The following events have all helped shape the course of Irish history in the 20th Century: a. The Easter Rising b.The deployment of British troops c.Bloody Sunday Which of these events has had the biggest impact on the history of the conflicts in Ireland

Authors Avatar

Beatrice Meecham 10KH

The conflict in Ireland has built up over the centuries between the Catholic Nationalists and the Protestant Unionists. Many actions have taken place over the years leading up to the partition of Ireland in 1921, and there are still conflicts today many years on. There are many iconic events and people who have shaped the Ireland we know today. The disagreement between the two religions and political ideas led to many deaths and thousands injured. The IRA used violence to protest for what they wanted, to the republicans they were freedom fighters but to the opponents they were just terrorists and criminal thugs. The Protestant Ulster Unionist party were committed to peaceful methods of trying to get what they want but the Protestants also had their freedom fighters like UVF (Ulster volunteer force). These two groups fought against each other for either the freedom of Ireland or the union with Great Britain. In this coursework I will be focusing on three major events that caused change in Ireland, the first is the Easter rising, the second is the deployment of the British troops and the third is ‘Bloody Sunday’.

By 1914 the country of Ireland was on the brink of civil war. The Home Rule Bill had been passed in 1914 and it promised to let Ireland run its own Country but the British Government could still step in on some matters. There were many opponents among the Protestants who wanted to keep Britain and Ireland united. The British government was saved from civil war between Nationalists and Unionists by the outbreak of World War One and the problem with the Home Rule Bill was put aside. Ireland was called upon to fight for Britain against Germany in World War One because Britain didn’t want an alliance between Ireland and Germany as that would mean that Britain would be surrounded on both sides. Many Nationalists stopped campaigning against British rule and joined the army to fight Germany. However for many extreme Nationalists, who wanted independence or at least home rule, fighting and dying for Britain was unacceptable. Republicans regarded Britain as a foreign country which did not deserve their loyalty.  

James Connolly led the Irish Citizen Army, and together with the Irish republican brotherhood they planned to take over Dublin at Easter in 1916, but their plans went wrong. The rebels were outnumbered by British troops, but still more came to the city to help fight. Connolly who was joined by Patrick Pearse who was in the Irish Republican Brotherhood. They were two of the many who were prepared to die to win the independence for Ireland. All the rebel leaders knew they were not strong enough to win the fight but they saw their cause as more important than their own lives.

On Easter Monday 1916 about one thousand six hundred men took their positions around Dublin, getting ready to attack. About a hundred men marched to the Post office to try and cut communication systems. They fired rifles into the air as they took control over the post office; this was then made their headquarters. Patrick Pearse a few moments later declared that Ireland was an independent republic. There was a week of violent and brutal hostility. After that week the British took control and rounded up the rebels.

The immediate impact was that the Easter Rising had caused much death, it had left 459 dead, and 2,614 injured. Most people in Dublin were very shaken and irritated. As the rebels were led away to prison they were spat at and threatened by the crowds. The rebels had caused so much distress and injury that the people in Dublin were just so angry at them for causing the fight that they did not feel any sympathy for them. They believed that the Easter Rising was foolish as there was no way they could have had success.

Between the 3rd and the 12th of May 1916 the rebel leaders were executed. The public started to change their opinion of the rebels because of the way the British troops reacted. The people of Ireland were horrified at the way the British handled the execution of the leaders. They shot one by one spread over 10 days. They did this as a way of showing they were in control, and to make others realise they had power. The public believed they took it too far and stretching out the killing was not needed, Britain lost the sympathy from others in their handling of the situation. The Easter Rising led to the war of independence in 1919. This war was started by the IRA attacking the police and the British troops. Many people found the rising inspirational and this encouraged further violent resistance to the British rule and further support for Sinn Fein and the IRA was also set up because of this. Along with many other things the rising eventually also led to the partition of Ireland and independence for the south.

Join now!

After the Easter Rising there was a general election in 1918, and Sinn Fein won 73 out of 105 seats, the peaceful home rule party received 6 and the unionists won 26. The Irish people were accepting the need for more extreme methods to win their freedom. Sinn Fein MPs refused to go to the British parliament and instead they set up their own in Dublin calling it the Dail Eirean.

The War of Independence in 1919 was a war between the Irish Catholics in the IRA and the soldiers from Britain. The Black and Tans were ...

This is a preview of the whole essay