The Irish on the Continent in the Eighteenth Century

The Irish on the ContinentbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA in the Eighteenth Century WILLIAM D. GRIFFIN F o r m o st stu d e n ts o f th e e ig h te e n th c e n tu ry , Irish h isto ry is m e re ly an a p p e n d a g e to th a t o f E n g lan d . W h en it receiv es a n y n o tic e a t all, th e im ag es c u sto m a rily e v o k e d are th o se o f an A n g lic a n g e n try id lin g in sp le n d id G e o rg ia n m a n sio n s a n d a C a th ­ o lic p e a sa n try b ro o d in g o v er im m e m o ria l g riev an ces in p ic tu re sq u e sq u a lo r. B u t th e re is a n o th e r d im e n sio n — th e Irish o n th e C o n ti­ n e n t. T h e re se a rc h u p o n w h ic h th is p a p e r is b a se d w as u n d e rta k e n to e x p lo re th a t m issin g d im e n sio n . P re se n te d h e re is a re p o rt o n w h a t b e c a m e a v ery e x te n siv e e x p lo ra tio n , o ffe rin g an o v erv iew o f th e C o n tin e n ta l Irish , th e ir c h a ra c te ristic s a n d th e ir w ay o f life. W ith in th e n e c e ssa ry lim ita tio n s o f sp ace, it e x a m in e s a sin g u larly n e g le c te d to p ic — o n e th a t d eserv es th e a tte n tio n n o t o n ly o f th o se c o n c e rn e d w ith th e c o m p le x itie s o f th e Irish e x p e rie n c e , b u t also o f sc h o la rs in v e stig a tin g th e in te ra c tio n o f so cial g ro u p s a n d th e p ro c e ss o f c u ltu ra l tra n sm issio n . L e c k y , a u th o r o f th e classic History ofIreland in the Eighteenth Century, w as a llu d in g to F ra n c e , S p ain , Ita ly a n d A u stria w h e n h e w ro te : “ . . . it is in th e se q u a rte rs th a t th e real h isto ry o f th e Irish C a th o lic s d u rin g th e . . . e ig h te e n th c e n tu ry is to b e tra c e d . A t 453 454 / ihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA WILLIAM D. GRIFFINbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA h o m e th e y h a d su n k in to to rp id a n d d e g ra d e d p a ria h s. A b ro a d , th e re w as scarcely a C a th o lic c o u n try w...