1853 Black Map of Ireland

A fine example of Charles and Adam Black's 1853 map of Ireland, engraved by Sidney Hall and published in Black's General Atlas of the World.

A Closer Look

Coverage includes Ireland and nearby coastal islands, with towns, cities, roads, railways, and rivers illustrated and labeled, with mountains and several other topographical details noted and relief rendered by hachure. Provinces (Leinster, Ulster, Munster, and Connaught) are labeled and denoted with color shading, while counties are recorded with black text. A notable feature compared to the corresponding map of Ireland in earlier editions of Black's General Atlas is the addition of railways, including those linking Dublin with Belfast, Galway, and Tipperary, from which Limerick and Cork could be reached. Railways significantly reduced demand for canals which had been built in the late 18th century, including the Royal Canal and Grand Canal, seen here also emanating from Dublin.

19th Century Irish History

English rule in Ireland began with the Norman invasions of the late 12th century, but the authority of the Crown was partial and had virtually disappeared by the early 16th century. Afterwards, a series of monarchs beginning with Henry VIII sought to reassert English control of Ireland, leading to bloody wars and uprisings, including spillover from the English Civil War, which led to an especially bloody campaign by Oliver Cromwell to subdue the island. Through the 17th century, discrimination against Catholics, famines, and mistreatment by landlords continued to roil tensions, while a portion of the elite came to identify with Ireland more than England. By the end of the 18th century, support for Irish Republicanism grew substantially, inspired by the American and French revolutions.

Following a failed uprising in 1798, Ireland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. Though Britain flourished during this period, Ireland suffered a series of famines, the worst one being the Great Irish Famine, which lasted from 1845 - 1849 and killed about a million people. Anti-British and Republican agitation resulted in repeated uprisings, whose surviving participants were shipped off to Van Diemen's Land and other penal colonies, along with debtors and non-political convicts. As a result, Ireland experienced a widespread exodus, both involuntary and voluntary migration, the latter mostly to the United States. By the end of the 19th century, almost 50 percent of immigrants into the United States were from Ireland.

Publication History

This map was engraved by Sidney Hall for publication the 1853 edition of Black's General Atlas of the World.