Dublin's artisans and radical politics 1779 - 1803

Abstract

This thesis examines the phenomenon of popular politicization in Dublin c. 1779-1803, particularly the connection between radical politics and early trade unions. It explores the emergence of coherent working class mobilization through the form of illegal journeyman organizations, referred to as ‘combinations’, and their interaction with the new political doctrines resulting from the American and French Revolutions. This thesis examines the origins of journeyman trade societies in Dublin in the eighteenth century, arguing that the changing nature of the city’s manufacturing base created a more volatile and politically literate artisan population.