Land and Popular Politics in County Kerry, 1872-86

This thesis explores the issues of land and popular politics at a regional level concentrating on county Kerry between 1872 and 1886. This was a period which witnessed salient political, social and economic transformations within Ireland and particularly in Kerry. In 1872 landlordism appeared to have had a hegemonic control over large areas of agrarian and political matters. Local government, parliamentary politics and land ownership were firmly within the control of the gentry. By 1886 this had irrevocably altered. Successive land legislation had removed much of the landlord’s control over rent and the principle of a peasant proprietorship was largely accepted if not established. During the period Irish nationalism underwent one of its most formative eras in which it developed into the dominant political force in southern Ireland. In examining these processes in county Kerry, this work has analysed the objectives, social composition and activities of various political and agrarian movements. In particular the Kerry Tenants Defence Association of the 1870s, Land League (1879- 82) and Irish National League (1882-86) are examined. The work highlights continuities and differences between the movements to provide an in-depth analysis of agrarian and popular political activity in the county