Bulmer Hobson

This book looks at Bulmer Hobson, Irish nationalist and Quaker. It is not concerned with the later phase of Hobson's career in Dublin, but with the pre 1908 one in Ulster. The book charts Hobson's formative years, paying particular attention to Hobson's Quakerism and nationalism. It looks at the synthesis between these, which provided the basis for Hobson's 'defensive warfare' programme. This served as a blueprint for achieving independence from the British, which Hobson applied through the Irish independence movement, Sinn Fein. The book looks at Hobson's early work with cultural nationalist organizations in Belfast. It also pays particular attention to his wider organization, the Dungannon Club. The second part of the book looks at the formation and expansion of this organization and its successor, the Sinn Fein League. The book examines the two organizations' relationships with other Sinn Fein and non Sinn Fein organizations, as well as the advanced nationalist organization, the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). The book links Hobson's career in Ulster to the rest of the Irish nationalist movement, covering developments in Ireland, Britain and America.