Howlin, NiamhNiamhHowlin2013-11-202013-11-202013, the2013-07Irish Journal of Legal Studies (IJLS)http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4953This article examines the supposed uniqueness of the Irish criminal justice system in the nineteenth century. Although the English and Irish systems of criminal justice shared common roots, by the nineteenth century it was becoming apparent that there were differences in the way that law and justice were perceived and administered. The post-Famine years had a significant (and arguably negative) impact upon British perceptions of the Irish. This article examines both general perceptions of Ireland and Irishness, from the perspective of its relationship with England, and its position in the Empire. Outsiders’ perceptions and attitudes indicated that Irish criminality and criminal justice were considered to be distinctive. However, a question arises as to whether Irish criminal justice were uniquely Irish or simply “not English”?enLegal historyCriminal JusticeComparative LawJournal Article3167892013-10-14https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/