page_title: History of Belfast
section_title: Act of Union, direct rule and rapid growth
hierarchical_section_title: History of Belfast / Act of Union, direct rule and rapid growth
caption_attribution_description: English: Daniel O'Connell. The charismatic pioneer of Irish popular politics, O'Connell had grown up in the shadow of the repressive 'Penal Laws' which maintained the social and civil inferiority of Catholics in Ireland. In 1823 he founded the Catholic Association to mobilise the entire Irish Catholic population in a systematic challenge to the Protestant ruling class, known as the 'Ascendancy'. By sheer force of numbers and the ultimate threat of civil war they finally achieved the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829..
context_page_description: The history of Belfast as a settlement goes back to the Iron Age, but its status as a major urban centre dates to the 18th century. Belfast today is the capital of Northern Ireland. Belfast was throughout its modern history a major commercial and industrial centre, but the late 20th century saw a decline in its traditional industries, particularly shipbuilding. The city's history has been marked by violent conflict between Catholics and Protestants which has caused many working class areas of the city to be split into Catholic and Protestant areas. In recent years the city has been relatively peaceful and major redevelopment has occurred, especially in the inner city and dock areas.
context_section_description: As a consequence of the Rebellion of 1798 and the re-organisation of Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom, the Irish Parliament was pressured to abolish itself. From that point on, Irish representatives would be sent to Westminster and direct rule would be imposed. Many in Ireland were skeptical of these events, especially when equal rights for Catholics failed to materialise. Presbyterians were also wary of the new United Kingdom, but, within a generation many of these Protestants became ardent supporters of the union, having benefited from it economically.  In the 19th century, Belfast became Ireland's pre-eminent industrial city with industries in linen, heavy engineering, tobacco and shipbuilding dominating trade. Belfast, being situated at the western end of Belfast Lough and at the mouth of the River Lagan, was an ideal location for the shipbuilding industry, which would eventually manifest in the Harland and Wolff company. Harland and Wolff were one of the largest shipbuilders in the world employing up to 35,000 workers. The ill-fated RMS Titanic was eventually built there in 1911. Beginning in the early 19th century, migrants seeking work came to Belfast from across Ireland, Scotland and England, but particularly from rural Ulster, where sectarian tensions ran deep. The same period saw the first outbreaks of sectarian riots, which have recurred regularly since.
  Belfast was the one place on the island where the industrial revolution had permanent effect. Belfast Lough was a system of activity receiving by sea fuel and raw materials for its various industries.  Cotton was spun by steam machine or water-power into mill yarn which was then taken to hand loom weavers along the River Lagan in places like Ballymacarrett and the Catholic Short Strand in east Belfast. It was calculated that, by 1811, there were 150,000 power spindles producing over 70 million lengths of yarn employing about 30,000 people. Ten hundred-ton ships brought 6,000 tonnes of coal a year to keep the mills powered. The Belfast cotton industry began to lose momentum after demand decreased at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Then, it was discovered in Preston, England that deep-soaked flax could be made into yarn by power-spinning machine in 1825. Mulholland's Cotton Mill on York Street was accidentally burned down in 1828 and rebuilt and upgraded to spin deep-soaked flax. This mill was enormous; five stories high with three steam engines, 15,300 spindles and a 186-foot-tall chimney. The Mill would render 700 tonnes of yawn from flax each year, making a massive profit. Following their example, other flax mills were eventually built throughout Belfast. Industry made Belfast the fastest growing urban centre in the United Kingdom with the population increasing from 19,000 in 1801 to over 70,000 in 1841. By 1836, Belfast had a vibrant chamber of commerce and top-level banking network which included the Northern Bank, Ulster Bank and Belfast Bank. Though it added to the prosperity of Belfast and its surrounding areas, this mechanized production of material combined with imports from England devastated the cottage industries in Ireland who failed to compete.  This would later contribute to rural families depending on the potato crop as a staple of their diet which would have disastrous results in the Great Famine of the 1840s.
  For the Battle of the Boyne commemorations on 12 July 1829, Orange Institution parades in Belfast were banned, leading to demonstrations and serious rioting in the city. These spread to County Armagh and County Tyrone, lasting several days and resulting in at least 20 deaths. In July 1837, the steam locomotives "Express" and "Fury" were delivered to Belfast Harbor from Manchester and were drawn up from Belfast docks by horse to eventually be placed on the new railway line laid Between Belfast and Lisburn. Nearly 1,600 spectators gathered at 4 am to watch the test runs of each machine. Later, local Presbyterian clergy would condemn the running of trains on Sundays, saying "it's business was sending souls to the devil at 
caption: Daniel O'Connell
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