Description

The 1780s marked a brief, brilliant, and deeply volatile era of Irish political independence. In Prelude to Union – Anglo Irish Politics in the 1780s, leading historian James Kelly delivers a definitive and granular analysis of the profound constitutional tug-of-war between Dublin Castle, the Irish parliament, and the British government.

Following the securing of legislative independence in 1782, “Grattan’s Parliament” attempted to navigate a path of national sovereignty within the British Empire. Kelly meticulously tracks the high-stakes debates over trade tariffs, Catholic relief, political reform, and national defense. Utilizing a wealth of archival state papers and private political correspondence, this book demonstrates how the systemic failures and intense partisan divisions of the 1780s ultimately set the stage for the disastrous 1798 Rebellion and the total collapse of the Irish parliament in 1800.

Key features of this political history:

• Definitive Academic Research: The ultimate authority on late 18th-century Anglo-Irish relations.

• Complex Political Intrigue: Details the backroom deals and intense rivalries of the Ascendancy ruling class.

• Essential Context: A must-read for anyone wanting to fully understand the origins of the 1800 Act of Union.