Fraternal Friendships: Brotherhood and Middle-Class Leisure in Nineteenth-Century Ireland

Abstract

ABSTRACT Using personal correspondence between brothers and cousins, this article explores the leisure pursuits of young men in middle-class rural Ireland. It considers the geography of sociability, contrasting social activities in rural Donegal with their experiences in urban centres, such as, Belfast, Glasgow, and Liverpool. This article argues that tightly-knit family social networks were necessary for the rural middle classes to participate in wider leisure activities and middle-class society. In exploring family correspondence and discussions of parties, the theatre, and sporting spectacles, this article provides insight into middle-class Irish attitudes towards drinking culture, courtship, and sociability.