| Synopsis: |
Gavan Duffy's "Conversations With Carlyle" is reproduced in full, along with related texts and a substantial extract from Carlyle's "Irish Journey", as well as shorter excerpts from his "Sartor Resartus, Past & Present and Chartism". The backdrop is the Great Famine of 1847, an indictment of laissez-faire. Young Ireland found in Carlyle's demands for political intervention in the production process an inspiration for remedying the ills of Ireland. The Introduction considers the dynamics of the strange relationship between Irish revolutionaries and the English imperialist prophet, in the context of the views of Professor Maurice O'Connell, Conor Cruise O'Brien and Professor Roy Foster. |