Irish Conservative Party
Encyclopedia
The Irish Conservative Party, often called the Irish Tories
, was one of the dominant Irish political parties in Ireland
in the 19th century. Throughout much of the century it and the Irish Liberal Party battled for electoral dominance among Ireland's small electorate within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
, with various parties such as the movements of Daniel O'Connell
and later the Independent Irish Party
relegated into third place.
As late as 1859, the Irish Conservative Party still won the greatest number of Irish seats in Westminster
, in that year's general election
winning a majority of the seats on offer. In the 1840s, the party supported Daniel O'Connell
's call for repeal of the Act of Union, believing that a resurrected Irish parliament would offer the best chance to defend Protestant interests. Many saw themselves as the successors of William Molyneux
and his 1698 pamphlet, The Case of Ireland's being Bound by Acts of Parliament in England, in which he made an argument disputing the right of the English Parliament to legislate for Ireland, as the kingdom had its own parliament.
Though aligned with the Conservative Party
in Great Britain
, the Irish Conservatives took independent stances on many issues, a fact made easier by the lack of rigid party voting in the British House of Commons
.
Its main rival, the Liberals
, lost out to Isaac Butt
's Home Government Association
in the early 1870s, ironically, considering that the HGA was, to a significant extent, made up of Irish Tories such as Butt himself.
Franchise reform, notably the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868
, the Ballot Act 1872
and the Representation of the People Act 1884
which increased the number of Catholic Nationalist electors, the electoral triumph of the Irish Parliamentary Party
under Charles Stewart Parnell
, and the appearance of the Liberal Unionist Party
and the Irish Unionist Party
, all ate into the Irish Conservative Party support and by the late 19th century it was no longer a major electoral force.
Organisations associated with the Irish Conservative Party included the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society
in Dublin, later the Irish Reform Association
, and the Kildare Street Club
, a gentleman's club in Kildare Street, Dublin.
Prominent members included Isaac Butt and the Reverend Charles Boyton. It was strongly associated with the Dublin University Magazine
founded by Butt and associates in 1833, and had a strong Trinity College Dublin academic input.
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
, was one of the dominant Irish political parties in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in the 19th century. Throughout much of the century it and the Irish Liberal Party battled for electoral dominance among Ireland's small electorate within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, with various parties such as the movements of Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
and later the Independent Irish Party
Independent Irish Party
The Independent Irish Party was an Irish political party founded in July 1852 by 40 Liberal Irish MPs who had been elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes mentioned as the Irish Independent Opposition Party, and colloquially known as the...
relegated into third place.
As late as 1859, the Irish Conservative Party still won the greatest number of Irish seats in Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, in that year's general election
United Kingdom general election, 1859
In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives...
winning a majority of the seats on offer. In the 1840s, the party supported Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
's call for repeal of the Act of Union, believing that a resurrected Irish parliament would offer the best chance to defend Protestant interests. Many saw themselves as the successors of William Molyneux
William Molyneux
William Molyneux FRS was an Irish natural philosopher and writer on politics.He was born in Dublin to Samuel Molyneux , lawyer and landowner , and his wife, Anne, née Dowdall. The second of five children, William Molyneux came from a relatively prosperous Anglican background...
and his 1698 pamphlet, The Case of Ireland's being Bound by Acts of Parliament in England, in which he made an argument disputing the right of the English Parliament to legislate for Ireland, as the kingdom had its own parliament.
Though aligned with the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, the Irish Conservatives took independent stances on many issues, a fact made easier by the lack of rigid party voting in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.
Its main rival, the Liberals
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, lost out to Isaac Butt
Isaac Butt
Isaac Butt Q.C. M.P. was an Irish barrister, politician, Member of Parliament , and the founder and first leader of a number of Irish nationalist parties and organisations, including the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society in 1836, the Home Government Association in 1870 and in 1873 the Home...
's Home Government Association
Home Government Association
The Home Government Association was a pressure group founded by Isaac Butt in 1870 in support of home rule for Ireland.Its inaugural public meeting was held on 1 September 1870.It became the Home Rule League in 1873....
in the early 1870s, ironically, considering that the HGA was, to a significant extent, made up of Irish Tories such as Butt himself.
Franchise reform, notably the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868
Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868
The Representation of the People Act 1868 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom.It did not alter the overall distribution of parliamentary seats in Ireland, but did alter their boundaries, including making the electoral constituency of a borough be the same as its municipal boundaries....
, the Ballot Act 1872
Ballot Act 1872
The Ballot Act 1872 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced the requirement that parliamentary and local government elections in the United Kingdom be held by secret ballot.-Background:...
and the Representation of the People Act 1884
Representation of the People Act 1884
In the United Kingdom, the Representation of the People Act 1884 and the Redistribution Act of the following year were laws which further extended the suffrage in Britain after the Disraeli Government's Reform Act 1867...
which increased the number of Catholic Nationalist electors, the electoral triumph of the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
under Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
, and the appearance of the Liberal Unionist Party
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
and the Irish Unionist Party
Irish Unionist Party
The Irish Unionist Alliance was a Unionist party founded in Ireland in 1891 to oppose plans for Gladstonian and Parnellite Home Rule for Ireland. The party was led for much of its life by Colonel Edward James Saunderson and later by the William St John Brodrick, Earl of Midleton...
, all ate into the Irish Conservative Party support and by the late 19th century it was no longer a major electoral force.
Organisations associated with the Irish Conservative Party included the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society
Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society
The Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society was an Irish political movement based in Dublin which was linked to the Irish Conservative Party, the main political party in Ireland until 1859....
in Dublin, later the Irish Reform Association
Irish Reform Association
The Irish Reform Association was an attempt to introduce limited devolved self-government to Ireland by a group of reform oriented Irish unionist land owners who proposed to initially adopt something less than full Home Rule...
, and the Kildare Street Club
Kildare Street Club
The Kildare Street Club was a gentlemen's club in Dublin, Ireland, at the heart of the Anglo-Irish Protestant Ascendancy.The Club remained in Kildare Street between 1782 and 1977, when it merged with the Dublin University Club...
, a gentleman's club in Kildare Street, Dublin.
Prominent members included Isaac Butt and the Reverend Charles Boyton. It was strongly associated with the Dublin University Magazine
Dublin University Magazine
The Dublin University Magazine was an independent literary cultural and political magazine published in Dublin from 1833 to 1882. It started out as a magazine of political commentary but increasingly became devoted to literature.-Early days:...
founded by Butt and associates in 1833, and had a strong Trinity College Dublin academic input.
Sources
- Alvin Jackson, Home Rule: An Irish History 1800—2000 (Phoenix, 2004)
- Andrew Shields, Irish Conservative Party, 1852-1868: Land, Politics and Religion (Dublin, 2007)