article

Colonialism and community structure in western Ireland

Ethnohistory27 (2) • Published In 1980 • Pages: 169-181

By: Taylor, Lawrence J..

Abstract
In this article, the author attempts to explain the structure and development of two "ideal" types of rural Irish community not just in terms of ecological adaptation, but in terms of landownership and dominant social relations. Contemporary patterns of settlement and social relations are viewed as a recent stage in an "ongoing historical dialectic" between peasants, local circumstances and ruling elites. For example, the idealized dispersed stem-family farmsteads described by others for County Clare were a consequence of families trying to keep property intact, passing to a single heir in reaction to an historical trend of dividing tenancies. The communal structure of coastal communities in County Donegal was maintained in spite of land division because of agnatically organized commercial fishing. The author is adamant in noting that any superficially apparent similarity with past settlement patterns and communal forms such as the [n]clachan[/n] is not attributable to the perseverance of tradition.
Subjects
Fishing
Settlement patterns
Real property
Production and supply
Labor supply and employment
Household
Extended families
Lineages
Community structure
culture
Rural Irish
HRAF PubDate
2016
Region
Europe
Sub Region
British Isles
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 2014
Field Date
1973, 1976
Coverage Date
1500-1973
Coverage Place
Teelin, County Donegal, Ulster, Ireland
Notes
Lawrence J. Taylor
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
57043343
LCSH
Ireland--Rural conditions