The British Empire in all its immensity, was by no means one cohesive group of people even with the  pressure from colonialism.  They established successful colonies on every continent save Antarctica.  With such a diverse holding, the British Empire was indeed culturally different. Even the British Isles had incredibly different groups of people; the Irish, Welsh, and Scottish with their own respective cultures, which began to have crises under English control in the 19th century.  Each culture during the 19th century had in some cases similar but more often than not different methods of establishing themselves in a society being changed by British dominated industrialization.    

The Irish were the most radical of the three minorities. History had not been kind when it came to English and Irish affairs.  Historical experiences such as the Reformation combined with Ireland's rugged topography made the two cultures religiously different and at the same time prevented complete English subjugation of the Irish. (O’Farrell, 1) English persecution molded Irish identity with Catholic identity.(Black and MacRaild, 178) That did not stop the English from trying and in 1800 English legislation passed the Acts of Union that made Ireland part of Britain.(Black and MacRaild, 167) For generations before that the English had been conquering Ireland or trying to and the Irish and they had not forgotten. While many Irish were moving into industrializing cities in the 19th-century, their voice also grew and it spoke out against British Imperialism that they claimed had been the first victims. (Schneer, 171) What can be said is that the Irish never industrialized like the other British Isle cultures.(Black and MacRaild, 169) This made them separate socially and economically because how influential and integrated  the two were in industrialized cities but also limited their independence because the Irish could not support high population and consequently had by far the highest migration rates even without  times of famine for motivation. Moreover it was clear that the English saw the Irish as Inferior, and perhaps Ireland unlike Scotland or Wales was seen by the English as one of their first colonies. This is supported by English sentiments that the Irish were uncivilized and lack morality, which was used as an universal reasoning for colonialism worldwide. (O’Farrell, 4)  

Irish independent identity besides its geographical reasons was founded on traditional industries such as brewing or fishing that although did not support industrialization they furthered the Irish cultural identity .

The Welsh were located closest to England, and consequently had greater or at least earlier English pressure to industrialize and become culturally English although they did not have such hostile interactions with the English. They felt the need to protect their culture against aggressive English integration and their methods was largely educational in nature .  The Welsh approach was largely linked to their language.  Institutions rose up such as universities, with the goal of supporting the Welsh language.(Black and MacRaild, 194) This was paired with something the Scots and the Irish capitalized on too, which was the growing interest in pastoralism and balance with nature.(Black and MacRaild, 195)  Public interest in these things ensured Welsh culture would continue by providing a social interest into their way of life, even if it was romanticized.

The Scots had a complex in their fight for culture.  The language separation was not as prevalent in Scotland, but it still existed. Most Scottish men frequently visited pubs with culturally recognizable names like “the Burns” or “Highland Mary”(Picard, 90) More importantly the landed society goals did not match the lower classes. Highland Clearances forced most of the working class off farming lands and pushed them to cities, which opened up lord’s lands for rural enjoyment and animal herding.(Black and MacRaild,198) Forced clearing of peasants off lords land coupled with economic industrialization created a romanticized culture of living in peace with nature, just  as it had with the other celtic peoples. The process not only supported self Scottish culture, but other people around the world also appreciate celtic cultures for their emphasis on the rural way of live.  Industrialization was also subconsciously made a factor for Scottish cultural difference. Shipbuilding in particular during the 19th century became a Scottish trade, one that helped integrate the Scottish economy into the English/British economic system that was also changing at the time.

- Eric Bly