Young Ireland - The Secession

The Secession

When members of the association, the Young Irelanders did not advocate use of physical force to advance the cause of repeal and opposed any such policy, O'Connell's introduction of the “Peace Resolutions” in the Repeal Association was in part an attempt to suggest the Young Irelanders were forces for violence. The "Peace Resolutions" stated that physical force could never be justified under any circumstances, at any time, and this was to be applied retrospectively. The use of physical force only became an issue with the Young Irelanders, after they had left the association, and had formed the Irish Confederation”.

O'Connell had used the threat of force, as was seen in his campaign for Catholic Emancipation, but afterward he did not have the will. This was demonstrated by the cancelled 'monster meeting' planned for Clontarf in 1843. The monster Meetings were long a design of Thomas Davis, John Blake Dillon and Michael Doheny. The object of which was to train the people to military movements, since this object would obviously be unsafe to announce, it was to be effected by other means. Daniel O’Connell was fully aware of their intent at the time, though he later denied it and repudiated those involved. This meeting was prohibited by the British government, backed up with the threat of military force. O'Connell took a political decision to not press ahead with the summoning of the planned meeting for Clontarf, as the government had plans ready to suppress it. This diminished his credibility with the British - they were only prepared to concede when they believed that there was a serious risk of an uprising. The Young Irelanders had always agreed with Daniel O'Connell and the Repeal Association in its demand for repeal, but split, when it did come, was over O'Connell's attempts to form an alliance with the Whig Party in England, which would have led to the dropping of repeal, as had happened in 1835. While the pretence used by O’Connell’s supporters, was the adoption of the Peace Resolutions.