| This is a study of the changes wrought to textile manufacturing in Belfast, Ireland from 1750 to 1845, the subsequent transformation of the Irish textile industry and Belfast, and the alteration of Ireland's economic relationship with Great Britain.;In 1750, Irish textile manufacture was dominated by handcrafted linen products made by immigrant Scot farmers through cottage enterprise. This was nurtured by the Trustees of the Linen and Hempen Manufactures. Textile production was located throughout Ireland, but centered in Belfast and Dublin.;The Industrial Revolution produced innovations in Irish textile manufacturing, especially powered factory production, imported cotton and flax fiber, and the integration of the industry with the global market. Textile production in Belfast switched to cotton manufacture through powered factory technology early in the nineteenth century. Later, global market changes made cotton manufacture in Belfast unprofitable. Thus, linen production for the global market was reborn in Belfast. However, this 1829 rebirth was as an urban powered factory enterprise rather than the rural handmade cottage enterprise that existed prior to 1750.;This study draws five conclusions. First, that the Global Economic System model, developed in this study, better explains events in Ireland during the study period than models which rely only upon local or regional factors. Second, that the Trustees of the Linen and Hempen Manufactures did affect the transition of the Irish linen industry from a cottage to a powered factory industry during the Industrial Revolution. Third, that the transformation of the Irish linen industry during the Industrial Revolution altered Belfast's demographics, and the conflict that exists there today is partially a result of this. Fourth, Belfast's development as a linen manufacturing center was counter-intuitive at a local scale, but understandable when global economic forces are considered. Fifth, the transformation of the economy of the British Isles from mercantilism to capitalism altered the economy, society, and demographics of Belfast. |
