Although Eamon de Valera had fought for an Irish republic during the rising of Easter 1916 and later during the War of Independence 1919-1921 and on the anti-treaty side during the Civil War 1922-1923, he was able to...
History of Ireland
Éamon de Valera bans the IRA
Prior to the civil war of 1922-1923, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) principle allegiance was to the national government assembly known as Dáil Éireann. However, many members of both the IRA and the Dáil found that...
The Formation of Fine Gael
Following the civil war, the Irish Free State was governed by the pro-treaty parties the largest of which was, Cumann na nGaedheal, from 1923 to 1933. This was the party of William T. Cosgrave, a veteran of the Easter...
Fianna Fáil is founded
In 1923, the irregular troops laid down their arms, giving victory to the Free State forces. Eamon de Valera, as Director of Operations for the anti-treaty side, was apprehended and imprisoned. As the country settled...
The Founding of Sinn Féin In 1905
After the Parnell debacle of 1890, Irish nationalism, as a movement, was weakened by the lack of coherent leadership. It was a kaleidoscope of disparate groups, all following their own paths. The Gaelic league was gaining strength and harnessing the Irish people in...
Countess Markievicz (1868-1927)
The Countess Constance Markievicz is an iconic figure in Irish nationalist and republican myth. She was born into a wealthy Protestant Anglo-Irish family, the Gore-Booths, whose estates were at Lissadell in County Sligo. She and her younger (by 2 years) sister Eva led...
History of 20th Century Ireland
By the early 1900’s more and more nationalist groups appeared in Ireland inspired by the Irish cultural rival of the late 1800s and the thought of independence from Britain. Groups such as Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish...
The Forming Of The Gaelic League
As the 19th century was coming to a close, there were many in Ireland who recognized that the Irish language (Gaeilge), was in danger of being lost. The language had been in general decline since the start of the century, and before, but it was the death toll caused...
The History Of Michael Collins
Michael Collins was the son of a small farmer from west Cork. Born on 18th October 1890 he was the youngest of eight children and educated at a local school. His father, Michael, passed away when the young Collins was 6 years old. Young Michael’s life was heavily...
Gaelic Athletic Association Is Founded
By the late 1800’s Ireland was in a state of disarray. It already suffered a major famine that has a major impact on the Irish population. By now the English had control over Ireland and the Irish identity was fading. It was believed that the Irish culture, customs,...
James Joyce (1882 - 1941)
Ireland has always produced poets and writers of renown but premier amongst them has to be James Augustus Aloysius Joyce, a modernist writer who is thought to be the first to develop the “ stream of consciousness “ style. The young Joyce was born into a middle-class...
Charles Stewart Parnell (1846 - 1891)
Charles Stewart Parnell, born in 1846 into the Irish Ascendency, was the son of John H. Parnell, an Anglo Irish aristocrat and his American wife Delia who was descended from the House of Tudor. Charles was educated in several schools in England though he never gained...
Isaac Butt and the Home Rule Movement
Isaac Butt was born in the Glenfin hamlet of Cloghan in County Donegal. His father was a Church of Ireland cleric in nearby the nearby town of Stranorlar. Educated at the Royal School in Raphoe and afterward in Trinity College, Dublin the young Butt was regarded as a...
Discovery of Cashel Man The Ancient Bog Body
The Cashel Man is a bog body discovered in Ireland in August 2011. He is the oldest fleshed bog body to have been found anywhere and yields a radiocarbon date of BC 2141-1960. The Cashel Man met a violent death and may have been sacrificed as part of a ritual. The...
James Craig 1871-1940
James Craig the 1st Viscount Craigavon was the son of millionaire James and Eleanor (nee Browne) Craig. The family was wealthy, their money coming from the distillation business. Their home, Craigavon, was at Strandtown Estate in Sydenham on the outskirts of Belfast....
The Manchester Martyrs of 1867
In the aftermath of the Fenian Rebellion of 1867, the British authorities proceeded to hunt down as many of the resurgent’s it could lay hands upon both in Ireland and in Britain. The Chief Executive of the proclaimed Republic of Ireland, Colonel Thomas J. Kelly was...