Limerick Constitutional Nationalism, 1898-1918

Book excerpt: This book analyses local politics in Limerick from 1898 to 1918, reaching back to the Parnellite split and forward to the post-independence era. It explores at local level the relevance of the commemoration of 1798, the reunification of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and the emergence of multiple cultural political movements as well as the demise of Unionism. The question posed is twofold: whether nationalist constitutional politics changed over this time period on the one hand, and whether they were driven by local or national concerns on the other. The conclusion is that the spirit of politics was intensely local, that political patronage was largely locally controlled, and that there were greater continuities than ruptures in the composition and behaviour of political elites. In fact, long-term continuities of personnel, social class and political allegiance existed side-by side with the ability of existing structures to absorb change and to adapt in the light of wider political developments and internal manoeuvres.