Acknowledgments

This book took slightly longer than I anticipated, and I’ve incurred many debts along the way. It’s a pleasure to acknowledge the people who have supported and challenged me, and helped shape this work in countless ways.

Vincent Comerford, Roy Foster, Ultán Gillen, Matt Kelly, Ian McBride, and Matt Roberts all generously read drafts and offered characteristically incisive feedback. They cannot, of course, be held responsible for any shortcomings in what follows, but anything of value in these pages owes much to them.

I’m grateful to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for awarding me a Leadership Fellowship in 2020–1 (AH/T00195X/1). That period of work unfolded against the grim backdrop of the COVID-19 lockdowns, and I’m especially thankful to Ann Marie O’Brien for her diligent research on my behalf at the National Library of Ireland when travel to Dublin was impossible.

My colleagues at the University of Sheffield have been a constant source of support. I thank successive Heads of History, Phil Withington and Adrian Bingham, for their patience and encouragement. Regular chats with Esme Cleall, Miriam Dobson, and Danica Summerlin – our convivial accountability group – offered more motivation than they know. Danica also assisted with Latin translations and enlivened discussions about legal history and sci-fi. For their collegiality and friendship, I salute Anna Barton, Kate Davis, Sebastian Gehrig, Andrew Heath, Eirini Karamouzi, Tom Leng, Tehyun Ma, Julia Moses, Caroline Dodds Pennock, and James Shaw.

This research was enriched by visiting fellowships at the Gladstone Library, Hawarden, the much-missed Moore Institute, Galway, and Marsh’s Library, Dublin. My thanks to Dan Carey, Jason McElliott, and Amy Boylan for their hospitality and interest in my work. I was fortunate to meet Tadhg Foley – a fellow Isaac Butt enthusiast (a rare breed) – at the Moore Institute. His encouragement led me to explore the 1830s and 1840s more deeply than I had originally intended.

I’m grateful to staff at the following libraries and archives for their assistance and guidance: the British Library, London; John J. Burns and O’Neill Libraries, Boston College; Marsh’s Library, Dublin; the National Library of Ireland, Dublin; the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast; and the Weston Bank Library, University of Sheffield. Digitised holdings on archive.org made much of this research possible from Sheffield.

Over the years, I’ve benefited from the friendship, insights, and generosity of Lauren Arrington, Guy Beiner, Eugenio Biagini, Gemma Clark, Michael Cullinane, Christian Dupont, David Gleeson, James Greer, Erica Hanna, Emily Jones, Matt Kelly, Catriona Kennedy, Katarzyna Kosior, Daniel Laqua, Patrick Maume, James McConnel, Simon Middleton, Marc Mulholland, Margaret O’Callaghan, Martin O’Donoghue, Senia Pašeta, Jennifer Redmond, Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre, Jay Roszman, Andrew Sanders, Rob Savage, James Stafford, Brian Ward, and Tim Wilson. My early interest in Irish history was sparked by the scholarship and distinctive seminar styles of Paul Bew and Alvin Jackson. Jackie Hill helped clarify my approach to the subject matter. All historians of Ireland owe a debt to Roy Foster, whose work and advocacy elevated the field; I’m deeply grateful for his friendship and support. Richard Bourke has been an indispensable supporter of this project, from its conception to completion. The friendship of Matt Roberts has made life in Sheffield brighter. And my fellow booker, Ultán Gillen, remains a constant source of camaraderie.

I’ve relished joining a growing network of scholars exploring Irish political thought. My thanks to participants in workshops at Sheffield (2022) and Aberdeen (2024), especially Michael Brown, for lively discussions of method and historiography. It’s heartening to collaborate with those reimagining Ireland’s political past in new and exciting ways. Long may the network flourish.

The team at Cambridge University Press has shown remarkable patience throughout this project. I’ve particularly enjoyed working with Liz Friend-Smith and Rosanna Barraclough, whose professionalism has been exemplary. Many thanks to the series editors and the anonymous peer reviewers, who helped me to sharpen the book.

I’m grateful that the English Historical Review and Oxford University Press granted me permission to revise parts of an article of mine from 2014 (‘An experiment in constructive unionism’: Isaac Butt, Home Rule and federalist political thought during the 1870s) in Chapter 6.

Thanks to Mum, Dad, Jenny, and all my family for their support over the years. I’m also proud to be part of the McDaid clan: thanks to Fergus, Bridie, Ailbhe, Róisín, Bríd, and Niamh for their love and loyalty. If only they’d heed music recommendations from John Morrissey, whose taste is immaculate. Jason Gordon and I have been blethering on about history, politics, and everything else for more than half our lives now. Here’s to many more years of it; thank you, my friend.

This book is dedicated to Caoimhe and our daughters. Caoimhe has been my first reader for years, offering the kind of immediate, insightful feedback that every writer craves. Without her support, this book would not have been possible; it owes much to her inspirational example. And now that Daddy has finished his book, Iseult can finally reclaim the computer for her elaborate PowerPoint presentations, and Maeve’s snacks will arrive with fewer delays.