20th Century Irish History

Twentieth Century Irish History

Ireland in 1900 was ruled from London and the Union flag flew over all the important public buildings and post-boxes were coloured red! By 1921, this had all changed and an Irish Free State had been created. However, this new State was still a part of the British Commonwealth and some people were unhappy with this. A bloody civil war took place that claimed the lives of many Irish people. During the 1920’s and 1930’s, the Irish State developed economically and politically until a Republic was finally declared in 1949. By the 1960’s, great social and economic changes were taking place and the new Republic became more stable. It was finally accepted as a member of the EEC in the early 1970’s.

Key Points

Some of the key topics to study in this Unit are:

The home rule movement

* Meaning and aims
* Leader in early 1900’s
* Main achievement?

Unionist opposition to home rule

* Who/where
* Reasons for opposition to Home Rule
* Main leaders?
* Methods used to stop Home Rule

The 1916 rising

* Main people involved?
* Planning of the Rising
* Why was the AUD so important?
* What were the key events of the Rising?
* What were the main results/consequences?
* Why did the Home Rule Party lose support?
* Why did the Sinn Fein Party grow strong?
* What was the First Dáil?

The war of independence

* When did it occur?
* What were the tactics used by the Irish Volunteers?
* Who were the main leaders?
* Who were the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries?
* What happened on Bloody Sunday?
* Why was a truce (end to the fighting) called?

The Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921

* Who signed it?
* What were the main terms
* What was the reaction to it in Ireland?

The Irish civil war

* Why did a civil war break out?
* Who fought who?
* Main events in the civil war?
* Main results?

The Free State Government 1922-1932

* Who were the main Govt. Ministers
* What were the main achievements of this government?
* What were the main problems they had to deal with?

De Valera and the Fianna Fáil party

* When and Why was this Party formed
* When did de Valera and FF first form a government
* What was the “economic war”
* Why were the Blueshirts a threat to de Valera
* What were the main achievements of the de Valera government?

Ireland during WW11

* What policy did the government adopt when war broke out?
* How was Ireland affected by the war?
* Was Ireland a truly neutral country?

The first coalition government 1948-51

* What was the Republic of Ireland Act?
* What were the main achievements of this government?
* What was the “Mother and child scheme”?

Ireland in the 1960’s - the Lemass years

* What were the main problems facing Ireland in the 1950’s?
* What were the major changes that took place in Ireland?
* What important change took place in North-South relations?


Michael Collins

* Born in West Cork in 1890
* Emigrated to London in 1906
* Became a member of the IRB in 1909 in London

* Was one of the first members of branch of Irish Volunteers based in London 1914
* Returned to Ireland - in GPO during Easter Rising - minor role
* Sent to prison camp - Wales - emerges as a leader
* Released from prison Dec. 1916 - begins to re-organise Volunteers

* Elected as Sinn Fein TD in 1918
* Appointed Minister of Finance in first Dáil 1919
* Raises a huge amount of money for Dáil loan - around £350,000

* Was in favour of guerilla warfare in Anglo-Irish war of 1919-21
* Set up a special unit called "the Squad"
* Had a very effective spy-network operating in Dublin in key places
* Most wanted man in Ireland - £10,000 price on his head

* Sent to London by De Valera to negotiate Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921
* Reluctant to go at first - agreed to go after a lot of pressure
* Signed the Treaty on December 6th 1921 - felt it was the best possible deal available

* Defended his decision to sign the Treaty in Dáil debates in Jan. 1922
* Saw Treaty as “a stepping stone” to the Republic
* Became key member of new provisional government
* Made great efforts to prevent outbreak of civil war in Ireland

* Ordered the shelling of the Four Courts in June 1922 - start of civil war
* Became Commander-in-chief of Free State Army

* Went on a military visit to West Cork, August 1922 - ambushed and killed
* His death was a huge loss to the new Irish Free State


