Jim Smyth Knihy

Focusing on the lower-class secret society known as the Defenders and the Society of United Irishmen, this study explores the radical dimensions of Irish political movements during the French Revolution. It highlights the vibrant traditions of street protest in eighteenth-century Dublin, revealing a revolutionary movement that was not only more radical in its goals and rhetoric but also had a broader social base than previously recognized. This examination sheds new light on the popular aspects of Irish radicalism during this transformative period.

The story of the life of Henry Joy McCracken is fused with the history and environs of eighteenth-century Belfast.