Governmentality and locality : an historical geography of rural district councils in Ireland, 1898-1925

Abstract

This thesis examines the introduction and operation of the rural district council network in Ireland between 1898 and 1925. Foucault’s theory of governmentality and Bellamy’s theory of central- local relations have been used to situate this study of Irish local government in a broader theoretical context. In so doing it has been possible to chart the changing geographies of power in Ireland as the state attempted to increase its control over the Irish population and territory through the introduction of local bodies under close central supervision. To date, few Irish historical geographies or histories have attempted to chart the development of the administrative state in Ireland in the early twentieth century. Historians and historical geographers alike have tended to focus more on the Irish quest for independence, than on the daily running of the state. This thesis addresses this gap by providing an account of an important low-level tier of local government, which is in grave danger of being forgotten.