Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859). Image source.
Tocqueville is known to us today for his important, ground-breaking examination of politics in the United States of America, Democracy in America, but his lesser known writings on Ireland are also worth examining. His first hand account of what he witnessed on his travels around Ireland and of his conversations with all classes of Irish people makes for very interesting reading. An English language translation of Tocqueville's writings on Ireland was published in 1990 - Alexis de Tocqueville's Journey in Ireland, July-August 1835, trans. by Emmet Larkin (Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1990).
Ireland was a very interesting destination for European visitors in the early 19th century. They were fascinated by the difference between Ireland and her near neighbour, England, in terms of economy, politics and religion. Tocqueville intended to write a book about Ireland, but it was his friend and travelling companion, Gustave de Beaumont, who later wrote a book about Ireland.
This was fascinating. I'm in the early stages of researching a book on Gustave de Beaumont who, as you note, actually did write a book on Ireland. Beaumont made a second visit to Ireland in the summer of 1837. I would like to know more about that second trip but the details are hard to come by. Presumably he didn't just repeat the same route as during the first trip with Tocqueville. Also, do you know if there has been much Irish scholarship done on Tocqueville in Ireland (other than the Larkin volume in 1990 and Tom Garvin and Andreas Hess' new edition of Beaumont's Ireland)?
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