1896 - 1900 AD

                                                                                   "United Irish League - United Irishmen Newspaper - New Departure Strategy Lost."

1896 AD February: John Dillon was elected the "Chairman" of the previous Anti - Parnellite "majority" in the Irish Parliamentary Party. 

     Patrick / Patraic Pearse the poet, whose father was English and mother Irish was heavily involved in the promotion of the Gaelic Irish "language," and he joined the Gaelic League and the "Irish Volunteers" this year and also became the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B. "Director of Military Operations" and would eventually become the overall "leader" of the Irish in the 1916 Irish Easter Uprising to come.

   Father Eugene O Growney / Mheic Carrghamhna contributed Gaelic Irish lessons to the "Weekly Freemen" newspaper, which was also to "inspire" the general Irish population to become once more heavily involved in their Irish Gaelic Heritage.    

   John Mac  Bride / Mheic Giolla Brighde, from Co. Mayo in the mid - west of the Connacht Province, this year undertook a mission for the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R..B. to the Clann na Gael / The Organization in America.  

   James Connolly who was to become the socialist Labour leader in Ireland was advised by John Leslie the "socialist" leader in Scotland to return to Ireland from Edinburgh / Dunedin were he then "founded" the "Irish Socialist Republican Party" and the "Worker`s Republic" newspaper to promote a socialist movement in Ireland and to eventually create an independent Irish Nation, and was later joined by James Larkin, who had been born in Liverpool in England, who was also to be a standout when leading Irish workers in the future to obtain better "working" conditions for the common man in Ireland.  

    John Daly was "released" from prison in England after he went on a hunger strike.

   Thomas Power - O Connor  the Irish Westminster M.P., who was originally from the Connacht Province, to be known as the "Father of the British House of Commons" in England had by now become the "President of the United Irish League of Great Britain."

     Gerald Balfour, the British Imperial Conservative Unionist Government's Chief Secretary in Ireland, now carried out their "Irish Land Act," which had by now been amended to offer better terms to the "tenant farmers" in Ireland, but the purchases of the land still remained "low" as the financial considerations did not fit in with the economic realities of agricultural life in Ireland, either for the Land Lords or their "tenant farmers" in Ireland.   

   The British Financial Commission found that Ireland was paying 1 in 11, which should have been 1in 20 and the English paying only  2 shillings in the pound 1/10th, while the Irish were paying 10 shillings in the pound 1/2. 

   The British Imperial Unionist Conservative Government's Dublin Castle (The Devill's 1/2 Acre) authorities were still in complete control in Ireland under the auspices of the "Immoral Union" and they once again reminded the non - Catholic Ascendancy that they were only maintaining their Ascendancy "position" in Ireland due to the overall influence of the British Imperial Conservative Government, while also at this time the non - Catholic "Orange Association" was supplied with free weapons, while the Irish Catholics were "disarmed."

   The Ascendancy "Grand Juries" and their "Magistrates" in Ireland still carried on the same as before with all the "Orangemen" being "acquitted," and all of the Irish Catholics found "guilty," and things were still as bad as when the Chief Justice of England had commented nearly 70 years previously during the trial of Daniel O Connell  - the Liberator, " That this practise if not remedied must render trial by jury a mockery, a delusion and a snare," but still nothing would be done to alter these ongoing unjust malpractices that would still be allowed to continue on until 1906 AD.       

1897 AD Arthur Griffith who had been previously involved in the founding of the Gaelic League, and who would later on found the "Sinn Fein Party" (We Ourselves) and later still also be acknowledged as the "Father of the Irish Nation," was now to fight for the "democratic rights" of the South African Boers in the Transvaal against the impostion of the British Imperial Empire up until 1899 AD for what he believed was continuing British Imperialist aggression also there.

     Timothy Healy now founded the "Irish Peoples Rights Association," to try and "re - unite" the Irish Parliamentary Party, but in reality it turned out to be just another "splinter" group.

     John O Leary who was still the Irish Republican "leader," unveiled a bronze statue in Tipperary town this year of Charles Kickham (1828 - 1882 AD) in anticipation of the celebration of the "Centenary of the1798 Irish Rising by the United Irishmen Society." 

1898 AD Timothy Healy and the old Labor stalwart William O Brien, co - founded the "United Irish League" in the Connacht Province to try and revive interest in bringing about Irish Home Rule, where they were for all of the Land Lords confiscated Estates to be "broken up," and redistributed to give the farmers in Ireland much larger holdings to enable them to survive "financially" and this naturally appealed to the poverty stricken "tenant farmers" in the west of Ireland as they were not too happy with the progress of the British Imperial Unionist Conservative Government's "Congested Districts Board" up to this date. William O Brien, working peacefully and silently in the interest of the population of Ireland, had anticipated that this common struggle to gain these further "reforms" would "reunite" the whole Irish National Movement, but things were not to actually work out as he had intended, but despite this it was to "force" the political leaders to finally reach a decision. William O Brien was also to become the "Treasurer" of the Irish Socialist Republican Party.     

