The Sacred Egoism of Sinn Féin

Wartime promises to defend small nations provide the starting point for Ernest Augustus Boyd's argument about Irish independence. Published in 1918, this political essay asks why Ireland's claim to national recognition receives so little support from powers that speak of liberty abroad. Boyd examines British Liberalism, imperial interests and the disappointment of Irish Nationalists who expected their country's position to change. His account connects the Easter Rising with a renewed determination to assert an Irish identity.

The discussion also considers Ireland's relations with Continental opinion, including French interest in Gaelic studies and the criticism of John Mitchel by Emile Montégut. Throughout, Boyd treats Sinn Féin's insistence on Irish interests as a response to the gap between public ideals and political practice. The prose is argumentative and often ironic. Readers interested in the language of nationalism can follow how one contemporary writer challenged the claims made for democracy and international solidarity during the war.