A.E. The National Being. Some Thoughts on an Irish Polity.

Dublin and London: Maunsel, 1918. Popular edition. pp. [vi], 176. Printed wrappers. A very good copy. Scarce.
First published in 1916, The National Being presents Russell’s vision of an independent Ireland founded not upon political nationalism alone, but upon economic self-sufficiency, rural co-operation, and the moral renewal of society.
Drawing upon his extensive experience with the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society, Russell argued that Ireland’s future prosperity depended upon the development of co-operative ownership and local democratic institutions. His ideas exerted a considerable influence upon contemporary debates concerning Irish nationhood during the revolutionary period and remain among the most articulate statements of the co-operative ideal in modern Irish political thought.
The work occupies an important place in the intellectual history of Ireland, combining economics, philosophy, and nationalism in a manner characteristic of Russell’s broader writings. It provides a revealing insight into alternative visions of Irish independence at a pivotal moment in the nation’s history.

[CAT 164]