Young Ireland was a political movement in Ireland in the 1800’s that tried to revive a spirit of nationalism in the Irish people by making them more aware of their traditions. The leaders of the movement were Thomas Davis, Charles Gavan Duffy, John Blake Dillon, Thomas Meagher, and John Mitchell. They were influenced by Irish culture and the teachings of the Irish soldier and patriot Theobald Wolfe Tone.
In 1842, Davis, Dillon, and Duffy founded a weekly newspaper, The Nation, to spread their political views. But the Great Irish Famine (1845-1850) hindered their work. In 1847, Mitchell founded a newspaper, The United Irishman, in which he advocated the use of force to make Ireland independent of British rule. In 1848, the Young Irelanders led an unsuccessful rebellion.
See also Davis, Thomas Osborne ; Dillon ; Tone, Theobald Wolfe .
