article

Culture and class among the "large" farmers of eastern Ireland

American ethnologist • 15 (4) • Published In 1988 • Pages: 678-693

By: Wilson, Thomas M..

Abstract

In this article, the author focuses on Ireland's large commercial farmers, the "big men" of County Meath, a county with the greatest number of cattle, the most fertile land, the largest farms and the richest farmers in Ireland. Since the eighteenth century it has sold fattened beef to Dublin, Britain and, after 1973, the European Common Market. Catholic and middle class, Meath farmers were skilled agricultural workers and former tenants who purchased land when the gentry left the country after the First World War. The farmers soon came to dominate the local economy and politics. They own or rent the best land, control the cattle trade, serve as merchants and cattle agents, and run the farmers' cooperatives, organizations, and livestock marts. The largest landowners are the few remaining descendants of the Protestant Ascendancy class. The author identifies a third class of Catholic agricultural laborers and discusses the sociocultural world and the politics of each class.

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

1976-1987

Coverage Date

1973-1986

Coverage Place

County Meath, Leinster, Ireland

Notes

Thomas M. Wilson

Includes bibliographical references (p. 691-693)

LCCN

74644326

LCSH

Ireland--Rural conditions