Land League

The Irish National Land League, founded in 1879 by Michael Davitt, campaigned for tenant farmers’ rights and reform of Ireland’s landlord-dominated land system. Under Charles Stewart Parnell, it organised rent resistance, boycotts, and political pressure, demanding fair rents, security of tenure, and ultimately tenant ownership. Suppressed in 1881, it was succeeded by related organisations. Its agitation contributed significantly to the Land Acts and to the wider growth of Irish nationalism.