Alexander Ireland (1810-1894) : a middleman of letters in the cultural life of nineteenth century

This study attempts to assess the contribution made by Alexander Ireland to the cultural life of nineteenth century Manchester. With relatively little formal education but extensive literary interests, he saw a role for himself in enhancing educational opportunities for others by means of both systematic provision and self-help. His early life was spent in Edinburgh,where a number of friendships and influences fostered his interests. The reorienting spirit of phrenology and of his Unitarian upbringing helped to fashion his own sense of purpose.

His mature years and his business career were spent in Manchester. For almost forty years he was managing director and co-proprietor of the Manchester Examiner and Times.For several decades this newspaper was a serious rival to the Manchester Guardian. During his first decade in Manchester,Ireland was also a director of the Athenaeum,a prime mover in the initially local campaign for secular education,and a member of the committee which founded the Free Reference Library. He was therefore at the centre of the city's cultural life.

Ireland's foremost interests were in literature. He formed an early enthusiasm for the works of Hazlitt,Hunt and Lamb. He was particularly influenced by the writings of Carlyle and Emerson,both of whom he knew. He developed an extensive knowledge of contemporary North American writing and came to know some of its authors. This absorption in the world of letters was complemented by his assiduity as a book-collector and bibliographer. His modest output as a writer was directed towards
introducing literature to a less knowledgeable audience. In later life he came to be regarded as something of an elder statesman within the Manchester Literary Club. Despite these literary interests,he engaged in publishing only in a minor way and was unable to compensate for the ultimate decline of his newspaper.