Intro - Irish Independence


This Mooc is ideal for students who enjoy learning about history, religion and/or politics. It will also look at Irish literature. As we will be looking at events between 1912 and 1923 it is relatively modern in the landscape of history and with Brexit talks bringing the Irish border into political debate yet again it is an opportunity to explore why it is so contentious. 

 Each week you will explore various events that shaped the nature of modern Ireland - The Great War, the Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War through familiar names and faces and the stories of those affected by events.

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Week 3 - The Easter Rising

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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...
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Week 4 - The People of Ireland

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Week 2 - Ireland and the Great War

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Home Rule and WWI During the swell that led to WWI Ireland was in the throws of its own political unrest. Irish Nationalists had been working hard towards Irish Home rule from the 1870, and had made progress when th e  Third Home Rule Bill  was introduced in 1912  but their efforts were to be shelved with the outbreak of the first world war.  The  Irish Home Rule movement  was a movement that agitated for  self-government  for Ireland within the  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.  It was proposed that purely Irish questions would be dealt with by an Irish parliament in Dublin, but the people of Ireland would still be represented by members of parliament in Westminster. Watch the following short video to find out more:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBONYJIh8Nw  The War itself divided opinion with many angered by the delay to Home Rule, while others urged the importance of uniting with the British in the f...
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