The Irish Republican Army

The 1916 Irish Easter Uprising Ever since the occupation of Ireland by the English began in 1169, Irish patriots have fought back against British rule, and the many Irish rebellions and civil wars had always been defeated. To quash further rebellion, the Act of Union was imposed in 1800, tying Ireland to the United Kingdom of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Laws discriminating against Catholics and the handling of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-50 led to increased tension and the proposal of introducing Home Rule gained support. In 1913 there was a general strike of workers in Dublin led by James Connolly of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (I.T.G.W.U.). This action was followed by the 1913 Lock-Out during which employers literally locked workers out of their factories.

Home Rule The Potato Famine, religious discrimination, and land issues caused tension in the Irish community. Home Rule, a measure of an independent government for Ireland, was the inevitable solution. It took more than two centuries for Ireland to gain its independence over Great Britain. With the Act of 1800, the British abolished Ireland’s Dublin Parliament. As a result, Irish members were forced to take their seats in Westminster (Walsh 1).

Then it is necessary to look at the feelings of the opposing sides of the Civil War. Finally one must look at history itself and compare the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War with similar cases. Once all steps have been taken the ultimate aim of this essay is to prove that the Civil War was a ‘natural’ conclusion to the previous years. The War of Independence (WOI) was fought between the years 1918 and 1921 and ‘was mainly limited to Dublin and the province of Munster, and the IRA victories were few and far between’ . Ireland had forgotten about its aspirations for Home Rule and was now looking for a more drastic form of Independence.

The Fenian Movement Fenian Movement, which was organized 1858, started as a secret revolutionary society in Ireland and the United States. This movement was created in the honor of the Fianna, known as the ancient Irish warriors. Fenians wanted to achieve Irish Independence from England by force. This movement was also known as the Fenian Brotherhood, Fenian Society, Irish Republican Brotherhood, and Irish American Brotherhood. The Fenians also had a very strong military force located in Ireland.

Irish citizens took upon themselves the responsibility of overthrowing the British Government in Ireland during the “Easter Rising of 1916”, which was the result of centuries of rights violations against the Irish by the British. Oppression of the Irish began in A.D. 1367 with the Statute of Kilkenny, which restricted the traditions of the Irish and placed them under the authority of the English in Ireland. (Hardiman) Oppression of the Irish was expanded in the late 1600s and early 1700s with a series of penal laws. These laws were directed at “Papists” or Irish Catholics, and restricted everything from education to the right to own weapons. (umn.edu) The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) was formed in the mid 1800s to press the British out of Ireland.

This has all been going on because Britain was given Irelands land back in the 12th Century. Ireland has been struggling for freedom throughout history. Britain will not leave the nation of Ireland until it gets back what remains of British economical investments in the northeast of Ireland (Metress 149). Ireland had always been ruled by Britain but it wasn’t until Ireland voted to be a free nation, they were denied, and they started to fight back on Easter in 1916. According to Golway, James Connolly, the leader of the Irish labor movement, “demanded an end to mere talk of revolution” (224).

What kind of problem can make people with this background engage in a thirty-year violent struggle against their neighbors and produce some of the most effective militant groups of modern times? Northern Ireland challenges the assumption that conflicts only occur in underdeveloped countries where tribal loyalties are more important than citizenship, where there is a limited democratic tradition and where there are massive problems of poverty and inequality. It is rooted in the struggle of one part of the community for an independent and unified Ireland and hostility to that struggle from the other part of the community wanting to remain within the United Kingdom. The conflict is complex because of the number of actors involved, both inside and outside Northern Ireland. The states most directly affected are the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Why the British Troops Were Sent into Northern Ireland in 1969 In 1969 British Troops were sent into Ireland because Irish police could no longer cope with the violence between the Unionist Protestant population and the Catholic Nationist population. The events that meant it was necessary for British troops to be sent in stretch back a long way. This essay presents the main long term and short term explanations as to why troops were needed. The tensions between Catholic and Protestant citizens had been mounting for many years. During the sixteenth century there was a lot of rivalry between the Catholic Church and Protestants and when King Henry VIII broke away from the Pope and became Protestant, Ireland remained strongly Catholic.

The unionists want to be governed by England's parliament however; the Nationalists in Northern Ireland do not. The Nationalists in the Republic are Independent and want a untied Ireland. Easter Rising, 1916 =================== The Easter Rising took place in April 1916;it was one of many rebellions held by Nationalists in an attempt to get independence for Ireland. However, this rebellion was much more intense and violent that those before. Several events led up to the Easter Rising, all of which had an influence on what happened.

Isaac Butt and Charles Parnell led the movement (Home Rule). Because the Irish were insistence in obtaining their freedom, the Home Rule movement caused the following events to occur: The Easter Uprising, an increase in attendance of the Irish Republic Treaty (IRA), the founding of the Sinn Fein, and the Irish Free State. During the HRM, three Home Rule bills were produced and promptly rejected. Ultimately, the fourth Home Rule Bill ended in victory in 1922 (“Home Rule”). As a result of the Irish having to engage in a difficult and long-fight battle for their independence from England, the people of Ireland began to cause anarchy.