The Growth of Nationalist Organisations, the Third Home Rule Bill
In this chapter you will learn about: • The emergence of nationalist organisations due to the failure to secure Home Rule • Arthur Griffith and the first Sinn Féin Party • The revival of the IRB • The circumstances in which the Third Home Rule Bill was introduced
By the end of this chapter you will be able to: • Discuss why new nationalist movements surfaced at this time • Understand the goals of Sinn Féin and why it failed to succeed in its early years • Discuss how the IRB began to revive through the work of new leaders
• Discuss how the fortunes of the Home Rule Party changed from 1909 onwards, leading to the Third Home Rule Bill
The Emergence of New Nationalist Organisations
A number of factors led to the emergence of new nationalist movements from the late 1890s onwards. In particular, the bitter split in the Irish Parliamentary Party following the O’Shea divorce case divided supporters of Home Rule. The Home Rule parties’ difficulties were made worse by the Conservative Party’s long period in government and Gladstone’s retirement as Liberal Party leader. After Gladstone, other Liberal leaders appeared less inclined to support Home Rule.
People became disillusioned in this political environment, and looked for a new political movement to achieve greater freedom for Ireland.
