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The Irish Revolution, 1912-23: Context

Module description

During 1912-23, Ireland experienced radical changes in its governance and society. This module, which requires no prior knowledge of Irish history, explores an extraordinary period of revolution, guerrilla warfare, civil war and Partition. Through close study of the available primary sources, you will come to understand the roots of current tensions within and between Britain, the now separate Republic of Ireland and a Northern Irish state still joined to the UK. The co-requisite Context module (HIH3157) will provide the social and political background to this formative period – and engage you with the lively field of Irish Revolutionary historiography.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Ireland’s seemingly natural trajectory towards self-governance within the United Kingdom was halted, in 1912, by Ulster Unionists’ rejection of the British government’s Home Rule Bill. The consequent militarisation of Irish society – and the outbreak of global war in 1914 – provided opportunities for radical republicanism to overtake moderate nationalism as the driving force for change in Ireland. This module aims to:

• Through in-depth analysis of the available source material, explore the constitutional, (para)military and popular violent processes through which, by 1923, independence was established for the twenty-six southern counties (of the Irish Free State), whilst six Partitioned Ulster counties, comprising the new Northern Ireland state, remained under UK authority (as they do until this day)
• Consider the perspectives of government officials, armed combatants and civilians, addressing historical topics (religion, nationality, identity, radicalism, counter-insurgency) that have strong contemporary resonances
• Foster the broad research, analytical, interpretative and communication skills that can be usefully applied to future academic studies and in graduate jobs
• Encourage the development of discipline-specific skills, including sensitivity of historical controversy and robust awareness of the sectarian and political agendas that often beset the study of recent and on-going conflicts, in Ireland and elsewhere

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Identify and evaluate the diverse and complex themes that pertain to the history of the Irish Revolution (1912–23)
• 2. Understand and explain the key developments in Ireland’s governance and society within the period, developed through independent study and seminar work

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Analyse the key developments within a particular historical environment
• 4. Comprehend and explain complex historical issues and debates
• 5. Understand and deploy relevant historical terminology in a comprehensible and sophisticated manner

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Select, organise and analyse material for written work and/or oral presentations of different prescribed lengths and formats
• 7. Present an argument in a written form in a clear and organised manner, with appropriate use of correct English
• 8. Through essay development process, demonstrate ability to reflect critically on your own work, to respond constructively to feedback, and to implement suggestions and improve work on this basis

Syllabus plan

The introductory sessions will provide a framework within which all students (regardless of their prior knowledge of Ireland/Irish history) can place their future work. These sessions are likely to cover Ireland and the Union; religion and society in nineteenth-century Ireland; the development of constitutional and violent movements for Irish independence.
Following the introductory sessions, the exact syllabus will vary from year to year, but topics are likely to include:
• The Home Rule Party (and Home Rule Crisis)
• Ulster Unionism and the militarization of Irish society
• Radicalism and republicanism: Arthur Griffith, Sinn Féin and the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood; labour; women’s suffrage
• World War I and Irish soldiers abroad
• The Easter Rising
• Aftermath of the Rising and the 1917 by-elections
• Political imprisonment
• The 1918 General Election and the alternative state (Dáil Éireann)
• The War of Independence, 1919–21
• The early IRA (Irish Republican Army)
• The Anglo-Irish Treaty
• Partition and borders
• The Irish Civil War
• Social revolution? The Irish Land Question since the Wyndham Act (1903)
• Cultural revolution? Lives and beliefs of the ‘revolutionary generation’

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

 
• Gemma Clark, Everyday Violence in the Irish Civil War (Cambridge, 2014)
• Ronan Fanning, Fatal path: British government and Irish Revolution, 1910–22 (London, 2013)
• Roy Foster, Vivid faces: The revolutionary generation in Ireland, 1890–1923 (London, 2014)
• Peter Hart, The IRA at war, 1916–23 (Oxford,, 2003)
• Charles Townshend, Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion (London, 2006)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE - https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=5897
• Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland, University of Ulster: http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/
• Databases accessed through the Library website, including: Bibliography of British and Irish History; Dictionary of Irish Biography; First World War Online
• History Hub , UCD School of History and Archives; see especially the ten-part ‘Irish Revolution Podcast’: http://historyhub.ie/theirishrevolution
• International Encyclopaedia of the First World War; see especially Richard S. Grayson, ‘Ireland’: http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/ireland
• RTE Archives, Exhibitions, ‘Easter Rising’: http://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/1993-easter-1916/

Key words search

History, revolution, war, Ireland, Great Britain, violence, politics, nationalism