Much like the issue of Irish nationalism, mentioned in Chapter 2, today debate also exists as to where the Crimean War fits in the period of Ireland's post-famine recovery. Some historians argue that Irish agricultural production had recovered from the ravages of that crisis by 1854, while others stress that although the worst was essentially over by the end of 1851 there was no real recovery in prices until the outbreak of the Crimean War. Historians may disagree about the beginnings of that recovery, but by mid-1851 the authorities at Dublin Castle certainly believed that Ireland was rapidly recovering and improving in every direction which one might look. Three years later, not only was Ireland's agricultural production progressing well, but so was its linen manufacturing, while industrial advancement was also evident in the south and west through burgeoning packet shipping.

The Crimean War was one of three major events or periods between 1840 and 1870 that acted as a catalyst for change in Ireland, especially for Irish agriculture and agricultural society. Much like the great famine before it and the depression of 1859–63 thereafter, the war acted as an accelerant to many pre-existing trends. This it did by stimulating both the prices and production levels of tillage, livestock and other agricultural produce, by encouraging an increase in the amount of land under cultivation and by stimulating an increase in agricultural wages. Irish provision merchants and other Irish businesses, including steam packet companies and shirt makers, also benefited from War Office contracts, and although the Irish linen industry was to suffer, all of these actors were to support the war through their taxes. These developments were seen across the entire United Kingdom at this time, but, owing to its distinctly larger agricultural sector and linen-dominated industrial sector, Ireland experienced them in a slightly different manner.