How did the Brit. govt lose the allegiance of Irish Catholics after they passed the Catholic Emancipation Act?

Question

How did the British government lose the allegiance of Irish Catholics after they passed the Catholic Emancipation Act? Its for my A2 History essay, this isn't the essay Q, just a little bullet point, but I'm afraid i don't know the answer. Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you. x

Answer 1

By allowing the Protestants in the Ulster Counties to remain part of the UK. There's more, such as Queen Victoria trying to impose the Anglican Church upon the Irish. But that's the short answer.

Answer 2

To the best of my knowledge the British government never had the allegiance of Irish Catholics.

You cannot lose something you never had.

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

Simple.  They did not have the allegiance of Irish Catholics - nor that of some Protestants - in the first place.  Remember 1798, the Year of Liberty, and the fact that London abolished the Irish Parliament as a result, and treated our country with the same sneering contempt that Margaret Thatcher and John Major turned on Scotland.  

Catholic emancipation was intended as a conciliatory gesture.  However, the English continued to occupy Ireland as an imperial tyranny, and exploit its people as rack renting landlords.  

Catholic emancipation was a minor gesture, when what was needed was a radical change - home rule, and the land to the people.  It took nearly 100 years and a revolution to achieve this, albeit in 26 counties.  The other six are a few paces down the road to freedom and unity, but with a very, very long way to go yet.

Tiocfaidh ar la.