Perceptions of the mentally ill Irish population during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

Abstract

Analyses of British discriminatory perceptions of the Irish population during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are well versed in the historiography. Previous works have demonstrated that the Irish migrant population were perceived to be drunkards, thieves, aggressive and unhygienic. Yet, in comparison, psychiatric discourse has received far less attention from historians. This article is an attempt to redress this imbalance. In addition to demonstrating that mental ill-health was an ingredient of anti-Irish perceptions, it will also suggest that descriptions of the mentally unstable Irishman also constituted a “pro-union psychiatry”. In an attempt to delegitimize Irish political positions and demands for self-rule, Britons portrayed the Irish as childlike, volatile and mentally unwell and, therefore, incapable of governing themselves and legitimising the Union. The strength of this anti-Irish psychiatry survived the First World War and would persist throughout the inter-war period. This research aims to contribute towards the historiography of anti-Irish perceptions and extend burgeoning research which has explored the intrinsic relationship between imperialism and psychiatric diagnoses.