      The "Ancient Order of Hibernians," was now also "revived" in America and Ireland, as it had been a Century since the glory days of the "United Irishmen Society" and many celebrations were to be carried out to commemorate their stand against the ongoing British Imperial oppression, and there were many "98 Clubs" now founded to keep up the "memory" and spirit of those who had previously made the "ultimate sacrifice" by not only giving up their lives in Ireland but also elsewhere, while endeavouring to obtain Freedom for Ireland, which naturally fostered further Irish Fenian activity and Anti - British Imprial Government feeling. Despite this renewed freedom of the Irish Spirit in Ireland this momentum was in no way taken up by any of the members of the Irish "political parties," who were still seeking "democratic" solutions in the British Westminster Parliament for the ongoing problems in Ireland. (By this period in time the Irish M.P.s themselves had been well and truly "separated" from the actual "living" conditions of the "ordinary" population in Ireland for a very long time).  

    A Local Government Act was brought in to create "elected" County and Urban Councils, which was meant to be another method of continuing to erode the overall control of the "Landed Gentry," who by now, due to the continuing harsh economic situation still in existence in Ireland wanted to "sell" their confiscated Estates anyway, while the "tenant farmers" in Ireland certainly wanted to buy their Irish land back, but more reasonable financial terms would be required to be worked out, to suite the "drastic economic circumstances" that were still prevailing in which both sides found themselves in, due to the ongoing "economic repression" under the "Immoral Union."

   In Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province the population had grown to 130,000. 

   In a further positive step an "Amnesty" was now granted to the previous I.R.B. / Fenians, and Tom Clarke the "Old Republican," returned to America to the Clann na Gael / The Organization in New York.  

   Standish O Grady, who was from the Ascendancy himself was involved in an Irish literary revival as the editor of "The Kilkenny Moderator" and he now "berated" the Ascendancy's continuing "overall control" in Ireland. 

1899 AD The previous "New Departure Strategy" of Charles Stewart - Parnell and John Devoy from the Clann na Gael / The Organization for a "Constitutional" political answer from the British Imperial Governments, to end the problems in Ireland, was now "long gone" and if there ever was to be any real Irish Freedom to be gained the Irish revolutionaries were once again beginning to feel that the time "had come" to begin a new phase to rectify the continual problems in Ireland, as this seemed to be the only "result" that the British Imperial Conservative Government in England would ever really "understand. "

January: William Rooney had asked Arthur Griffith, who was to become the future "Father of Irish Freedom" to return to Ireland from South Africa were he was trying to assist the "democratic" position of the "Boers" against the subjection there of the British Imperialist Empire, as he wanted him to become the "editor" of the "United Irishmen" newspaper that would be supported by the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B. in the interests of eventually gaining Irish Independence / Freedom from the British Imperial Government in England. 

March: Arthur Griffith, who was well known as a mild - mannered man and middle class in his outlook, had sympathies more with "capital " then with labour, and this always made him suspicious of "trade unionism and socialism," but despite this outlook he was also for "freedom" for all of the people of Ireland from the continuing British Imperial oppression, and to this end he decided to take up William Rooney's offer and he become the editor and co - founder of the United Irishman Newspaper along with William Rooney, and his whole approach to the way to solve the continuing problems in Ireland was to be based on the propositions previously put forward by Francis Deek the Hungarian "Nationalist." Being the editor of the United Irishman newspaper in Ireland now gave him the opportunity to put forward his proposals of "Self Reliance" / Sinn Fein (We Ourselves) together with industrial development, as he propounded the theory that there must first be "political" "freedom" in Ireland, before there was any chance of any real economic progress. He also advocated "non co - operation" with the British Imperial Government by the Irish M.P.s who were still in the British Westminster Parliament, who had all been elected by the Irish population themselves, who should "withdraw" from the Westminster Parliament and have their own Irish Assembly in their own Country at Dublin in Ireland. They should then set up an Irish Government in Ireland who would take over the "administration" of Ireland, relying then on their "own elected" moral authority to ensure the obedience of the Irish population, as these actions would make it impossible for the British Imperial Government to continue to "impose" their rule under the "Immoral Union" on Ireland, as he also lived in hope that the British Imperial Government would then have the good sense to "withdraw" from Ireland finally and peacefully.          

