Funferal

New book on Galway

John Cunningham, of the Galway Alliance Against War is also a historian, and has created a website to promote his new book on nineteenth century Galway. The site has a number of extensive excerpts, including a fascinating piece on ‘food riots’:

What occurred was an example of ‘collective bargaining by riot,’ a ritualised confrontation to which all parties knew the rules. Popular grievances were expressed through limited violence, whereupon the crowd had dispersed rather than come into conflict with troops. Had they chosen, the people could have scattered the small garrison and claimed the contents of the foodstores. But that was not their purpose. Like town crowds elsewhere, they knew from experience that if protest was kept within limits, local notables would respond to their distress.