Sinn Féin (19th century)

"Sinn Féin" was a political slogan used by Irish nationalists in the latter nineteenth and early twentieth century. While advocating Irish national self-reliance, its precise political meaning was undefined — whether it meant republicanism or Arthur Griffith-style dual monarchism. Its earliest use was to describe individual political radicals unconnected with any party. In the 1890s it was used by the Gaelic Leaguecite book|title=The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party, 1916-1923|first=Michael|last=Laffan|pages=20|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=1999|id=ISBN 0521650739] , which advocates the revival of the Irish language.

"Sinn Féin" is an Irish-language phrase whose literal translation is "ourselves" or "we ourselves" [cite book|title=Irish-English Dictionary |first=Patrick|last=Dinneen|authorlink=Patrick S. Dinneen|year=1927 (1992)|publisher=Irish Texts Society|place=Dublin|id=ISBN 1870166000 Also, "Sinn Féin! Sinn Féin!" was an exortation to quell a brimming feud, i.e. "we are all one here!"] ; however, at the time the most common rendering in English was "ourselves alone", which was also used as a political slogan; it is unclear whether the English or Irish version came first. The name itself may have been a construct of opponents to highlight the individuals' political isolation [cite book|last=Jackson|first=Alvin|title=Home Rule: An Irish History 1800—2000|location=Phoenix|year=2004] or the perceived selfishness of abandoning Britain, as in this Punch parody [cite book|title=Mr. Punch's History of the Great War|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|id=ISBN 141913566X|date=2004|pages=149] from World War I:: [..] For Truth and Right the fools may fight,:We fight but for "Ourselves Alone." [..]

The name was adopted by Arthur Griffith for the "Sinn Féin policy" he presented in 1905, and the Sinn Féin party formed over 1905-7. After this the term "Sinn Féin" gradually came to be associated specifically with the views espoused by that party.

Early uses

A collectioncite book|first=Thomas|last=Davis|authorlink=Thomas Osborne Davis (Irish politician)|title=Ballads and Songs by the Writers of "The Nation"|publisher=James Duffy|location=Dublin|year=1845] was published in 1845 of poems printed in "The Nation", the nationalist newspaper of the Young Irelanders. It includes a poem entitled "Ourselves Alone" by "Sliabh Cuilinn" (John O'Hagan): [Davis, op. cit., pg 61] : [...] Too long our Irish hearts we schooled:In patient hopes to bide,:By dreams of English justice fooled:And English tongues that lied.:That hour of weak delusion's past—:The empty dream has flown ::Our hope and strength, we find at last,:Is in OURSELVES ALONE. [...]

Another poem in the same volume, "The Spirit of the Nation" by D.F. McCarthy, uses the expression "Sinn Féin". The gloss in the original for this is 'Ourselves—or "OURSELVES ALONE."' [Davis, op. cit., pg 75] : [...] "A chuisle mo chroidhe", we are wounded and sore,:So bad that we cannot endure it much more.:A cure we must have, though the Saxons may stare:And "curse like a trooper;" but devil may care,:"Sinn Féin" is our watch-word—so devil may care. [...]

A nationalist play by "Tom Telephone" (Thomas Stanislaus Cleary) published in 1882 was entitled "Shin Fain; or Ourselves Alone".

References

External links

* [http://republican-news.org/archive/1999/September30/30hist.html Sinn Féin and Sinn Féin] article from "An Phoblacht"