Product Description

The object of this book is to give an insight into the Irish revolution, and seek to explain how it came about, through a study of events at a regional level. County Longford was chosen because it was the scene of Sinn Fein's crucial by-election victories in 1917 and an active area of IRA operations during the War of Independence. The book begins by tracing the decline of the home rule movement in the county up to the eve of the by-election in May 1917, and draws parallels with the fate of the movement nationally and also in other parts of the country. The weakness of the home rule campaign during the South Longford by-election reflected the level of decline which had taken hold. While the victory of the Sinn Fein candidate, Joe McGuinness, was ensured by the controversial intervention of the archbishop of Dublin, Sinn Fein had a much better organization than the weak and divided Irish Parliamentary Party. Sinn Fein's victory in the by-election acted as a catalyst for the rapid spread of the movement throughout Longford in the latter half of 1917. This will be considered along with the corresponding rejuvenation of the Irish Volunteers. The book focuses on political aspects of the revolution examining the importance of administrative charges as Sinn Fein and Dail Eireann usurped the functions of the courts and local government. The second half of this book deals with the military side of the revolution. A narrative account of the War of Independence and Civil War in Longford is followed by a personnel profile of the Volunteers and Cumann na mBan respectively, constructing a social profile of the members of both organizations, outlining their activities at various stages of the independence campaign, and examining the motivation for joining these organizations and engaging in violent activity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1411640 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 276 pages