No Irish potato famine

Actually, I can imagine late nineteenth-century ireland looking like the post-war southern US, with catholics in place of former slaves. There'd still be emigration to england and north america, but much more than OTL to urban ireland. The north would get a lot more catholic, while dublin would boom in population. As soon as you have a large population in a city willing to work for dirt wages, some british entrepreneur would see the oppotunity, and industrialisation will begin. Ireland by 1900 would be producing a few native industries, and actually acting like part of the UK's overall economy...
 
I'm surprised no one's mentioned these: Without a large Irish Catholic immigration, there's likely no Know Nothing movement in the US, and a more Protestant US overall. There'd also be differences in the early political machines in the US. Eg in San Antonio we had the McCullough dynasty of political bosses, father, son, and grandson dominating city politics from the 1850s to 1920s. Other possibilities include its effect on the Hays Code, since the Catholic Legion of Decency might not be around or be far weaker.
 
You can't delay it indefinitely, it was always going to be a crisis waiting to happen with the lack of genetic diversity among the potato plants there.
True. I think one could imagine a situation in which infection was much more frequent than OTL, provoking a counter-weight to the economic
mechanisms reducing the diversity. That is,
if the pest hit earlier (before a potato variety
got too much advantage over the others) and
oftener, people will keep the resistant varieties for self-protection.
 
Very interesting. Could there be two - apparently contridictory- forces here.
1. Fewer catholics emigrate/die but more internal migration to cities generally and the more industriall areas of the north in particular. Result a more catholic Ulster. If/when nationalism becoes a major force this might lead to an avoidance of armed rebellion and partition.
2. A larger industrial base, dependant on British capital and markets, migth be more integrated in the UK. Nationalism could be weakened by workers seeing their jobs dependant on access to the UK. More industry might lead to class rather than ethic.religious labels being the focus. A relationship betweeen Ireland and Britian more similar to Scotland

Overall could see a more catholic Ireland that is fully integrated into the Brtisih industrial environment could be a more content member of the UK well into the 20th centuary. Devolution on the same timescale as Scotland and Wales?
 
Overall could see a more catholic Ireland that is fully integrated into the Brtisih industrial environment could be a more content member of the UK well into the 20th centuary. Devolution on the same timescale as Scotland and Wales?

I agree. Two further reasons for less Irish nationalism:

1. Less emigration means less overseas funding/ moral support for nationalist groups.

2. A higher Irish population leads to greater Irish influence within the UK, and therefore a greater stake in the status quo.
 
Last edited:
Top