"Making Ulster the tourists Mecca": tourism, identity and modernization in the north of Ireland, 1901-1971

Scholars have paid close attention to the imagery and reality of tourist development in Britain and Ireland, from how it galvanized nationalist movements to its importance in developing rural and municipal areas (e.g. Cronin and O'Connor, 2003, on Ireland; Lickorish, 2005, on Britain). Studies of British and southern Irish tourism abound, but focus on the north of Ireland (and Northern Ireland) is lacking. Politics dominate academic interest: many studies of tourism focus either on the period before partition or the impact and legacy of the Troubles (James, 2012; Lesley, 1999). Even Stephen Boyd, who has written on the region, has admitted that for the 6 counties, 'little has been written about the role that tourism played in the early decades after its creation up to the war and the decades post war until 1960' (Boyd, 2017, 2013, 2019). In this PhD I attempt to explore and challenge the lack of in-depth analysis into the culture of tourism in the north of Ireland. I cover tourist development between 1901 and 1971, the period from the death of Queen Victoria until the "Ulster 71" civic festival - a period of political and social change in both the governance of Ulster and the development of tourism more broadly. Answering my 3 research questions will show both change and continuity, and illuminate the contested nature of identity and development in a way that is often lacking in many ethno-religious studies of Ulster (O'Connell, 2013). My thesis will contribute to the broader historiography of modern tourism by more contributing a case-study of place promotion and identity creation in a structurally divided society. In this thesis I will ask: 1. To what extent did the discourse around tourist development reflect Unionist political goals in this period and the debate over a distinct 'Ulster' identity? 2. How did different stakeholders such as hotels, local councils, businesses and (after 1921) the Stormont government interact to promote tourist development and confront the issues it presented? 3. Did the discourse around tourism in Ulster reflect or diverge from wider technological, political and cultural developments in the rest of Ireland, Britain and beyond, such as war and partition or development of the media? To answer these questions, I will combine extensive archival research of governmental and voluntary associations with careful analysis of prevailing discourses in the local and regional press and the works of contemporary writers and artists, such as St John Ervine (a promoter of Ulster's rural identity). Along with scholars of tourism (e.g. Cronin and O'Connor, 2003) I will 'read' the cultural representation and symbolism of both urban and rural environments, using contemporary posters, photographs and artworks in the collections of institutions like the Ulster Museum. Government correspondence, legislation and reports related to tourist development initiatives can be found in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, the National Archives of Ireland and the National Archives in London. Local museums/libraries in Northern Ireland such as the Causeway Museum Services and the Linen Hall Library hold material including travel guides, key sources that have been used by scholars of placemaking/identity (Ward, 2005, Walton and Wood, 2013). These will help chart the prevailing discourses about tourism in the north of Ireland. Combining these with close analysis of the local press (Bingham, 2010), contemporary publications and ephemera it will be possible to discover how stakeholders and commentators interacted in the public sphere over key issues around tourist development. I will also undertake a limited number (max.10) of oral history interviews (following the methodology of Northern Irish oral historian Bryson, 2007) with those involved with the tourist industry in the post-war period (such as members of the Northern Tourist Board); I have already made contact with several people who are willing to be interviewed.