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Introduction
Under the Act of Union, which came into force on 1 January 1801, Ireland became a constituent part of the United Kingdom by a vote of its own parliament. The Anglo-Irish Ascendancy, which had governed the country, became the representatives of Ireland in the Imperial parliament at Westminster. For Britain, the Union was the ideal method by which the previously informal structure could be centralised and legalised to protect Britain’s strategic and economic interests. Once the Union had been formalised, the British parliament regarded it as a sacrosanct reality, and they continued to adopt this position throughout the nineteenth century. However, the Union had been formed out of the relationship between a strong Imperial power and a colonial minority. This had alienated the Catholic majority of Ireland and, as a consequence, they began to challenge British hegemony. The Irish nationalist demand became increasingly one of independence. Successive British parliaments refused to accept this demand, and throughout the nineteenth century attempted to appease Irish aspirations by either repression or reform.
Ireland’s position within Britain’s Imperial structure was unique. Treated as a colony, yet with 100 members in the British parliament,