Wicklow County Council's Archives Service has launched its latest project, "The Arklow Question: Street Preaching and Sectarianism in Late Nineteenth-Century Wicklow", a book by well-known Arklow author Pat Power, at Arklow Library. Published by Wordwell Books, the book details how sectarian tensions in 1890s Arklow turned to rioting when local rector Reverend Richard Hallowes brought the populist evangelical movement of Protestant street preaching to the town. Pat Power vividly depicts this fascinating period in Arklow’s history, supported by a rare collection of photographs of the events from the Wicklow County Archives.
In the summer of 1890, the quiet harbour town of Arklow became the unlikely centre of one of the most remarkable religious controversies in late Victorian Ireland. What began as a campaign of evangelical street preaching by four Protestant clergymen soon escalated into a bitter confrontation involving local communities, church leaders, the Royal Irish Constabulary, the British Army, Dublin Castle officials and even Charles Stewart Parnell.
Drawing on extensive archival research, contemporary newspapers, parish records, official correspondence and a unique collection of surviving photographs, Pat Power reconstructs the dramatic events of what became known as the Arklow Question. At its heart stand the determined and controversial figures of Revd Richard Carmichael Hallowes and Revd John Harrison, whose public missions challenged both religious convention and civil authority in an Ireland already divided by Home Rule politics, land agitation and competing visions of national identity.
Far more than a local dispute, the Arklow street-preaching affair illuminates the complex relationship between religion, politics, and community life in nineteenth-century Ireland. It reveals how national tensions could erupt in unexpected places and how ordinary townspeople found themselves caught up in conflicts that resonated far beyond their own locality.
Richly illustrated and meticulously researched, The Arklow Question is an important contribution to the social and religious history of County Wicklow and a fascinating case study of sectarianism, identity, and public life in Ireland during a period of profound change.
The book features remarkable images of the events digitised from a collection of glass plate negatives from the Wicklow County Archives collection. Wicklow County Archives preserves records of the county council and its predecessors, such as the Grand Juries, Boards of Guardians, and Town Commissioners. The Archives also hold the private papers and business archives of families who administered, lived, and worked in the county. For more information, https://www.wicklow.ie/Living/Services/Arts-Heritage-Archives/Archives
Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Caroline Winstanley said, “I am very proud to launch this fascinating publication, featuring Pat Power’s thoughtful and insightful writing and a rare collection of photographs of the events from the County Archives”.
Cathaoirleach of Arklow Municipal District, Cllr. Peir Leonard stated: “This vibrant and colourful publication by Pat Power beautifully evokes the forgotten story of these fascinating events in Arklow’s history”.
Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Emer O’Gorman commented that: “This important publication, The Arklow Question, and the archival photographs it features, demonstrates the importance of our County Archives collection, as a way to engage with our cultural heritage in a meaningful and immediate way”.
The publication can be ordered from http://www.wordwellbooks.com/ and will also be available in book shops.