Richard S. Grayson. Dublin’s Great Wars: The First World War, the Easter Rising and the Irish Revolution.

This chapter discusses the propaganda organisations established in Ireland during the First World War. Tasked with organising military recruiting in Ireland, these bodies included the Central Council for the Organisation of Recruitment in Ireland (CCORI), the Department of Recruiting in Ireland (DRI), and the Irish Recruiting Council (IRC), which were in existence at various stages across the war, from May 1915 until its termination. It addresses how these bodies were set up, organised, and, ultimately, how successful they were. It places these organisations into the unique Irish context, as propaganda activities operated in the context of Irish Home Rule in 1914-15, during the Easter Rising in 1916, and the Conscription Crisis in 1918. It also places their activities within the wider British context, particularly drawing comparisons with the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee (PRC).

Download Full-text

‘Why Not Study History!’ Remembering Parnell’s Party v. Remembering Redmond’s Party

The Legacy of the Irish Parliamentary Party in Independent Ireland, 1922-1949 ◽

10.3828/liverpool/9781789620306.003.0008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 197-220

Author(s):

Martin O'Donoghue

Keyword(s):

First World War ◽

World War ◽

Sinn Fein ◽

The First World War ◽

Public Debates ◽

Irish Revolution ◽

First World

This chapter focuses on commemoration and public debates on the Irish Party’s place in history, problematizing the notion that the Irish Party was forgotten in ‘de Valera’s Ireland’. It assesses contemporary historiography, literature, theatre, film and commemoration to ascertain a variety of views on the Irish Party in this period. While the success of chiefly localised memorials to the Redmonds and others are analysed, there is particular focus on the celebrations of Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt. Examining the commemorative events held for Parnell and Davitt in 1941 and 1946, this chapter demonstrates that the neglect in this period related to the latter day party led by Redmond which could not be separated from the First World War, the Rising and its defeat by Sinn Féin while Parnell’s movement could be subsumed into a nationalist narrative that culminated in the Irish revolution.

Download Full-text

‘Exercising a close vigilance over their daughters’: Cork women, American sailors, and Catholic vigilantes, 1917–18

Irish Historical Studies ◽

10.1017/s002112140000064x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 38 (149) ◽

pp. 89-107

Author(s):

John Borgonovo

Keyword(s):

First World War ◽

Social Variables ◽

Irish Society ◽

World War ◽

Power Struggles ◽

Easter Rising ◽

The First World War ◽

Republican Movement ◽

Civil Authority ◽

First World

During the First World War, Irish society experienced power struggles between civil authority, military governance, the constitutional nationalist establishment, and the emerging Republican movement. In the unstable wartime environment, political and social variables sparked intense controversies that mirrored competition for control over the Irish public. Inspired by the Easter Rising and emboldened by growing public disillusionment with the war, Republicans harnessed these eruptions to help fuel their attempt to overthrow Dublin Castle.

Download Full-text

Two 1916s: Sebastian Barry’s A Long Long Way

Humanities ◽

10.3390/h8010060 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 60

Author(s):

Allison Haas

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

First World War ◽

British History ◽

The Novel ◽

World War ◽

Irish Nationalism ◽

Easter Rising ◽

The First World War ◽

War Experience ◽

First World

As Paul Fussell has shown, the First World War was a watershed moment for 20th century British history and culture. While the role of the 36th (Ulster) Division in the Battle of the Somme has become a part of unionist iconography in what is now Northern Ireland, the experience of southern or nationalist Irish soldiers in the war remains underrepresented. Sebastian Barry’s 2005 novel, A Long Long Way is one attempt to correct this historical imbalance. This article will examine how Barry represents the relationship between the First World War and the 1916 Easter Rising through the eyes of his politically-conflicted protagonist, Willie Dunne. While the novel at first seems to present a common war experience as a means of healing political divisions between Ireland and Britain, this solution ultimately proves untenable. By the end of the novel, Willie’s hybrid English–Irish identity makes him an outcast in both places, even as he increasingly begins to identify with the Irish nationalist cause. Unlike some of Barry’s other novels, A Long Long Way does not present a disillusioned version of the early 20th century Irish nationalism. Instead, Willie sympathizes with the rebels, and Barry ultimately argues for a more inclusive Irish national identity.

Download Full-text

War on our doorstep: Temple Street Hospital and the 1916 Rising

Medicine, Health and Irish Experiences of Conflict, 1914-45 ◽

10.7228/manchester/9780719097850.003.0006 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Barry Kennerk

Keyword(s):

First World War ◽

World War ◽

Street Hospital ◽

Paediatric Hospital ◽

Temple Street ◽

Easter Rising ◽

The First World War ◽

The Face ◽

First World

This chapter examines how the First World War and Easter Rising impacted on the practical, medical and administrative running of Temple Street Hospital. It might be assumed that the events of Easter Week 1916 would have overwhelmed a financially-weakened paediatric hospital like Temple Street. However, contemporary records show that this was not the case. Undoubtedly, the rebellion presented challenges, but the picture that emerges from this chapter study is one of competency in the face of adversity. The Sisters of Charity who governed the institution established a makeshift mortuary and, with help from the nearby Jesuits of Belvedere College, administered last rites to the dying. Their efforts to treat the wounded were compounded by the dirt and grime of the Dublin slums but such problems were not new. Temple Street Hospital had always been part of a network of charities, established to assist those who lived in some of Europe’s worst slums. That, more than any other factor helped it to meet the challenges posed by the Easter Rising. More specifically, this chapter focuses on the experiences of children who were shot and injured during the Rising.

Download Full-text