Look into the history. Rebellions of all kinds have been ruthlessly and brutally suppressed. The aristocracy is not as important as it used to be in Britain, but but it's still a power-centric society where those without have few choices open to them. Despite winning independence from Britain a century ago and having a clearly written constitution, Ireland kept a great deal of the legal and some of the social culture; following independence the informal power just moved towards the catholic church and (as always, everywhere) toward money.