Presenter Information

Mary Babcock, Gonzaga University

Start Date

4-9-2021 10:45 AM

End Date

4-9-2021 12:00 PM

Disciplines

English Language and Literature | History

Subjects

Social marginality, Peasants -- Ireland -- History, Outlaws in popular culture -- Ireland, Peasants -- Ireland -- Social conditions

Description

Outlaw heroes have long been popular figures in Irish folklore, as the lower-class praised them for their Robin Hood-like actions of robbing the rich and giving to the poor. Why the Irish lower-class, specifically the peasantry, supported this is puzzling; what led the Irish peasanty to idolize such criminal activities? This paper explores this question and proposes that the Irish people idolized outlaw hearos such as highwaymen, Tories, and rapparees because they represented defiance during a time of great oppression. This paper explores the moral guidelines outlaw heroes needed to follow to remain in the public’s favor, the social and political context that gave rise to the outlaw heroes’ popularity, and the availability of outlaw hero literature to prove this point. An exploration of these factors led to the conclusion that the Irish people, mainly the peasantry, revered outlaw heroes because they represented not only defiance, but hope, during a time of oppression for the Irish peasantry. The outlaw heroes were how the Irish peasantry coped with the miserable conditions they were forced to live in, securing them a spot in Irish legend and a symbol of the plight of the Irish peasant.

PART OF SESSION 2D. WEAPONS OF THE WEAK:

Comment: Dale Graden, University of Idaho
Chair: Lauren MacDonald, Idaho State University

Mary C. Babcock, Gonzaga University, undergraduate student
“Outlaw Heroes: A Beacon of Hope for the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Irish Peasantry”

Jack Donahue
Western Washington University, undergraduate student
“Jonestown: A Means of Control and Rebellion through Basketball”

Hannah May Swartos, Western Washington University, undergraduate student
"'Out of the Way': Slave Property and the Subversive Construction of Subterranean Space"

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35216

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Apr 9th, 10:45 AM Apr 9th, 12:00 PM

Outlaw Heroes: A Beacon of Hope for the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Irish Peasantry

Outlaw heroes have long been popular figures in Irish folklore, as the lower-class praised them for their Robin Hood-like actions of robbing the rich and giving to the poor. Why the Irish lower-class, specifically the peasantry, supported this is puzzling; what led the Irish peasanty to idolize such criminal activities? This paper explores this question and proposes that the Irish people idolized outlaw hearos such as highwaymen, Tories, and rapparees because they represented defiance during a time of great oppression. This paper explores the moral guidelines outlaw heroes needed to follow to remain in the public’s favor, the social and political context that gave rise to the outlaw heroes’ popularity, and the availability of outlaw hero literature to prove this point. An exploration of these factors led to the conclusion that the Irish people, mainly the peasantry, revered outlaw heroes because they represented not only defiance, but hope, during a time of oppression for the Irish peasantry. The outlaw heroes were how the Irish peasantry coped with the miserable conditions they were forced to live in, securing them a spot in Irish legend and a symbol of the plight of the Irish peasant.

PART OF SESSION 2D. WEAPONS OF THE WEAK:

Comment: Dale Graden, University of Idaho
Chair: Lauren MacDonald, Idaho State University

Mary C. Babcock, Gonzaga University, undergraduate student
“Outlaw Heroes: A Beacon of Hope for the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Irish Peasantry”

Jack Donahue
Western Washington University, undergraduate student
“Jonestown: A Means of Control and Rebellion through Basketball”

Hannah May Swartos, Western Washington University, undergraduate student
"'Out of the Way': Slave Property and the Subversive Construction of Subterranean Space"