'Ears stunned with the din of arms': Belfast, Volunteer sermons and James Magee, 1779-1781

This essay examines the Volunteer sermons printed by Belfast printer and bookseller, James Magee in 1779-1781. It focuses on the marketing, reception and controversy of these sermons, their significance in terms of the national print trade and the impact they brought to bear upon printing in the smaller towns of Ulster. This essay also contextualises the enormity of Volunteer support in Belfast, and the connection between Volunteerism and a literacy culture manifest in the publication of these addresses. It is supplemented by a useful appendix of published Volunteer sermons, 1778-1783.