ABSTRACT
On first examination, nineteenth-century Ireland appears to have been an unpromising place to launch a career in classical music, given that the continuous conflict and uncertainty surrounding Irish independence from Britain left the country severely divided on political, religious and economic lines. The conflict over the Home Rule debate dominated most aspects of daily life during the second half of the century, leaving little room for artistic considerations. Even the establishment in 1848 of the Irish Academy of Music, the country's most important institution at which professional music tuition was offered during the nineteenth century, became embroiled in the Irish question. It needed to determine how it could reflect a changing Irish society and, in particular, how far nationalism would inform its proceedings. It perpetuates a feeling of inferiority throughout Irish history which is inappropriate in an assessment of a musical endeavour.
