The Order of Liberators: Reflections on Catholic Civil Society and ‘Peacemaking’ in Nineteenth-Century Ireland

Join the Kroc Institute for a lecture by Professor Martyn Powell examining a pivotal yet frequently overlooked chapter in 19th-century Irish history: the Order of Liberators.

Founded in 1826 by Daniel O’Connell, the Order of Liberators occupied a brief but transformative space between the Catholic Association that preceded it and the Young Ireland movement that followed. While short-lived—partly due to a clash between its planned pomp and ritual and the austere tastes of co-organizers—the Order pushed Catholic associational culture in a bold new direction. Unlike earlier groups, it paired traditional club-life pageantry with an urgent socio-political objective: restoring tranquility to the agrarian countryside following the turmoil of the 1798 Rebellion.

By positioning itself as a direct alternative to covert, violent secret societies like the Rockites and Ribbonmen, the Order attempted to channel agrarian grievances into structured civil engagement. In this talk, Powell explores the delicate balance between civil and uncivil society in Irish history, offering broader insights into the tangled relationship between associational culture, peacebuilding, and political violence.

Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences at the University of Bristol and a history professor, Powell specializes in Irish political, cultural and social history.