A report on Partition of Ireland, Irish nationalism and Ireland and World War I
At the outbreak of the war, most Irish people, regardless of political affiliation, supported the war in much the same way as their British counterparts, and both nationalist and unionist leaders initially backed the British war effort.
- Ireland and World War IAt the time of the partition of Ireland most of the island was Roman Catholic and largely indigenous, while a sizeable portion of the country, particularly in the north, was Protestant and chiefly descended from people from Great Britain who colonised the land as settlers during the reign of King James I in 1609.
- Irish nationalismHowever, it also had a significant minority of Catholics and Irish nationalists.
- Partition of IrelandDuring the War of Independence, the British government partitioned Ireland.
- Ireland and World War IThe Home Rule Crisis was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, and Ireland's involvement in it.
- Partition of IrelandThe Irish Volunteer movement was divided over the attitude of their leadership to Ireland's involvement in World War I. The majority followed John Redmond in support of the British and Allied war effort, seeing it as the only option to ensure the enactment of Home Rule after the war, Redmond saying "you will return as an armed army capable of confronting Ulster's opposition to Home Rule".
- Irish nationalism5 related topics with Alpha
Northern Ireland
4 linksPart of the United Kingdom that is variously described as a country, province, territory or region.
Part of the United Kingdom that is variously described as a country, province, territory or region.
Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, creating a devolved government for the six northeastern counties.
Meanwhile, the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists and Catholics who wanted a united independent Ireland.
The crisis was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, and Ireland's involvement in it.
Ulster
4 linksOne of the four traditional Irish provinces.
One of the four traditional Irish provinces.
This, and the subsequent Irish War of Independence, led to the partition of Ireland.
Most Irish nationalists object to the use of Ulster in this context.
Upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914, 200,000 Irishmen, both Southern and Northern, of all religious sects volunteered to serve in the British Army.
Irish War of Independence
3 linksGuerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-military Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and its paramilitary forces the Auxiliaries and Ulster Special Constabulary (USC).
Guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-military Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and its paramilitary forces the Auxiliaries and Ulster Special Constabulary (USC).
In May 1921, Ireland was partitioned under British law by the Government of Ireland Act, which created Northern Ireland.
Since the 1870s, Irish nationalists in the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) had been demanding Home Rule, or self-government, from Britain.
However, a significant minority of the Irish Volunteers opposed Ireland's involvement in the war.
Ulster Volunteers
3 linksUnionist, loyalist militia founded in 1912 to block domestic self-government for Ireland, which was then part of the United Kingdom.
Unionist, loyalist militia founded in 1912 to block domestic self-government for Ireland, which was then part of the United Kingdom.
Later that year, Irish nationalists formed a rival militia, the Irish Volunteers, to safeguard Home Rule.
After the war, the British Government decided to partition Ireland into two self-governing regions: Northern Ireland (which overall had a Protestant/unionist majority) and Southern Ireland.
However, in August 1914 the Home Rule issue was temporarily suspended by the outbreak of World War I and Ireland's involvement in it.
Irish Home Rule movement
2 linksMovement that campaigned for self-government for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Movement that campaigned for self-government for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the end of World War I.
1920: Fourth Irish Home Rule Act (replaced Third Act, passed and implemented as the Government of Ireland Act 1920) which established Northern Ireland as a Home Rule entity within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and attempted to establish Southern Ireland as another but instead resulted in the partition of Ireland and Irish independence through the Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922.
With the participation of Ireland in the First World War, the southern Irish Volunteers split into the larger National Volunteers and followed Redmond's call to support the Allied war effort to ensure the future implementation of Home Rule by voluntarily enlisting in Irish regiments of the 10th (Irish) Division or the 16th (Irish) Division of Kitchener's New Service Army.