Eamon de Valera

Early life up to 1923

* Born USA in 1882
* Sent home to Ireland - raised by grandmother in Limerick
* Studied at Blackrock College, Dublin
* Became Professor of Maths
* Active member of Gaelic league from 1908
* Joined Irish Volunteers 1913 - later joined IRB
* Involved in 1916 Rising - Boland’s Mills - sentenced to death
* Elected as Sinn Fein candidate in East Clare 1917
* Elected President of SF Party 1917 - also President of Volunteers
* 1919 -1st Dáil - de Valera - President - spent many months in USA
* Returned to Ireland 1920
* Held meetings with Lloyd George in summer 1921 after truce
* Sent delegates to London Oct. 1921 to negotiate treaty
* Rejected terms of treaty signed in December 1921
* Special meeting of Dáil cabinet - split - 4 for -3 against
* Special Dáil debate - central role of de Valera - vote in favour of treaty
* De Valera and supporters walk out
* Tours country - strong anti-treaty stance
* Defeat for anti-treaty side in June 1922 elections
* De Valera on anti-treaty IRA side in Civil war
* Realised in 1923 Irregulars could not win - advised them to “dump arms”
* Imprisoned 1923-24 by Cosgrave govt.

Period 1923 - 1932

* Re-elected SF TD after civil war
* Refused to recognise Dáil - refused to accept oath of allegiance
* Proposed that they could enter Dáil if oath removed - split in SF
* New party founded by De Valera - Fianna Fáil - Republican
* 1927 - Electoral Amendment Act - FF enter Dáil - oath an “empty formula”
* FF Party grows stronger - Irish Press founded
* 1932 Election - victory for De Valera and FF Party

Period 1932 - 1948

* FF in government - major political development
* Began to dismantle the 1921 Treaty - oath, office of Governor-General etc
* Refused to pay land annuities - result: “economic war” with Britain
* Took strong action against Blueshirts
* Drew up a new Constitution 1937 - a “Republic in everything but name”
* Supported protectionist policies - more semi-states formed
* Took strong action against IRA
* Signed Anglo-Irish Treaty 1938 - return of treaty Ports - end to economic war
* Adopted policy of neutrality in WWII - cross-party support
* Appointed Lemass to key position - in charge of supplies
* Took strong stance against USA and British pressure
* Major post-war economic problems De Valera defeated in 1948 election
* First Coalition govt. formed - John A. Costello Taoiseach

The final years up to 1959

* De Valera back in govt. in 1950’s
* Major economic and social problems
* Retired as leader of FF and Taoiseach in 1959
* Elected President - died 1975


Sean Lemass

* Born in Dublin
* Took part in 1916 rising and war of Independence
* Great admirer of De Valera and took the anti-treaty side in the civil war
* Was one of the founding members of Fianna Fáil in 1926
* Entered Dáil Eireann for the first time in 1927 - also saw oath as “an empty formula”
* Served as Minister for Industry and Commerce in first FF govt. of 1932
* Adopted a policy of protective tariffs - hoped to make Ireland self-sufficient
* War years - served as Minister for supplies - in charge of rationing, price controls etc.
* Also responsible for creating Irish Shipping during war years
* In 1950’s - Director of organisation for FF Party - task of improving FF votes
* Became Taoiseach and leader of FF in 1959 upon retirement of De Valera
* Very influenced by ideas of T.K.Whitaker - a planned economy - foreign investment
* Major economic success in early 1960’s - emigration down - population increases
* Big increase in number of new factories - 4% annual growth
* Supported idea of Irish troops serving on UN missions e.g. Cyprus, Congo
* Also supported setting up of national TV station - RTE in 1962
* Believed in the need to improve the Irish educational system
* First Irish leader to hold meetings with the PM of N. Ireland
* Very interested in promoting co-operation between North and South in economy, tourism etc.
* Retired from political life in 1966


