ABSTRACT
During the last quarter of the eighteenth century Ireland, which the English had both ruled and exploited with a heedless arrogance since]ames II had tried to recover his throne there at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, became a problem once more. Any nation in which the vast majority of the land (80 per cent) is owned by a small alien group of a different religion, in this case frequently absentee English aristocrats and gentry; harbours an endemic problem. This is especially so when an equivalent majority, in this case Roman Catholic peasants, are subjected to political, social, religious and educational discrimination to preserve the ascendancy of the minority group. The Irish crisis, however, was precipitated by external factors. Ireland is the backdoor to Britain and a consequent source of concern when Britain stands on the defensive in a major war, as happened twice in the last quarter of the century.
