Myth Versus Reality

Underdeveloped Ireland in the Nineteenth Century with Particular Reference to the South-west

Abstract

Late nineteenth century Ireland possessed many 'hidden Irelands', both real and imaginary, but at the hands of Irish nationalists it was very often the Ireland of myth and imagination which was committed to the pages of history. This has resulted in the caricaturisation of many of the realities of nineteenth century life in Ireland. Underdevelopment along the western seaboard was one reality of nineteenth century Ireland which has been seriously misrepresented in nationalist literature and nationalist ideology in general. However, in the late nineteenth century an underdeveloped Ireland was uncovered by philanthropic and 'self-help' enthusiasts. These were drawn mainly from the English ruling class and from the Anglo-Irish ascendancy. This clash of perceptions of the nationalistic peasantry and underdeveloped Ireland forms the basis of this paper. Divided into three sections, the paper will focus initially on the perceptions of cultural nationalists. These viewed the west as· a distinctive cultural region harbouring the remnants of Gaelic Ireland. Thus, it will be argued that cultural nationalists idealised the peasant and obscured the realities of hunger, hardship and deprivation which were the basis of the peasants' world. The second section considers the west of Ireland as revealed by the "official mind" in the late nineteenth century when, steps were taken. To alleviate the problems of this other 'hidden Ireland'. Finally, section three will consider under-developed Ireland as revealed through the "base line" reports of the Congested Districts Board for the south-west of Ireland. This section will focus on County Kerry and parts of West Cork in particular.