British and Irish History

The Oxford Companion to British History A Dictionary of British History Further reading

Irish Land League

The Oxford Companion to British History | 2002 | | Copyright

Irish Land League, 1879–82. The league was formed during the agrarian depression to demand tenant rights, including fair rents and security of tenure. It spread through much of the south and west of Ireland, unifying the interests of large and small farmers, provincial town and countryside. Aided by developments in communications and literacy, it became the most popular organization in 19th-cent. Ireland. Its adoption of the boycott tactic towards rack-renting landlords and other forms of exploitation pressurized Gladstone to introduce his Land Act in 1881, granting many of its demands. Following this Act, divisions occurred between large and small farmers/labourers and between militants and moderates. Parnell, president of the league, in accepting a revised Land Act and rejecting further agitation by the Kilmainham treaty 1882 effectively terminated the movement.

Michael Hopkinson

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JOHN CANNON. "Irish Land League." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Irish Land League." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-IrishLandLeague.html

JOHN CANNON. "Irish Land League." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-IrishLandLeague.html

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