Before the Revolution

Although much has been written about the impact of developing separatist thought on early twentieth century Irish politics, little is known about Ireland's last Home Rule generation whose expectations were shattered by the revolutionary events of 1916-22. Before the Revolution seeks to redress this imbalance by looking at the influence of education, employment, constitutional politics and wider political associations on the evolution of a new Catholic elite. Gender and class are two important focuses of the study. The experience of employment, membership of political and cultural associations, and the pursuit of entertainment are used to describe the development of this new stratum of modern Irish society.