<p> The historiography surrounding the Irish in Canada has generally adopted an American
framework that has equated Irishness with Catholicism, thereby creating a very one
dimensional picture of what it meant to be Irish in nineteenth century 'Amerikey'.
Although historians have shown that the greatest emigrant outpouring for this period was
not only an Irish one, but also a Protestant one, relatively little has been done to
understand that group on its own terms. Where solid work does exist on Irish Protestant
groups in Canada, rarely does one hear them speak in their own words. Rather, where
and how quickly they settled, the singular importance of kin networks and the peculiarity
of certain institutions is detailed. Little has been done with respect to understanding Irish
Protestant identity: how they viewed their new world upon arrival and more importantly,
how they would now and later view themselves. Indeed, the question 'Whatever
Happened to the Irish?' was answered: Irish Protestants despite the strength of their
numbers and their institutions, simply acculturated willingly and quickly into a larger,
more encompassing 'British' identity. The assumption has followed that Irish Protestants
were never very Irish in the first place. On the contrary, this thesis argues that far from
simply fading away, a recognizably Irish Protestant culture - one that identified itself as
the Irish nation - overcame early nineteenth century prejudice against 'things Irish' and
eventually came to predominate many a local landscape in Ontario. Relying heavily on
emigrant letters, this thesis emphasizes an Irish Protestant discourse that enjoyed a
distinction and longevity that has yet to be recognized. It also maintains that Irish
Catholicism was an integral component to the expression of that identity. Irish
Protestants in Ontario remained distinctively Irish for a period longer than their
countrymen in Ontario and their co-religionists in the homeland. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/19450 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Hooper-Goranson, Brenda |
| Contributors | Gauvreau, Michael, History |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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