Rebellions Against the British Empire Codexery

Irish War of Independence

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The Irish War of Independence was a guerrilla conflict fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army and British forces including the British Army, Royal Irish Constabulary, Auxiliaries, and Ulster Special Constabulary.[1] Hostilities ceased on 11 July 1921, and the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed on 6 December 1921; the Irish Free State, a self-governing Dominion, was subsequently established on 6 December 1922.[2]

What happened

That same day, IRA volunteers killed two RIC officers in the Soloheadbeg ambush, an act widely regarded as the beginning of the war.[3][4][5] During April 1916, an insurrection known as the Easter Rising was carried out by Irish republicans, who declared an Irish Republic; the uprising was suppressed within a week.[3] Popular backing for Irish independence grew as a consequence of the British reaction to the Rising.[3] Sinn Féin, the republican party, achieved a decisive victory in Ireland during the 1918 general election.[3]

On 21 November 1920, known as Bloody Sunday, fourteen British intelligence officers were killed; subsequently, RIC members opened fire on a crowd at Croke Park, resulting in fourteen civilian deaths.[6] Over the subsequent seven months, the violence grew worse, with 1,000 fatalities and 4,500 republicans placed in internment.[6] A truce commenced on 11 July 1921; negotiations after this truce produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was signed on 6 December 1921.[2]

What the cited sources add

The 1918 election was a democratic moment that almost tripled the Irish electorate from 700,000 to 1.93 million under the Representation of the People Act.[7] Sinn Féin won 73 of the 103 Irish seats in 1918, though obtaining less than 48 per cent of the votes cast.[8] The Catholic hierarchy issued a public declaration that the Irish people had a right to resist conscription by every means consonant with the law of God.[7] Sinn Féin's political activities were overshadowed by the IRA's military campaign, which Sinn Féin assisted but never effectively controlled.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Irish War of Independence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Heatherly, "Cogadh Na Saoirse: British Intelligence Operations During the Anglo-Irish War, 1916–1921", BiblioBazaar, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Irish War of Independence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Richardson, "A Coward if I return, a Hero if I fall: Stories of Irishmen in World War I", O'Brien, 2010, p. 13 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Irish War of Independence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Townshend 1975, p. 31 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Irish War of Independence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Breen, "My fight for Irish freedom", Anvil, 1981, p. 50 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Irish War of Independence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Irish Freedom by Richard English ( ), p. 287.; The Irish War of Independence by Michael Hopkinson ( ), p. 115.; A Military History of Ireland by Thomas Bartlett; Sean Treacy and the 3rd. Tipperary Brigade by Desmond Ryan (1945), p. 74.; Police Casualties in Ireland, 1919–1922 by Richard Abbott ( ), p. 49. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Irish War of Independence" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Eunan O'Halpin on the Dead of the Irish Revolution", Theirishistory.com, 10 February 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. O'Toole, "Fintan O'Toole: The 1918 election was an amazing moment for Ireland", rte.ie, 2018-12-11. facts only, no text reused. irishtimes.com
  8. "BBC – Sinn Féin", BBC. facts only, no text reused. bbc.co.uk

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Irish War of Independence (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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