A decline in violence in Ireland ? Crime, policing and social relations, 1860-19141

Abstract

The image of Ireland as a place of violence in the 19th and early 20th century draws much substance from the phenomena of agrarian and political conflict. A study of Irish crime statistics in the later 19th century (1860-1914) suggests however that Ireland like many other societies at the time enjoyed a secular decline in interpersonal violence.The study examines trends in police charges for a number of offences as well as data relating to suicide and mental illness before suggesting further lines of enquiry into the history of crime in Ireland.