ABSTRACT
Existing studies often assume that governmental powers seek to suppress the music of political radicalism. The historiography of Ireland is no different. Taking the revolutionary period as an example, this chapter deconstructs the various accusations of British government suppression against Irish nationalist music. Unlike previous studies, it employs a range of political and government source material, revealing that acts of suppression were rare, poorly executed and ineffective. Rather than a widespread culture of tyrannical censorship, this chapter reveals that the police and the British state used music as a pretext on which to arrest those suspected of radical activity, with counterproductive results for their relationship with the Irish public.
