In eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe everyone lived ‘off the land’ in one way or another. In Ireland, however, almost everyone lived ‘on the land’ as well. Agriculture was the only economic resource for the vast majority of the population outside the north-east of the country. Land was vital. But most of it was owned by a class of Protestant, English and often aristocratic landlords. The dream of having more control over their farms, even of owning them, drove many of the most explosive conflicts in the Irish countryside. The struggle for the land was crucial in Irish history. In this vast and epic narrative, Myles Dungan explores two hundred years of agrarian conflict from the ruinous famine of 1741 to the eve of World War Two. Told in two parts, the book examines pivotal moments in Irish history: the rise of ‘moonlighting’, the infamous Whiteboys and Rightboys, the insurrection of Captain Rock, the Tithe War of 1831-36, the Great Famine of 1845 that devastated the country and drastically reduced the Irish population, and the Land War of 1878-1909, which ended by transferring almost all the landlords’ holdings to their tenants. This was an agrarian revolution that fundamentally shaped modern Ireland. These events take place against the backdrop of prevailing British rule and stark class and wealth inequality. Land Is All that Matters is a sweeping, immersive story that captures both the human experience and the global relationships at the heart of Irish history.
