Irish question Facts for Kids

The Irish question was a big topic in the British government. It was debated from the early 1800s until the 1920s. The main issue was how to deal with Irish nationalism. This meant the desire of Irish people to have their own country. They wanted to be independent from Great Britain.

Britannia protecting her sister Hibernia from the anarchy of Irish nationalism – Punch, 1881

This phrase became well-known after the Acts of Union 1800. These Acts joined the kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain. They created the United Kingdom. Ireland's own parliament was also joined with Britain's. This meant one big government in Westminster, London. Because of this, the British government had to pay more attention to Ireland.

In 1844, Benjamin Disraeli was a future British prime minister. He explained the Irish question like this:

There were many poor people living in Ireland. They had a church that was not their own. Also, rich landowners lived far away in other cities. So, Ireland had starving people, absent landlords, and a foreign church. On top of that, its government was very weak. That was the Irish question.

In the 1868 election, two groups joined forces. These were the Liberals and Irish Nationalists. They believed Ireland had been treated unfairly. They wanted to fix these problems. From 1868 onwards, the Liberal Party focused on reforms for Ireland.

When William Ewart Gladstone was prime minister, the Irish brought up three main complaints. These were about religion, land, and wanting their own nation.

Religious problems: The Roman Catholic faith was treated badly since the 1500s. Most Irish people were Catholic.
Land problems: Many Irish people were very poor. This was partly because of laws that hurt Irish industries. For example, the wool industry suffered. Also, English landlords owned much of the land.
Nationalist problems: An old law called "Poyning's Law" was still in place. It meant the Irish government needed England's approval for its actions. This started under King Henry VII.

In 1886, the first Home Rule Bill was introduced. This bill aimed to give Ireland more control over its own affairs. After this, people started using the term the Anglo-Irish quarrel more often. It sounded less insulting than the Irish question.

The Irish question had a big impact on British politics. It was similar to how national problems affected Austria-Hungary. British politicians found it hard to deal with normal issues. This was because of disagreements over how to treat Ireland. The Liberal Party even split over the idea of Home Rule. Some members left to form the Liberal Unionist Party. This made the Conservatives stronger. It also slowed down other social and political changes in Britain.

After Ireland Became Independent

After the Irish War of Independence and the splitting of the island in the 1920s, new issues arose. These issues were about Northern Ireland. They were often called "The Troubles" or "The Irish Problem".

More recently, in 2017, the term "Irish question" was used again. This time, it described problems with the UK-Irish border after Brexit. The term Irish border question is now used more often for this.

Irish question facts for kids

After Ireland Became Independent

See also