The term “Home Rule” was coined to describe Ireland’s bid for political autonomy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although independence movements of various kinds had existed in Ireland for centuries, the Home Rule movement gained momentum throughout Ireland due in large part to its disavowal of violence in favor of political reforms within the British constitutional system. This allowed the movement to draw support from groups whose goals and methodologies had conflicted in the past, including agrarian leaders, Catholic clergy, and disaffected members of the revolutionary Fenian Brotherhood. Operating in tandem with the Land Reform movement, which sought economic control over Irish land, the Home Rule movement pressed for the establishment of an independent…

850 words

Citation: Cusack, George. "Home Rule Movement". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 January 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1653, accessed 23 November 2024.]