Description

In the late 1780s, Dublin’s printing presses became the battleground for a fierce, highly sophisticated ideological conflict that permanently reshaped Irish political theology. In Dublin Paper War 1786-1788, distinguished scholar W. J. McCormack delivers a masterly, data-driven investigation into this critical literary print war.

The volume look deeply into the massive output of anonymous pamphlets, public letters, and church sermons that flooded the capital city, tracking the phrase “Protestant Ascendancy” from its early, localized occurrences to its full institutional baptism in 1792. Written with absolute academic rigor, McCormack provides an exhaustive, systematically indexed bibliography paired with profound critical commentary. It stands as a gold-standard reference cornerstone for advanced research libraries, print culture scholars, and serious collectors of 18th-century political history.

Critical frameworks evaluated within this text:

• Exhaustive Print Mapping: Offers a meticulous, detailed bibliographical catalog of every major pamphlet, response, and counter-argument issued during the conflict.

• Ideological Tracking: Traces the linguistic evolution and political weaponization of sectarian terminology within the ruling elite.

• Elite Scholarly Standard: Heavily footnoted with early primary source citations, publishing records, and comprehensive cross-references.