The Quakers of County Tipperary 1655-1924

The Quaker connection with County Tipperary lasted from their arrival shortly after the middle of the seventeenth century to the closure of their last meeting houses in Carrick-on-Suir and Clonmel in 1924. This thesis examines their history and attempts to evaluate the contribution they made to their adopted county. George Bancroft (1800- 89), an American historian, has stated that 'the rise of the people called Quakers is one of the memorable events in the history of man'. However extravagant this claim, Voltaire, to whom religion meant leading a good and useful life, observed of the Quakers 'the doctrines and history of such unusual people were worthy of the curiosity of a reasonable man'. Although he mocked their quaint speech and comical clothing, he was attracted to their plain lifestyle and to their simple moral and spiritual values. Previous studies of Irish Quakers have focused on communities that were either exclusively urban or rural. However, the Tipperary Quakers throughout their history always consisted of both fanners and traders. Hence this thesis, which examines that community, marks a new departure in Irish Quaker studies