Review Questions

1. Explain what was meant by Home Rule.
2. What is meant by a Nationalist?
3. Who was the founder of Sinn Fein and what were their aims?
4. What is meant by Unionist?
5. Why were Ulster Unionists so opposed to Home Rule?
6. What was the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant?
7. Why were the UVF set up?
8. What was the Larne gun-running?
9. Why were the Irish Volunteers set up and by whom?
10. What happened to the Irish Volunteers at the start of WWI?
11. Who were the three main organisers of the 1916 rising?
12. Outline the key events of the 1916 Rising.
13. Why was the Easter rising a military fáilure?
14. Why did public opinion towards the Irish Volunteers change after the Easter Rising.
15. Name three political leaders who came to prominence after the 1916 Rising.
16. Which party won the 1918 election and who was the leader?
17. Who were the Black and Tans?
18. What was a “flying column”?
19. Name two Irishmen who signed the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921.
20. List three important terms of the 1921 treaty.
21. Who led the opposition to the treaty in Ireland?
22. What was the main cause of the Irish civil war?
23. What were some of the main results of the civil war
24. What was the 26 county state called in the 1920’s?
25. Who was the main political leader of the 1920’s and what political party did he belong to?
26. What were some of the main achievements of the government in the 1920’s?
27. What did de Valera do in the 1920’s?
28. Why did Fianna Fáil win the election in 1932?
29. Who were the Blueshirts and what were their aims?
30. What policy did de Valera adopt towards the IRA?
31. What changes did de Valera make to the 1921 Treaty?
32. What were the main parts of the new constitution of de Valera?
33. What was the economic war of the 1930’s?
34. Write about life in Ireland during World War 2.
35. What unique form of government was formed after WWII?
36. What was the main achievement of Noel Browne?
37. What was the Mother and Child scheme and why did it cause controversy?
38. What were the major problems facing Ireland during the 1950’s?
39. Write about the major changes that occurred in the Lemass years (1960’s).


Answers

1. This was a political idea that began in the 1870’s which demanded that Ireland should have a Parliament of it’s own in Dublin. This Parliament would take care of things that directly affected Ireland but the really big decisions on issues such as taxation and defence would still be taken in London.

2. A nationalist is someone who wants Ireland to have independence from Britain. The majority of Nationalists were Catholic.

3. Sinn Fein was founded in the early 1900’s. The leader was Arthur Griffith. He wanted Irish elected representatives to reuse to take their seats in a London Parliament. He wanted them to set up a government in Dublin. He was opposed to any use of violence.

4. A Unionist is someone who wanted Ireland to remain part of the UK. The majority were Protestant and they were strongest in the province of Ulster.

5. Ulster Unionists believed that breaking the link with Britain would result in an economic loss for Ulster. They also believed that “Home Rule is Rome Rule”. By this they meant that they feared that a Parliament in Dublin would be Catholic dominated and would discriminate against Protestants.

6. This was a very serious document signed by a huge number of people in Ulster in which they said NO to Home Rule and pledged to do everything possible to defeat it.

7. This was the Ulster Volunteer Force set up by Edward Carson in 1912 and prepared to use force to defeat Home Rule.

8. This was when the UVF imported a large consignment of guns and ammunition illegally from Germany in early 1914 . The cargo arrived at night into the port of Larne, north of Belfast.

9. They were set up in Dublin in opposition to the UVF by a man called Eoin MacNeill.

10. A split developed in the ranks. A majority heeded the call of the leader of the Irish Home Rule Party, John Redmond, to go and fight on the side of Britain in WWI in order to defend the rights of small nations such as Belgium. However, a small minority totally refused to fight on the side of Britain. They kept the name Irish Volunteers.

11. Patrick Pearse, Sean MacDermott and Thomas Clarke.

12. Easter Rising 1916

* Easter Monday 1916 – rebellion began
* GPO and 6 other buildings captured by Volunteers
* Proclamation of republic read to public
* British caught by surprise
* Huge army reinforcements sent to Dublin
* Volunteers outnumbered 20/1 in 2 days
* British army surround city
* Volunteer positions attacked
* British had superior weaponry
* Gun-boat “Helga” shells the GPO
* Dublin city centre destroyed
* Hundreds killed – British, Volunteers, civilians
* Connolly badly wounded
* Pearse ordered surrender on Saturday
* British arrest over 3000 people
* Over 1800 sent to prison camps in Britain
* Great public anger – destruction – civilian deaths
* Sentenced to death – 15 executed
* Summer 1916 – huge change in public opinion
* Anger over secret trials and executions
* Martial law continued in Dublin
* Dead leaders become heroes within weeks


13. It failed for a number of reasons. Firstly, the rebels were easily surrounded and isolated one by one by the British forces. Also the British had far superior weaponry and outnumbered the rebels by 20 to 1.

