26 Facts About Isaac Butt

Isaac Butt was a leader in the Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society in 1836, the Home Government Association in 1870, and the Home Rule League in 1873.

Colin W Reid argues that Home Rule was the mechanism Butt proposed to bind Ireland to Great Britain.

Isaac Butt portrayed a federalised United Kingdom, which would have weakened Irish exceptionalism within a broader British context.

Isaac Butt dissented from the established Ricardian theories and favoured some welfare state concepts.

Isaac Butt was born into an Ulster Protestant family, being the son of a Church of Ireland rector, and was descended from the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell, through the Ramsays.

Isaac Butt received his secondary school education at The Royal School in Raphoe in the Laggan district of East Donegal, and at Midleton College in County Cork, before going to Trinity College Dublin, at the age of fifteen, where he was elected a Scholar, and president of the College Historical Society.

Isaac Butt became Whately Professor of Political Economy at Trinity in 1836 and held that position until 1841.

Isaac Butt was known for his opposition to the Irish nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell's campaign for the repeal of the Act of Union.

Isaac Butt lectured at Trinity College, Dublin, in political economy.

Isaac Butt was instrumental in fostering links between constitutional and revolutionary nationalism through his representation of members of the Fenians Society in court.

Isaac Butt began his career as a Tory politician on Dublin Corporation.

Isaac Butt was Member of Parliament for Youghal from 1852 to 1865, and for Limerick from 1871 to 1879.

In 1870 Isaac Butt then founded the Irish Home Government Association.

Isaac Butt believed that Home Rule would promote friendship between Ireland and her neighbour to the east.

In November 1873 Isaac Butt replaced the Association with a new body, the Home Rule League, which he regarded as a pressure-group, rather than a political party.

Isaac Butt had failed to win substantial concessions at Westminster on the things that mattered to most Irish people: an amnesty for the Fenians of 1867, fixity of tenure for tenant-farmers and Home Rule.

In July 1877 Isaac Butt threatened to resign from the party if obstruction continued, and a gulf developed between himself and Parnell, who was growing steadily in the estimation of both the Fenians and the Home Rulers.

Isaac Butt considered this discussion too important to the British Empire to be interrupted by obstructionism and publicly warned the Irish members to refrain from this tactic.

Isaac Butt was fiercely denounced by the young Nationalist John Dillon, who continued his attacks with considerable support from other Home Rulers at a meeting of the Home Rule League in February 1879.

Isaac Butt was himself the kindest-hearted man in the world, and here was I going to do the unkindest thing to him.

Isaac Butt was replaced by William Shaw, who in turn was replaced by Charles Stewart Parnell in 1880.

Isaac Butt was involved in a financial scandal when it was revealed that he had taken money from several Indian princes to represent their interests in parliament.

Isaac Butt died on 5 May 1879 in Clonskeagh in Dublin.

Isaac Butt's remains were brought by train, via Strabane, to Stranorlar in the east of County Donegal, where he is buried in a corner of the Church of Ireland cemetery beneath a tree by which he used to sit and dream as a boy.

In May 2010 the Church of Ireland parishes of Stranorlar, Meenglass and Kilteevogue instigated an annual memorial Service and Lecture in Isaac Butt's honour, inviting members of the professions of law, politics and journalism to reflect aspects of his life.

Isaac Butt's grave has been restored and the memorial now includes a wreath.