The Irish Revolution, 1913–1923

261 Pages·2002·3.581 MB·English

by  Joost Augusteijn (eds.)

The Irish Revolution, 1913–1923
The Irish Revolution,
1913–1923
Edited by
JOOST AUGUSTEIJN
© Selection and editorial matter © Joost Augusteijn 2002.
Individual chapters (in chapter order) © Charles Townshend;Peter Hart;
Ben Novick;Marie Coleman;Arthur Mitchell;Keiko Inoue;
Joost Augusteijn;Michael Hopkinson;Brian P.Murphy;Peter Martin;
Margaret Ward;Anne Dolan;Richard English;Tom Garvin 2002
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Irish Revolution,1913–1923 / edited by Joost Augusteijn.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.Ireland – History – Civil War,1922–1923.2.Ireland – History –
Easter Rising,1916.3.Ireland – History – 1910–1921.I.Augusteijn,Joost.
DA962 .I77 2002
941.5082(cid:2)1–dc21 2002025160
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02
Contents
List of Tables vii
Preface viii
List of Abbreviations x
Acknowledgements xi
Notes on the Contributors xii
1 Historiography:Telling the Irish Revolution 1
Charles Townshend
2 Definition:Defining the Irish Revolution 17
Peter Hart
3 Propaganda I:Advanced Nationalist Propaganda and
Moralistic Revolution,1914–18 34
Ben Novick
4 Mobilisation:The South Longford By-election and its
Impact on Political Mobilisation 53
Marie Coleman
5 Alternative Government:‘Exit Britannia’– the
Formation of the Irish National State,1918–21 70
Arthur Mitchell
6 Propaganda II:Propaganda of Dáil Éireann,1919–21 87
Keiko Inoue
7 Motivation:Why did they Fight for Ireland?
The Motivation of Volunteers in the Revolution 103
Joost Augusteijn
8 Negotiation:The Anglo-Irish War and the Revolution 121
Michael Hopkinson
v
vi Contents
9 Nationalism:The Framing of the Constitution of the
Irish Free State,1922 – the Defining Battle for the
Irish Republic 135
Brian P.Murphy
10 Unionism:The Irish Nobility and Revolution,1919–23 151
Peter Martin
11 Gender:Gendering the Irish Revolution 168
Margaret Ward
12 Commemoration:‘Shows and stunts are all that is the
thing now’– the Revolution Remembered,1923–52 186
Anne Dolan
13 Socialism:Socialist Intellectuals and the
Irish Revolution 203
Richard English
14 Revolution? Revolutions are what Happens to
Wheels – the Phenomenon of Revolution,Irish Style 224
Tom Garvin
Chronology 233
Index 236
List of Tables
4.1 UIL meetings in Longford,1908–15 54
10.1 House burnings in Ireland 157
10.2 Peers’residences burned per county 157
vii
Preface
The events between 1913 and 1923 have made a huge impact on
Ireland and its relationship with Britain.The constitutional changes
which accompanied the violent convulsions led to the end of the
union between Ireland and Great Britain and the creation of
Northern Ireland.The internal politics of the two new states has also
been largely shaped by this period.However,despite its importance,
debate on it has been very limited.It has even been impossible so far
to find a generally accepted term to describe the period as a whole.
Although some attempts have been made to find a common denom-
inator,the period is usually described by naming its constituent parts:
Home Rule Crisis, First World War, Easter Rising,Anglo-Irish War
and Civil War. In recent historiography the previously rarely used
phrase the ‘Irish revolution’has become more popular to describe the
entire period,although,as will become clear from various contribu-
tions in this volume,it has not been generally accepted,nor is it clear
what the term actually entails.David Fitzpatrick has recently noted in
History: Ireland that:‘It has become commonplace for historians of
Ireland to describe the events of 1912–1923 as a “revolution”,typi-
cally without attempting to define that term.’1
This book is an attempt to do just that.This has been made possi-
ble by a number of detailed local and thematic studies that have been
published since 1996.Building on foundations laid in the 1970s and
1980s,they have transformed our understanding of the period,replac-
ing a simple narrative approach with a much more analytical method.
This has brought us to a point where,even though there are still many
blanks in our knowledge,we can now assess what has been done,and
try to create an overview of where we are and where we might go in
further research.
A great number of fundamental issues regarding the revolutionary
period are dealt with in this book, which is composed of thematic
essays.These concern themselves with questions such as:was there a
revolution in this period and how can it be characterised? (primarily
viii
Preface ix
in contributions by Townshend,Hart and Garvin);if so,what kind of
revolution was it? (Townshend,Murphy);when did it start and end?
(Hart);could it have ended earlier? (Hopkinson);what motivated rev-
olutionaries and those who supported them? (Augusteijn, Novick);
how did they operate? (Coleman,Mitchell,Inoue);how did it affect
the role of women and other groupings? (Ward, Martin); and what
influence did it have on the period thereafter and how did people
deal with this past? (English, Dolan). These issues are raised in a
variety of ways, from detailed assessments of specific incidents to
wide-ranging analyses of themes.
This is therefore not a narrative of the Irish revolution,but a the-
matic analysis of our interpretation of it.However,if desired,the main
events can be traced through the chronology included at the end of
the book.Furthermore,to enable the reader to place the various per-
sons mentioned, brief biographical notes on the main players are
added to their entries in the index.2
This book finds its origin in a symposium held in the Queen’s
University of Belfast in 1998.Thanks go to all participants in this
symposium,and to the departments of Modern History and Politics
for their assistance in organising it.We hope that this volume will
stimulate and initiate further historical debate on this period and on
the phenomenon of revolution in general.
Note
1. David Fitzpatrick,History:Ireland,vol.8,2 (2000),p.47.
2. For further details,see P.O’Farrell,Who’s Who in the Irish War of Independence
and Civil War,1916–1923 (Dublin,1997),and Sean Connolly (ed.),The
Oxford Companion to Irish History(Oxford,2002).
List of Abbreviations
AFIL All for Ireland League
AOH Ancient Order of Hibernians
APL Anti-Partition League
BL British Library
BNL British Newspaper Library
CAI Cork Archives Institute
CIR County Inspector’s Report
DMP Dublin Metropolitan Police
GAA Gaelic Athletic Association
IHS Irish Historical Studies
IPP Irish Parliamentary Party
IRA Irish Republican Army
IRB Irish Republican Brotherhood
IUA Irish Unionist Alliance
IWM Imperial War Museum,London
KSRL Kenneth Spencer Research Library
NA National Archives,Dublin
NLI National Library of Ireland
OPW Office of Public Works
PRO Public Record Office,London
PRONI Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
RIC Royal Irish Constabulary
RM Resident Magistrate
RTE Radio Telefis Éireann
TCD Trinity College,Dublin
TD Téachta Dála,Dáil deputy
UCD University College,Dublin
UCDAD University College,Dublin,Archives Department
UIL United Irish League
USC Ulster Special Constabulary
UVF Ulster Volunteer Force
x