14. The main leaders of the Rebellion were executed. This created a huge change in public opinion. Many people began to feel great sympathy for the dead leaders and within a very short time they were being treated as heroes.

15. Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith

16. The Sinn Fein Party won the election. They wanted a fully independent Irish Republic. The leader of the Party was led by Eamon de Valera.
17. They were ex-British soldiers sent to Ireland to defeat the IRA in the War of Independence.

18. These were small units of IRA men who carried out attacks on the police (RIC) and the British forces. They adopted guerrilla warfare tactics. They attacked and disappeared quickly. They had many safe houses to stay in as the majority of people were prepared to hide them.

19. Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith.

20. 26 Counties of Ireland would become an Irish Free State. It would have a Parliament of its own in Dublin but would remain a member of the British Empire. All members of the Irish parliament in Dublin would have to take an oath of loyalty to the King of England.

21. De Valera was angry with the Treaty and led the opposition to it.

22. A major split took place in the IRA. Some stayed loyal to Collins and accepted the Treaty. Others believed that the Treaty was a betrayal and were prepared to renew the fight for a Republic.

23. Ireland became bitterly divided. Michael Collins was killed in an ambush. Massive destruction of property. Hundreds killed on both sides.

24. The Irish Free State.

25. William Cosgrave was the leader of the new government. His political party was called Cumann na Gael.

26. They created a strong police force called the Garda Siochána. They restored law and order and a Courts system. They set up an Irish Civil service. They developed a hydro-electric power station on the Shannon river.

27. De Valera left the Sinn Fein Party. He formed a new Party called Fianna Fáil.

28. De Valera had a very well organised Party. Many of the main members were very well known.

29. They were founded by Eoin O Duffy in 1933. They were formed to protect Cumann na Gael meetings from attacks by the IRA. They were often compared to the followers of Mussolini because of their marches, salutes and uniforms.

30. De Valera became very opposed to the use of any violence by any group. He imprisoned many IRA members and later banned them.

31. He got rid of the oath of loyalty to the King. The representative of the King in Ireland was called the Governor-general and de Valera also abolished that position.

32. The country was to be called Eire. The head of State was to be called a President. The head of government was to be called Taoiseach.

33. This was when the British government imposed tariffs (special high taxes) on Irish goods coming into Britain. They were angry with De Valera because he refused to pay back money owed to Britain. The Irish government then retaliated by placing huge tariffs on British goods entering Ireland. This lasted for a few years. Both economies suffered as a result.

34. War began in SEPTEMBER 1939. Called the “Emergency” in Ireland. Government policy was to be one of neutrality.

* Taoiseach : Eamon de Valera
* Widespread support for the policy - Dáil and public
* Govt. given wide-ranging powers - Emergency powers orders
* Two new Govt. Departments created - e.g. Department of Supplies
* Sean Lemass becomes a key Minister
* Very strict rationing introduced
* Very strict censorship of all newspapers and radio
* Irish Shipping set up to get supplies into Ireland
* Dublin bombed by mistake by Germany in 1941- 34 died


35. This was the very first Coalition Government created in Ireland. All political parties took part except Fianna Fáil.

36. He was the Minister for Health in this first Coalition Government. He is most remembered for the way in which he tackled the problem of TB. Many new hospitals were built and new drugs were paid for to wipe out the disease.

37. This was a proposal of Browne to introduce free medical care for all mothers and children up to the age of 16 years. It was opposed by the Catholic church who said it was too much like a Communist idea.

38. Massive unemployment. Huge emigration to the USA and Britain. The overall population continued to decline.

39. Foreign Companies were encouraged to invest in Ireland. Free Secondary education was introduced for the first time. RTE TV was launched. Special meetings took place for the first time between the political leaders of both the Republic and Northern Ireland. (O’Neill and Lemass)