1886), pp 959–65Google Scholar.

20 See minutes of the society's meetings for 16 May, 1 Oct. 1885, 14 Jan. 1886 (N.L.I., Young Ireland Society minute book, 1885–6, MS 19158).

21 See below, pp 353–5.

22 Alfred Webb, The opinions of some protestants regarding their catholic fellow-countrymen (Dublin, 1886), p. 3.

23 Ibid.

24 Ibid., passim.

25 Apart from Dublin City, Limerick and Cork cities were the other centres of significant I.P.H.R.A. activity. See d'Alton, Ian, ‘Southern Irish unionism: a study of Cork unionists, 1884–1914’ in R. Hist. Soc. Trans., 5th ser., xxiii (1972), pp 72, 73, 79Google Scholar.

26 Curtis, L. P. Jr, ‘The Anglo-Irish predicament’ in 20th Century Studies, no. 4 (Edinburgh, 1970), p. 37 Google Scholar

27 Ibid., p. 40.

28 See Lord Greville's letter to the editor, Leinster Leader, 26 June 1886. Attempts to involve in the movement's activities Lord Greville and Lord Powerscourt, who was also known to favour home rule, met with no success. See minutes, 30 Mar 1887 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657).

29 Alexander Duncan to Jeremiah Jordan, 4 May 1886 (P.R.O.N.I., Jordan papers, D.2073/2/1/13). Athy belonged to the Waterford district of the methodist church, which included also Waterford city, New Ross, Clonmel, Carlow, Newtownbarry, Maryborough, Abbeyleix and Kilkenny; the district was served by thirteen ministers (Thorn's Irish Almanac and Official Directory, 1886, p. 970).

30 For extensive reports of the Belfast and Dublin meetings respectively, see United Ireland, 22 May 1886; Freeman's Journal, 23 June 1886.

31 In 1891 Ulster accounted for 830, 232 adherents to the three main protestant denominations — episcopalians, presbyterians and methodists. Their collective membership outside Ulster was 282,520. See Census Ire., 1891: preliminary report with abstract of the enumerators’ summaries, p. 6 [C. 6379], H.C. 1890–91, xciv. 42.

32 It was a long-standing grievance of presbyterians that they were continually discriminated against by successive governments in favour of Irish episcopalians. See Megahey, A. J., ‘The Irish protestant churches and social and political issues, 1870–1914’ (unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Queen's University of Belfast, 1969), pp 46–7Google Scholar

33 Leaflet explaining why Irish protestants should support home rule, in a small volume of leaflets and pamphlets published by the Dublin executive of the I.P.H.R.A. (N.I.I., Ir 32341 i 127).

34 In all about forty speakers, most of them from Ulster, went over to Britain. See minutes, 26, 28, 29 June 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657); McCann, ‘Prot. home-rule movement’, p. 46.

35 None stood for election specifically as members of the I.P.H.R.A.. three stood as liberals and three as nationalists. See Walker, B. M., Parliamentary election results in Ireland. 1801–1922 (Dublin, 1978), pp 136–7, 141Google Scholar

36 Minutes, 19, 26 July 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657); McCann, ‘Prot. home-rule movement’ p. 42.

37 Weekly Northern Whig, 16 July 1887. This paper dismissed claims by protestant home rulers of persecution by fellow-protestants.

38 Jeremiah Jordan, ‘An Irish methodises reasons for supporting home rule’ in Methodist Times. 14 Feb. 1886.

39 Minutes, 23 Oct. 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657). A similar case arose in County Cork (Cork Daily Herald, 22 June 1886).

40 Bleakley, David, ‘Trade union beginnings in Belfast, with special reference to the period 1880–1900’ (unpublished M.A. thesis, Queens University of Belfast, 1955), pp 85–6Google Scholar. See also McCann, , ‘Prot, home-rule movement’, pp 47–8, 56Google Scholar.

41 See report of the attack in Wexford Express, 12 June 1886.

42 See below, p. 358.

43 See McMinn, , ‘Armour’, p. 288 Google Scholar.

44 Belfast Morning News, 10 Jan. 1887; McCann, , ‘Prot, home-rule movement’, p. 93 Google Scholar. However, given the difficulty of ascertaining the true extent of the I.P.H.R.A.'s support, some degree of speculation was surely involved in Johnston's estimates.

45 The best coverage of I.P.H.R.A. activities was provided by the Freeman's Journal

46 Minutes, 8 Oct. 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657).

47 The Times. 20 Oct. 1886.

48 Minutes, 20 Nov. 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657).

49 SirDuffy, C. G., ‘A fair constitution for Ireland’ in Contemporary Review, lii, no. 9 (Sept. 1887), pp 301–32Google Scholar.

50 Minutes, 3 Oct. 1887 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657).

51 Ibid., 24, 31 Mar. 1888.

52 Shillington to the Dublin executive, 20 Apr. 1888 (ibid.). The executive's reaction to this communication was to pass another resolution refusing to commit themselves ‘to any views on the land question’.

