Civilising Rural Ireland by Patrick Doyle - 9781526124562

Patrick Doyle

The introduction of cooperative societies into the Irish countryside during the latenineteenth century transformed rural society and created an enduring economic legacy. Civilising rural Ireland challenges predominant narratives of Irish history that explain the emergence of the nationstate through the lens of political conflict and violence. Instead the book takes as its focus the numerous leaders, organisers, and members of the Irish cooperative movement. Together these people captured the spirit of change as they created a modern Ireland through their reorganisation of the countryside, the spread of new economic ideas, and the promotion of mutuallyowned businesses. Besides giving a comprehensive account of the cooperative movements introduction to Irish society the book offers an analysis of the importance of these radical economic ideas upon political Irish nationalism. An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BYNCND) licence. | Patrick Doyle Civilising rural Ireland : The co-operative movement, development