MacNEVIN, Thomas. The History of the Volunteers of 1782 (William Smith O’Brien’s copy)

Dublin: Published by James Duffy, 7 Wellington-Quay. London: Simpkin, Marshall and Co., Stationers’ Hall Court. 1853. Fifth edition. pp. viii, 244. Bound in original blind-stamped olive-green cloth, with title in gilt on spine. Covers lightly rubbed and a touch faded, with mild mottling to lower board; yellow endpapers. A good copy. Ownership signature of Dr. J. H. Bruin on front endpaper.

Thomas MacNevin (1814–1848), journalist, barrister and member of the Young Ireland movement, was one of the most articulate voices of that circle. He contributed frequently to The Nation, edited by Thomas Davis, and shared the same patriotic idealism and belief in moral force. His History of the Volunteers of 1782 was first issued in 1845 and became one of the most popular expositions of the constitutional and military awakening that preceded the legislative independence of the Irish Parliament under Grattan.

The Volunteers, formed initially for the defence of Ireland during the American War, became a symbol of national unity and reformist ambition. MacNevin’s work combines narrative with political philosophy, seeing the movement as the moral precursor to modern Irish nationalism.

[L1 10D]