Book Review: Crime, Violence, and the Irish in the Nineteenth Century by Kyle Hughes and Donald M. MacRaild (eds.)

Abstract

study, epitomised by Conor Morrissey’s recent dedicated study of the subject (based on a PhD supervised appropriately by Fitzpatrick). The more substantial second part, ‘Disguises’, draws heavily on what Fitzpatrick identifies as Blythe’s journalism, although the reader will have to make up their own mind as to whether they are convinced by the evidence presented here for authorship of all the pieces attributed to him. In addition to the level of detail provided here on Blythe’s early career and emerging and changing political ideologies, this is a useful exercise in de-constructing the personal narratives left behind by protagonists in autobiographical works. Furthermore, it adds to our understanding of liberal unionism (or what remained of it) in Ulster around the time of the third home rule crisis and offers insights into both the value and limitations of the Edwardian Irish provincial press. The final section, ‘Explanations’, weighs up the evidence for nine different interpretations of Blythe’s duality. Was he merely acting as a diligent investigative reporter, keen to identify the goings-on in local branches of political secret societies? Was he unsure of his own political leanings at this stage of his life? These hypotheses are on the more innocent end of the scale, which ranges to the more extreme suggestions that he might have been a spy, double-agent or police informer. Irish historical biography, which has been traditionally under-developed, has progressed as a methodological genre within Irish historical studies more recently. However, this should not be mistaken for a biography of Blythe, and it does not purport to be such. Yet it provides significant background detail on a figure who would emerge as one of the most prominent shapers of government policy in the early years of independent Ireland and will serve as a vital starting point for any scholar willing to tackle the complexities of the later Blythe.