Perpetuating Nationalist Mythos? Portrayals of Eighteenth Century Ireland in Twentieth Century Irish Secondary School Textbooks

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Perpetuating Nationalist Mythos? Portrayals of Eighteenth Century Ireland in Twentieth Century Irish Secondary School Textbooks PERPETUATING NATIONALIST MYTHOS? PORTRAYALS OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY IRELAND IN TWENTIETH CENTURY IRISH SECONDARY SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS Adam C. Murphy A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2013 Committee: Dr. Christopher Frey, Advisor Dr. Margaret Booth Dr. David Jackson © 2013 Adam C. Murphy All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Dr. Christopher Frey, Advisor This case study has sought to examine degrees of nationalist bias found in Irish secondary school history textbooks over an 80 year period (1922-2002). Specifically, this study will be examining textbook narratives of four major topics in eighteenth century Irish history: the Penal Laws, “Grattan’s Parliament”, the Rebellion of 1798, and the 1801 Act of Union. The eighteenth century was selected for study, as opposed to more comparatively recent and controversial events, such as the Easter Rising of 1916 or the partition of Northern Ireland, to look at an era that would be outside the living memory of textbook authors. These are topics that are also susceptible to distortion or appropriation by later generations of Irish nationalists to fit a teleological narrative of a centuries-long struggle for Irish independence from Britain. This study has sought to determine: whether nationalist bias is present in the narratives of the selected textbooks, whether levels of bias have changed over the course of the period studied, and whether bias found was found pervasively throughout textbook accounts or limited to isolated passages that do not reflect the rest of the text’s account. A total of seven Irish secondary level history textbooks were selected, published at different times during the 80 year period. To conclude the extent to which the textbooks displayed levels of nationalist bias, the narratives were compared with a current historical consensus that was established through a comparison of relatively recent academic and popular works on eighteenth century Ireland. A theory forwarded in similar studies (Janmaat, 2006; Mulcahy, 1988) supports a relation between the age of a state and the nationalist tone of its historiography, with levels of nationalist bias decreasing as a state matures. The trajectory of textbook narratives found in this study does seem to show a trend toward more moderate accounts of the past. Pervasive nationalist bias was found in only one textbook, while the other textbooks evaluated saw only isolated passages that seemed colored by an Irish nationalist perspective. iv If one harbours anywhere in one's mind a nationalistic loyalty or hatred, certain facts, although in a sense known to be true, are inadmissible. -George Orwell, Notes on Nationalism, 1945. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work cannot be regarded as the result of merely my own effort. This process would have been made significantly more arduous without the assistance, support, advice, and motivation provided by my mentors, colleagues, friends, and family. In particular must profess my deep and sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Christopher Frey, whose advice, encouragement, and patience have been invaluable throughout this process. I also give my thanks to the other members of the thesis committee, Dr. Margaret Booth and Dr. David Jackson, whose willingness to assist in this project is deeply appreciated. Many thanks go to my fellow students in the MACIE program who have been a constant source of support; always willing to listen to ideas and complaints, and always facing challenges with a sense of humor. I am grateful to my colleagues at the Center for Teaching and Learning, who have been very supportive in offering their advice and encouragement throughout this process. I would be incredibly remiss were I not to thank my hometown friends whom I have known for nearly my entire life. For all that time they have been a constant reminder that true wisdom is not measured by degrees or credentials. Last, but not least, I am ever indebted to my parents. My late mother had continually encouraged my brother and me to always be curious and thoughtful and to value education as a process of lifelong learning. My father has always been a source of strength and support. His kindness, compassion, and ever-present sense of humor have helped to carry our family through hard times and good times. He and my mother have been an inspiration to me and words, however eloquent, cannot express my gratitude to them. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 Background of the Study ........................................................................................... 3 Justification of the Study ........................................................................................... 4 Eighteenth Century Events Selected for the Study .................................................... 6 Organization of the Chapters ..................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................. 11 Historiography and the Creation of the Irish Nation ................................................. 11 Political Nationalism and Cultural Nationalism in Ireland ........................................ 15 Nationalism in Irish Education and Reforms in the Curriculum ............................... 16 The Importance of Textbooks .................................................................................... 22 Eighteenth Century Ireland as the Period of Examination......................................... 26 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY AND SELECTION OF TEXTS ................................... 32 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 40 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS ................................................................................................... 42 The Penal Laws .......................................................................................................... 42 Hayden and Moonan (1922) .......................................................................... 43 Casserly (1943) .............................................................................................. 46 Collins (1969) ................................................................................................ 50 Kee (1995) ..................................................................................................... 52 Brockie and Walsh (1997) and Lucey (2002) ................................................ 55 Comparison of Accounts................................................................................ 56 vii The Volunteer Movement and Irish Parliamentary Independence ............................ 57 Hayden and Moonan (1922) .......................................................................... 57 Casserly (1943) .............................................................................................. 61 Collins (1969) ................................................................................................ 64 Kee (1995) ..................................................................................................... 66 Brockie and Walsh (1997) and Lucey (2002) ................................................ 68 Comparison of Accounts................................................................................ 69 The United Irishmen and the 1798 Rebellion ............................................................ 69 Hayden and Moonan (1922) .......................................................................... 71 Casserly (1943) .............................................................................................. 75 Collins (1969) ................................................................................................ 78 Kee (1995) ..................................................................................................... 80 Brockie and Walsh (1997) ............................................................................. 83 Lucey (2002) .................................................................................................. 86 Comparison of Accounts................................................................................ 88 The Act of Union ....................................................................................................... 89 Hayden and Moonan (1922) .......................................................................... 90 Casserly (1943) .............................................................................................. 93 Collins (1969) ................................................................................................ 95 Tierney and MacCurtain (1969)..................................................................... 96 Kee (1995) ..................................................................................................... 97 Brockie and Walsh (1997) and Lucey (2002) ................................................ 99 Comparison of Accounts................................................................................ 100 viii CHAPTER V: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................. 101 Discussion of Nationalist Bias in the Texts and Change over Time.......................... 102 REFERENCES .....................................................................................................................
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