Pat Glover

tionaries. must be ready to recognise any autonomous initiatives by the Protestant one. It prepared the way for the 1798 rebellion, which if-badly organised and poorly led was nonetheless the first national uprising of the Irish people in the name of the new. democracy spreading across Europe. However, its essential force lay in the fact that it was the reflection of a real process of unification and assimilation. In judging the potential of the estic artisans were wiped out and replaced by Republican concept for today’s struggle we'e must use this fact as a basic criterion.

Does the traditional Republican concept correspond to the present relationship between the Catholic and Protestant communities? To answer this scientifically it is necessary to analyse briefly the subsequent evolution of the Prior to the nineteenth century Protestant capitalism was only at an embryonic stage. It was still domestic in character and largely dependent on the Irish market. Interestingly enough, the most enthusiastic and tenacious supporters of the United Irishmen among the Protestants were the domestic artisan weavers and spinners plus the drapers who were responsible for organising the native market. The ordinary Protestant peasantry and the bleachers, who were large-scale merchants associated with the aristocracy were more subservient to Britain and more inclined towards. During the first five decades of the next century, however, the structure of Protestant capitalism changed radically. New-techniques and technical innovations began to be applied to production and the yolume of output increased significantly. The industry was-put onan entirely new footing: The self-sufficient domfactories which depended initially at least on Britain for capital and capital equipment. Our put grew se rapidly that the local market was unable to absorb it, and Britain soon became an important outlet.

- These changes altered the attitude of the Protestant middle class, hegemonising the planter community once more as the loyal outpost of British imperialism. We may note the rapidity with which many former stalwarts of the United Irishmen became reconciled tothe Union with Britain. We may also note the growth of Toryism, or more precisely Conservatism, among the Northern Protestant bourgeoisie after the 1830’s. In a word, the thrust towards Protestant and Catholic unity which made itself felt at the end of the eighteenth century had well and truly been thrown into reverse by the middle of the following century. The simple answer to the question we posed. above, then, is that the Republican concept of Catholic — Protestant unity haslong beena ~~ hollow ‘myth’, which evokes no response with-in the Protestant community.