Episode 16 - Panel 4b - Adaptive co- existence? Lord Farnham, southern loyalist and the Irish Free State - Dr. Jonathan Cherry

Southern Irish Loyalism in Context

In January 2002 at the residual house clearance auction at Farnham House, county Cavan Lot 53 described as “including four coronet shields; flags etc” was sold for €70. It was by no means the most valuable lot but the flags, a few tattered and faded Union Jacks, were symbolic remnants of the fervent loyalism of the Maxwell family of Farnham during the opening decades of the 20th century. This paper traces the changing career of Arthur Kenlis Maxwell, Lord Farnham (1879-1957) from one of the key leaders of southern unionism to life as a member of a minority in the aftermath of Independence. The seismic political changes experienced in Ireland in the early decades of the 20th century, coupled with a revolution in landownership, dismantled the socio-economic basis upon which families such as the Farnhams had built and augmented their significance. After partition Lord Farnham concentrated on carving out a new role and career for himself, initially in England where he and his family had retreated in April 1922 and from 1927 back in Cavan. Although Farnham never formally entered politics in the Irish Free State he remained an important leadership figure within Cavan’s Protestant community taking an active interest in a range of civic and charitable organisations and the diocesan and general synods of the Church of Ireland. It also appears that he enjoyed a good level of local cross-community support and goodwill suggesting the family had successfully adapted to their new position within changed political and cultural circumstances. The paper outlines the hybrid loyalties and identities of former southern unionists such as Lord Farnham, exemplified through his attendance at two particular events, one in London and another in Cavan in 1953. These illustrate his personal experience of adaptive co-existence within a new state and the complexity of southern Unionist identities in the Irish Free State. Jonathan Cherry is a lecturer in Geography in the School of History and Geography, DCU. His main research interests are in historical and cultural geography, with a particular focus on the role of the landowning elite in Irish society and their influence on the Irish landscape over the past four centuries. As holder of the NLI Studentship in Irish History (2004-05) he catalogued the Farnham Papers held in the Manuscripts Department, NLI. He co-edited Cavan History and Society (Geography Publications, 2014) and is Book Review Editor for Irish Geography since 2016