53 These included C. H. Oldham, John Shanks, Maud Gonne, Alfred Webb and Rev. J. A. Galbraith. Galbraith's membership of the National League led to his being removed from the finance committee of the Representative Body of the Church of Ireland. See Robert Knox, lord primate of Ireland, to Galbraith, 28 Dec. 1887(T.C.D., Galbraith papers, MS 3856/1/8); Alfred Webb to Timothy Harrington, 21 Sept. 1887 (N.L.I., Harrington papers, MS 8567/52); United Ireland, 8 June 1889; Nancy Cardozo, Maud Gonne (London, 1979), pp 84–6.

54 McCann, , ‘Prot, home rule movement’, pp 103–12Google Scholar.

55 For example, the I.P.H.R.A.'s first published appeal for protestant support was incorporated into nationalist propaganda for distribution in Great Britain. See The government of Ireland: address to the protestants of Ireland from the I.P.H.R.A., in a volume of National Press Agency leaflets (N.L.I., Ir 32341 n 1). See also the fine quality photogravure entitled ‘Leaders of the Irish nation’ depicting Parnellite M.P.s with, in the foreground, the Rev J. A. Galbraith in the company of Parnell and Archbishop Walsh (T.C.D., Galbraith papers, MS 3856/2/4).

56 Freeman's Journal, 23 June 1886.

57 Cork Daily Herald, 7 June 1886.

58 Weekly Examiner, 29 May 1886.

60 The result was C. E. Lewis 1782, Justin McCarthy 1778, but on petition Lewis was unseated and the seat awarded to McCarthy ( Walker, , Parl. election results, p. 139 Google Scholar).

61 Sexton, 3832, J. H. Haslett, 3729 (ibid., p. 137).

62 Freeman's Journal, 3 July 1886.

63 Minutes, 26, 28, 29 June 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657).

64 See for example, Rev. Fegan, H. S., Irish nationality: an appeal to educated Englishmen (London, 1886)Google Scholar; An protestant, Ulster, Some thoughts on home rule (London, 1886)Google Scholar; Mahoney, Pierce, The Irish land crisis (London, 1886)Google Scholar; Webb, Alfred, The alleged massacres of 1641 (London, 1887)Google Scholar.

65 McCann, , ‘Prot, home-rule movement’, p. 57 Google Scholar; Minutes, 22 Dec. 1886, 19 Jan. 1887 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices).

66 McCann, , ‘Prot. home-rule movement’, pp 70–72 Google Scholar.

67 Kettle to editor, Freeman's Journal, 2 Dec. 1891

68 See McNeill to Timothy Harrington, 22 Jan. 1887 (N.L.I., Harrington papers, MS 8576/27), accepting his offer to stand in the South Donegal constituency, for which he was elected on 2 Feb. 1887 ( Walker, , Parl. election results, p. 143 Google Scholar).

69 Galbraith was asked to stand for the St Stephen's Green division of Dublin on the death of E. D. Gray. However, despite a personal appeal from Parnell, he declined the offer. See Parnell to Galbraith, 11 Apr. 1888 (T.C.D., Galbraith papers, MS 3856/1/13).

70 Kidd also refused to stand for the St Stephen's Green seat. See Kidd to Harrington, 28 Apr. 1888 (N.L.I., Harrington papers, MS 8567/28).

71 Dickson standing as a liberal and not taking the party pledge was elected on 12 May 1888 ( O'Brien, , Parnell & his party (2nd ed., Oxford, 1974), p. 262 Google Scholar; Walker, , Parl. election results, p. 142 Google Scholar).

72 This group represented, respectively, Waterford West (24 Feb. 1890), Cavan West (26 Mar. 1890), Mid-Tipperary (15 May 1890) and Donegal North (25 June 1890) ( Walker, , Parl. election results, p. 143 Google Scholar).

73 O'Brien, , Parnell & his party, p. 261 Google Scholar.

74 For example C. H. Oldham argued ‘there is a special need in Ireland today of an energising principle of progress, of a stimulus to its inward development; we want a clearer view of our individuality as a people, of our destiny as a nation’ (‘The prospects of Irish nationality’ in Dublin University Review, ii, no 6 (June 1886), p. 468 Google Scholar).

75 T. W Rolleston, ‘The archbishop in politics: a protest’ (ibid., ii, no. 2 (Feb. 1886), p. 98). For the conflict between Cogan and Walsh, see Freeman's Journal, 27, 28 Nov 1885.

76 Rolleston, ‘Archbishop in polities’, p. 100.

77 Ibid., p. 101

78 Rolleston was to edit Prose writings of Thomas Davis (London, [1889]).

79 See the article ‘Must Irishmen be Irish?’, which emphasised art and ‘culture’ as aspects of nationality and not merely political struggle, in North and South, 29 Jan. 1887 This newspaper was published by the printing firm of Alfred and T. H. Webb and edited by C. H. Oldham. It ran from January to December 1887 and is an important source of protestant home-rule opinions on many subjects. An almost complete set is in the library of Trinity College, Dublin.

80 See the reproduction of Croke's letter in Leech, H. B., 1848 and 1887: the continuity of the Irish revolutionary movement (Dublin, 1887), p. 10 Google Scholar.

