The War for Independence in Ireland - Waingels Mooc

The Irish political party, Sinn Fein was founded by Arthur Griffith in 1905. “In  Arthur Griffith  there is a mighty force in Ireland. He has none of the wildness of some I could name. Instead there is an abundance of wisdom and an awareness of things which are Ireland.” – Michael Collins. Sinn Fein has since become a focus of Irish nationalism and republicanism and following splits during the Rising and the Troubles in Northern Ireland it remains as a Republican and Left Wing secular party. The DUP and the UUP represent the voice of Unionists. Task: Research Sinn Fein, DUP and the other major political parties in Northern Ireland. Consider their relationship to religion, their view on being part of Britain and their political ideologies. 

The Peace Process refers to a series of events that has led to peace in Northern Ireland between political parties and an ending of violence between Republicans and Loyalists, including the ceasefire form the IRS in 1994 and The Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Research the main events of the peace process. http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/northern-ireland-peace-process Identify some of the key figures and parties in bringing about peace. Was this challenged? In the blog posts publish your opinion to the question 'How successful was the peace process?' Consider current landscape, the orange marches, life in Northern Ireland etc in your response.

The war of Independence between 1919 and 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British Security Forces of Ireland was sparked following the landslide victory of Sinn Fein into power in Ireland, and their declaration of Independence from Britain with a newly formed breakaway government (Dail Eireann) and the shooting dead of two members of the British Organised Armed Police Force (Royal Irish Constabulary) by the IRA. The fighting between the British Forces and the Irish Republican groups was focused around guerrilla warfare, including the capturing of weapons, freeing of prisoners and ambushing barracks and patrols.  While around 300 people had been killed in the conflict up to late 1920, Bloody Sunday, on 21st November 1920 marks the escalation of the troubles. 14 British intelligence operatives were assassinated in Dublin in the morning, followed by a retaliation in the afternoon where the RIC opened fire on a crown at a football match in the city killing 14 ...

Read through the information on the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and consider how the audience might have received this message. Consider all of the information you have researched so far and think about who might have heard this proclamation. What were the primary concerns of those living in Dublin at the time? What about the volunteers? Comment on the blog below with your views on how this message was received. The 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic was a document issued by the Irish volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army proclaiming Irish Independence. The document consisted of a number of assertions: that the Rising's leaders spoke for Ireland (a claim historically made by Irish insurrectionary movements); that the Rising marked another wave of attempts to achieve independence through force of arms; that the  Irish Republican Brotherhood , the  Irish Volunteers  and the  Irish Citizen Army  were central to the Rising; "the right of the p...

Life in Ireland at the time of the Rising was not easy. Many people lived in cramped conditions in the tenements. Research about the tenements using some of the below links and accounts to get a grasp of what conditions were like. There are many more sources out there so do look beyond these. http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/life-in-the-tenements-was-hard-and-brutal-29780548.html  http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/exhibition/dublin/poverty_health.html   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY88876jP8o   Read the following extract from the Plough and the Stars, a play by Sean O'Casey, where the beginning of each Act documents working class conditions before and during the Rising: Answer in the comments section: What picture does this give you of working class life int he early twentieth century?

The 1916 Easter Rising, also known as the Easter Rebellion is a significant time in recent Irish History. As the name suggests this armed insurgence took place in April 1916, Easter week and lasted 6 days from Easter Monday. It marked the rejection of British Rule by the Irish Republicans and represented the hope for an independent Ireland. Members of the Irish volunteers, led by Padraig (Patrick) Pearse along with James Connolly's Irish Citizen Army and the 200 women of the Cumann na mBan seized various locations across Ireland, most famously the General Post Office in Dublin. Due to a heavy resistance from the British Army and after many casualties Pearse agreed to an unconditional surrender on Saturday 29th April. More than 2,600 people were injured and 485 people killed during the Rising, 54% of which were civilians. Complete some of your own independent research into the Easter Rising. Things you may want to consider for your research: What led to the Easter Rising? W...