The GAA, Anglo Irish Literacy Revival Flashcards
following an extended period of British occupation, what had Irish culture faced the effects of?
anglicisation
by the late 1800, what had reduced significantly?
the number of Irish language speakers
what had diminished by the late 1800s?
the prevalence and popularity of Irish art
what did the GAA experience?
a period of decline
what was the reduced engagement with Irish culture partly caused by?
-the ‘Great Potato Famine’ of the 1840s
-the subsequent ‘Irish Diaspora’
what did the British Government attempt to do at the expense of Irish heritage?
encourage British culture
what did several nationalist figures within Irish politics at the time speak of?
Douglas Hyde spoke of “the necessity for de-Anglicising Ireland” in order to maintain the nations “cultural sovereignty”
what began the revitalisation of Irish culture?
nationalist organisations such as the GAA, Gaelic league and Anglo Irish Literary Revival
During the 1880s, what were less popular than British competitors like football, cricket or rugby?
Irish sports such as Gaelic Football and hurling
what was the primary reason for the British games being more popular?
they were better organised
what did the British games have that their Irish counterparts did not?
They had clear, standardised rules set by governing bodies
what did the Gaelic games not have?
no unified ruleset
what were Gaelic games not permitted to do?
Gaelic football and hurling games weren’t permitted to be held on Sundays
why were Gaelic football and hurling games not permitted to be held on Sundays?
as this was seen as sacreligious
what did Gaelic games being banned on Sundays mean?
farmers, who traditionally worked from Monday to Saturday, had no opportunity to play these sports
why was farmers not being allowed to play Gaelic games on sundays significant?
the majority of Irish workers were in the agriculture sector, this massively reduced the potential playing pool
when did British sports clubs host their matches?
on Sundays
how did the Archbishop of Croke refer to the Gaelic Games as?
“not only dead and buried, but in several localities…entirely forgotten and unknown”
who was unsatisfied with the decline of the Irish games?
Michael Cusack
who did Michael Cusack decide to partner with?
famous Irish sportsman, Maurice Davin
how did Davin and Cusack set about reforming Irish sports in 1884?
by establishing a central governing bod
what did both Davin and cusack believe the Irish people should do?
“take the management of their games into their own hands” and “remove with one sweep everything foreign and iniquitous in the present system”
Cusack and Davin established the Gaelic Association of Ireland to do what:
to ensure the “preservation and cultivation of our national pastimes”
what did the GAA do?
it centralised the rulesets for both Gaelic football and hurling in 1885, providing clarity within matches
what did the GAA allow?
allowed matches to be held on Sundays
what did the GAA allowing matches to be held on Sundays remove?
the previous barrier to entry for agricultural workers
what did this cultural revival of Irish games culminate into?
the establishment of the first ‘All Ireland Championships’, which was hosted in 1888
why was the cultural significance of the GAA was immediately apparent?
as “it spread like a prairie fire” in terms of popularity
noticing the growing support for the GAA, what did influential groups such as the IPP and IRB do?
they pledged their support to the organisation
who became patrons of the GAA?
Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt both became patrons
what did Parnell and Davitt both do as patrons of the GAA?
donating significant sums of money to facilitate the growth of the GAA
who began to infiltrate the GAA?
IRB members
who was the vice president of the GAA?
an active IRB member
who was invited to become patron?
John O leary (IRB member)
how did the IRB see the GAA?
they saw it as a potential recruiting ground for soldiers ahead of a future rebellion
what did the IRB elements of the organisation seek to do?
they sought to remove any British influence from the organisation
how did the IRB elements of the GAA seek to remove any British influence?
through controversially banning anyone who engaged with “foreign games” and members of the RIC from joining the GAA
what did the banning of anyone who engaged with “foreign games” and members of the RIC from joining the GAA signify?
These measures signified that the GAA was now significant in the political sphere in addition to the cultural on
during the 1890s, what would the GAA undergo?
“decade of decline”
what was the “decade of decline” experienced by the GAA as a result of?
attempts by the leadership to reduce political influence
what were Davin and Croke opposed to?
the discriminatory policies pursued by the IRB faction
what did Davin and Croke do as a result of their opposition to the discriminatory policies pursued by the IRB faction
they removed all IRB affiliated members from the board
what did the aftermath of the Parnell affair do?
divided opinions within the GAA
who opposed the promiscuity of Parnell?
catholic members
who remained loyal to Parnell?
nationalists
how would the GAA rebound during the 1900s?
by purchasing Croke Park and increasing links with the Gaelic League
what else had been facing a significant reduction in popularity?
the Irish language
In the 100 years since 1770, the proportion of monolingual Irish speakers had reduced from —– to —–?
50% to 1%
why was there a reduction in Irish speakers?
-the Gaeltacht regions in the West of Ireland were also the areas which were most affected by ‘the Famine’ in the 1840s
-parents were no longer teaching Irish to their children
why were parents no longer teaching their kids irish?
because they believed that fluency in English would provide their children with the best opportunity of obtaining wealth and having a successful career, as the majority of high paying jobs required fluency in English
what did the Great famine mean for Irish speakers?
they either emigrated or starved
the significant reduction in Irish speakers was perceived by nationalists as what?
an indicator of a decline in Irish culture
who wished to revive the Irish language?
Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde believed that in:
“Anglicising ourselves wholesale we have thrown away with a light heart the best claim which we have upon the world’s recognition of us as a separate nationality
what did Hyde establish?
the Gaelic League
when did Hyde establish the Gaelic league?
1892
what was Hydes mission?
to “keep the Irish language spoken in Ireland”
what attempts did the League make to achieve Hydes aim?
-the sponsoring of travelling teachers, known as Timrí, who encouraged literacy in Gaeltacht areas
-standardised system of Irish spelling and gramma introduced
what attempts did the League make to achieve Hydes aim?
-the sponsoring of travelling teachers, known as Timrí, who encouraged literacy in Gaeltacht areas
-standardised system of Irish spelling and gramma introduced
- introduction of Feiseanna and Ceilidhe
was the Gaelic League successful in reviving Irish to its pre-famine levels?
no
what did the Gaelic leagues attempts to document Irish allow the language to do?
to survive and remain a core part of Irish culture
