Cooperative Movements and Political Change in Ireland

The history of rural life is a history of technology.

In this interview, we explore the machinery, systems of distribution and technological innovations that transformed many Irish rural communities when they adopted the cooperative model in the late 19th century.

Historian Patrick Doyle of the University of Manchester opens his account of the Irish cooperatives with a description of a simple but revolutionary machine – the cream separator – and shows how it connected the butter-producing Irish farm to the grand technological enterprises of British imperialism and international trade.

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