October: The British Military Forces of their Imperial Empire were set upon the Boers in South Africa to secure the overall rights to the "gold and diamonds" there, which even upset the Welshman M.P. David Lloyd - George who would become the future British Coalition Prime Minister of Britain who had pro - Boer views also. (It was deplored in later years in Ireland that an Irish Uprising was not held during this Imperial period of negative turmoil). John Mac Bride was another famous Irish man who also led an Irish Brigade to fight for the Boers against the Imperialist aggression of the British Imperial Conservative Government in South Africa, as did Robert Erskine Childers who had been born in London, and reared in Co. Wicklow in the south - east of Southern Leinster who had also been educated at Cambridge University and was later to join in with the Irish Freedom movement against the continuing British Imperial oppression in Ireland.

   William O Brien the ever vigilant Labor stalwart  from Co. Cork, who never seemed to let up trying to obtain Irish rights and Irish Freedom was now the "editor" also of the "Irish People" newspaper and negotiations were begun again between the two divided Irish political parties the Parnelites and the Anti - Parnellites who had previously made up the Irish Parliamentary Party to "reunite" them in the combined overall interests of Ireland. 

    Charles William St. John - Burgess Gaelicized his name to Cathal Brugha, and was to leave an indelible imprint in Irish History when he too joined the Gaelic League. 

   Father Eugene O Growney the co - founder of the Gaelic League, had recently died in San Francisco at only 33 years of age. 

   The long standing Land Lord and "tenant farmer" problems over the return of Irish land was by now fading away finally, but the imports by the "merchants" in London into Great Britain from "foreign countries" was now really depressing the rural prices in Ireland, except for cattle, and this meant that more land in Ireland went over to "pasture," with the average farm still not big enough to run them and obtain a decent living.  

   The British Imperial Conservative Government's Dublin Castle authorities set up a "Department of Agriculture & Technical Instruction" with Sir Horace Plunkett as it's head who later on was to also abandon his previous "Unionist "stance and become an "Irish Home Rule" wanting Ulster Province's industries to remain in a "self governing" Ireland.  

   W.B. Yeats and fellow literary enthusiasts Lady Augusta Gregory, George Moore and the only Catholic in the group, Edward Martyn founded the "Irish Literary Theatre" this year.   

   The Catholic Irish "merchants" who were prospering in Dublin, were now known as "Castle Catholics," and the speech of the "Tinkers" was known as "Shelta," which had been developed from the Gaelic.

1900 AD Roger Casement who was from Ballymena in the Ulster Province was to to be "knighted" this year by the British Imperial Unionist Conservative Government for "outstanding" services to the British Imperial Empire, and then later "executed" by the British Imperial Coalition Conservative Government for taking part in trying to bring about Irish Freedom from the oppression of the British Imperial Empire.

   Due to the fact that Irish Catholics had been finally "allowed" to migrate to America after 1815 AD there were by now more Irish people in the United States of America then there were in Ireland. 

   Arthur Lynch was elected the M.P. in the British Westminster Parliament for Co. Galway in Southern Connacht by the Irish population there, although he was still overseas "fighting" for the democratic rights of the Boers in South Africa against the British Imperialist Government in England, and later on the British Imperial Government were to try him for "High Treason" and condemn him to "death," but his sentence was to be eventually commuted, and he was later released after imprisonment.

   The British Imperial Conservative Government had installed 11,000 R.I.C. police in Ireland combined of 1 Sgt. and 6 constables in each district, with each one being assigned from a "distant" County to their own, and then placed in an area other then their own, where they had to keep a "day book" on the general population in Ireland, which basically had them operating as an extension of the British Imperial Government's Intelligence service situated in the Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 Acre.)ensuring constant "supervision" of thye people and continuing Imperial overall control over the whole Irish population, and in reality had nothing to do with their actual police "work."

    The "political" Irish Parliamentary Party by this time had little going for it, as it was showing "no drive or initiative" on any matters pertaining to Irish Affairs.  

   James Connolly, the founder of the Irish Socialist Republican Party and the newspaper the Worker's Republic, was more then ever convinced that the British Empire only stood for "Capitalist Imperialism" that he totally despised, and as he was for "equality for all," and was not an Irish Nationalist as such, he knew full well that Ireland must be "free" to run her own race if ever it was going to be possible to bring in an "equal socialist society" in Ireland.  

   The individual number of "land holdings" in Ireland were now down to "half" the previous number, which had existed in The Great Famine of 1845 AD - 1849 AD.  

    Eoin Mac Neill, who was to become the "founder" of the "Irish Volunteers," had been born at Glenarm in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province, and he too would play a "notable role" in future Irish History. 

   Edward Carson a non - Catholic Dublin lawyer was the "Unionist" M.P. for Dublin University and was to be the appointed British Government's Solicitor - General in Ireland until 1905 AD, but at this time he had no connection with the Ulster Province, in which he would become highly "politically" involved in the future.

   The Galvin Tomb was constructed on Abbey Island in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province.

    Oscar Wilde, "died" this year.

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