81 lbid., p. 11.

82 North ami South, 26 Feb. 1887

83 Davitt to editor (ibid., 5 Mar. 1887).

84 See the leading article, ‘For nation or for class’ (ibid.).

85 North and South. 12, 19, 26 Mar., 2 Apr. 1887

86 Inspired by the round-table talks in January 1887 which sought to unite the liberal party.

87 See O'Brien's speech. ‘The lost opportunities of the Irish gentry’, republished in his Irish ideas (London. 1893), pp 21–7Google Scholar.

88 North and South. 17 Sept. 1887.

89 Laing, Samuel, Boycotting (London, 1888)Google Scholar.

90 Rolleston, T. W., Boycotting: a reply (Dublin, 1888), pp 5–7Google Scholar

91 See Liberal Unionist Association, The case for the union: a collection of speeches, pamphlets and leaflets on home rule for Ireland (4th ser., London, [1890]), p. 8 Google Scholar.

92 See above, p. 350.

93 See, for example, the reaction to Alfred Webb's pamphlet, The opinions of some protestants regarding their catholic fellow-countrymen, in Nation, 5 June 1886.

94 See the published record of this interview entitled, The Irish question (P.R.O.N.I., Pinkerton papers, D.1078/P/44A).

95 The historical case for the Ulster protestants’ inclusion in the Irish nation was made by C H. Oldham in The record of Ulster protestantism in the history of Irish patriotism (Belfast, 1888). See also the following leading articles in North and South: ‘An appeal to the presbyterians of Ulster’, 19 Feb. 1887; ‘The problem of Ulster’, 21 May 1887; ‘The interests of Ulster’, 9 July 1887.

96 Memorandum of interview with Alfred Webb, by C. S. Roundell, 9 Aug. 1886 (B.L., Gladstone papers. Add. MS 44499).

97 North and South, 6 Aug. 1887.

98 This option was. of course, sternly rejected by Parnellites.

99 Gladstone's concept of Irish nationality and his views regarding the place of protestants in the Irish nation is examined in detail in J. P. Loughlin, ‘Gladstone, Irish nationalism and the home-rule question, 1882–93, with particular reference to the Ulster problem’ (unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Trinity College, Dublin, 1983), chs 6 and 9.

100 Gladstone to the Belfast branch of the Young Ireland Society, in Weekly Northern Whig, 8 June 1889.

101 Ibid., 26 June 1886.

102 Loughlin, , ‘Gladstone’, pp 162–3Google Scholar.

103 McCann, , ‘Prot, home-rule movement’, p. 57 Google Scholar.

104 Minutes, 19 July, 23 Sept. 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657).

105 Gladstone to T H. Webb, 16 Feb. 1887, in North and South, 26 Feb. 1887

106 Gladstone to C. H. Oldham, 9 Feb. 1887, in ibid., 16 Apr. 1887

107 See Dillon, Hansard 3, cccxv, 522–3 (19 May 1887); Alexander Blane, ibid., col. 718 (20 May 1887); M. J. Kenny, Michael McCartan, ibid., cols 886–90 (23 May 1887).

108 Gladstone in the house of commons, 29 Mar 1887, in Hutton, A. W. and Cohen, H. J. (eds). The speeches of W. E. Gladstone, 1886–8 (London, 1902), p. 188 Google Scholar.

109 See above, p. 348.

110 Minutes, 13 Oct. 1886 (N.L.I., I.P.H.R.A. minute book and notices, MS 3657).

111 Ibid., 3 Nov 1886.

112 See above, p. 348.

113 See North and South, 30 Apr 1887.

114 Gladstone in the house of commons, 7 July 1887, in Hutton & Cohen, Gladstone's speeches 1886–8, pp. 264–5.

115 Morley, John. The life of William Ewart Gladstone (2nd ed., 3 vols, London, 1911), iii, 280–81Google Scholar.

1l6 McCann, , ‘Prot, home-rule movement’, p. 96 Google Scholar.

117 Pall Mall Gazette 2 June 1886; McCann, , ‘Prot. home-rule movement’, p. 25 Google Scholar.

118 See Alfred Webb to Oldham, n.d. [early 1893] (N.L.I., Webb papers, MS 1746).

119 See Freeman's Journal, 6, 24, 26 Apr 1893.

120 Ibid., 29 Apr. 1893.

121 Of the 417 signatures to this document 257 had Ulster addresses.

122 Armour, W. S., Armour of Ballymoney (London, 1934), p. 110 Google Scholar.

123 Dougherty to Armour, n.d. [1893](P.R.O.N.L, Armour papers, D.1792/A 1/1/6).

124 Armour, , Armour of Ballymoney, pp 118–21Google Scholar.

125 Ibid., p. 121. See also McMinn, , ‘Armour’, pp 89–90 Google Scholar.

126 Gladstone to Armour, 12 Aug. 1893, in Armour, , Armour of Bally money, p. 122 Google Scholar.

127 Loughlin, , ‘Gladstone’, pp 193–8Google Scholar.