Irish Independence

Background

• 1800 – the Irish Parliament was abolished

• 1858 – IRB was founded

• 1914 – Ireland was supposed to get the Home Rule

• Ireland should be completely independent

The Easter Rising• 24.4.1916.• organised by IRB and Irish

Volunteers• occupied key locations in Dublin • Patrick Pearse proclaimed the

Irish Republic• the British army suppressed the

Rising and executed the organisers

• 318 civilians, 60 rebels and 130 English died

Sinn Féin

• political party founded in 1905• the British blamed it for the Rising• became even more popular after the

Rising• Éamon de Valera become became head

The British attitudes

• PM David Lloyd George• Carrot and stick approach

– Opened discussions for Irish independence– Banned republican literature and arrested Griffith and

de Valera• Irishmen were pressured into fighting for the

British army in WW1• Many violent protests

The Irish War of Independence (1919 – 1921)

• the 1918 General Election• Éamon De Valera and Michael Collins• The First Dáil – the parliament of the Irish

Republic• the British said the Dáil was illegal as well

as Sinn Féin and IRA

http://www.irishfreedom.net/Historic%20documents/Historic%20Documents%20and%20Speeches/Irish%20Declaration%20of%20Independence%201919.htm

Bloody Sunday

• 21.11.1920.• the day before – 12 British spies were

murdered • Croke Park• the British forces entered the stadium and

started shooting • 14 civilians diedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOiQRkK1tyg

Truce

• 11.6.1921.

• the IRA knew that they couldn’t fight against the English

• war was too expensive for the English

Anglo-Irish Treaty

• October 1921• Michael Collins, Robert Barton and Arthur

Griffith• Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George

and Austin Chamberlain• Irish demands:

• A totally independent Irish Republic• An end to the partition of Ireland

• Partial independence for the 26 counties

• Signing of the Treaty (6 December 1921)

• The Dáil had to vote on the Treaty

• “I tell you, I have signed my death warrant”

• It was ratified with a small majority in Dáil

http://go.hrw.com/hrw.nd/gohrw_rls1/pKeywordResults?keyword=st9%20irish%20nationalism

The Irish Civil War

• pro-Treaty forces (Collins)• anti-Treaty forces (De Valera)• guerilla war• 22.8.1922. the death of Michael Collins• the elections in August 1923 – pro-Treaty

party won

Independence

• Fianna Fáil vs. Cosgrave’s party• IRA’s intimidation techniques• 1937 – constitution of Éire• the problem of the Northern Ireland• 1948 – left the Commonwealth

Ireland nowadays

• problems with the Ulster loyalists

• RIRA

• generally positive outlooks about the British

• looking towards the future

Links:• http://www.irishhistorylinks.net/History_Links/War_Of_In

dependence.html• http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/michael_collins.htm• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/collins_mich

ael.shtml• http://www.generalmichaelcollins.com/life-times/1921-tru

ce-and-treaty-negotiations/irish-civil-war/• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/aftermat

h/af04.shtml• http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/irish-free-state-

declared• http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/20/republic-

fight-irish-independence-townshend-review