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Sun, Jan 17, 2021
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The Irish Government’s involvement with the Northern Ireland centenary will be the funding of a major conference in Queen’s University Belfast.  2021’s truce, treaty and Northern Ireland commemorations will test our goodwill

Last year’s rows over the RIC and Kilmichael do not bode well for next year’s centenaries

100 years ago today the partition of Ireland was made official 100 years ago today the partition of Ireland was made official

Ireland is still living with the consequences of the Government of Ireland Act

Nine men who survived 1920 hunger strike in Cork recalled in new book Nine men who survived 1920 hunger strike in Cork recalled in new book

Lord Mayor of Cork recalls role of the nine men in the fight for Irish independence

Leo Varadkar says ‘we have lost our way’ in the decade of centenaries

Leo Varadkar says ‘we have lost our way’ in the decade of centenaries Tánaiste says ‘inclusive and respectful’ tone must return to the commemorations

Killing of priest and civilian in Cork bankrupted Auxiliaries of credibility, says historian

Killing of priest and civilian in Cork bankrupted Auxiliaries of credibility, says historian Canon Thomas Magner and Tadhg Crowley shot dead days after the Burning of Cork

‘Forgotten’ Lord Mayor highlighted burning of Cork in US, says academic

‘Forgotten’ Lord Mayor highlighted burning of Cork in US, says academic Donal Óg O Callaghan played vital role in garnering support for Irish independence

Michael D Higgins: It is time to reflect on the painful events of 100 years ago in Ireland

Michael D Higgins: It is time to reflect on the painful events of 100 years ago in Ireland Amnesia will not help us through the coming centenaries, writes President Higgins

1916-promo-tile-span8

Special supplements marking the decade of centenaries 1912-1923

Diarmaid Ferriter: It’s still hard to rise above the emotion of the War of Independence

Diarmaid Ferriter: It’s still hard to rise above the emotion of the War of Independence It invokes such partiality that, 100 years later, untangling its knotted legacy is not easy

1920 marked by violence, sectarian tensions and the creation of Northern Ireland

1920 marked by violence, sectarian tensions and the creation of Northern Ireland The events of the year and the feelings they engendered are still felt to the present day

Michael Collins’s importance in the War of Independence has been exaggerated

Michael Collins’s importance in the War of Independence has been exaggerated How did the untrained, poorly armed IRA succeed against the superior British forces?

Cumann na mBan and the War of Independence

Cumann na mBan and the War of Independence Women played a vital role in the conflict but many of their stories are lost forever

Revolutionary Ireland: defiance, youth and pessimism

Revolutionary Ireland: defiance, youth and pessimism The remarkable level of human detail in pension applications enhances our understanding of republican volunteers both during and after the revolutionary years

Cumann na mBan women had to fight for their pensions

Cumann na mBan women had to fight for their pensions The pension files tell us a great deal about how revolutionary Irish women were treated

‘We are absolutely on the racks. This week will see the end of us’

‘We are absolutely on the racks. This week will see the end of us’ The Dublin files: Those who fought in the Rising, and their families, struggled to get a military pension

Kilmichael ambush largest in War of Independence

Kilmichael ambush largest in War of Independence The Cork files: Sixteen auxiliaries and three IRA men killed in attack led by Tom Barry

From Great War to a more intimate one

From Great War to a more intimate one For many countries, Ireland included, 1919 marked the end of one conflict and the beginning of another

The Amritsar massacre: a cold, callous display of colonial evil

The Amritsar massacre: a cold, callous display of colonial evil Britain has never atoned for the barbaric killing of 379 unarmed civilians in Punjab

Ireland 1919: How would victorious Sinn Féin wield power?

Ireland 1919: How would victorious Sinn Féin wield power? The republican movement united politicians from across the political spectrum

Paris Peace Treaties failed to create a secure, peaceful and lasting world order

Paris Peace Treaties failed to create a secure, peaceful and lasting world order Soon after the conference began, it was clear US, UK and France had their own agenda

A year of upheaval

A year of upheaval The war radicalised politics, changed societies, shifted borders and left deep psychological scars in Europe

The first World War: the aftermath

The first World War: the aftermath The years following the end of the war were marked by more wars, political upheaval and deep social change

The last days of the 16th (Irish) Division

The last days of the 16th (Irish) Division The 50,000-strong unit paid a high price to restore peace to France and Belgium: in the final two years of the first World War, 27,000 became casualties, of which 8,000 men lost their lives

1918 timeline

1918 timeline Women get the vote, deadly flu kills millions, Sinn Féin gains at the ballot box, and war finally ends

Western Front: from Messines to Passchendaele

Western Front: from Messines to Passchendaele Fighting for the British Empire: the story of the Irish who lost their lives needs to be told

Giving our war dead their rightful place in history

Giving our war dead their rightful place in history Decade of Centenaries lets us tell the stories of Irish who fought in the first World War, writers Heather Humphreys

A year when the Allies snatched defeat from the jaws of victory

A year when the Allies snatched defeat from the jaws of victory High enemy casualties made Allied leaders confident of success. But by the end of 1917 their own armies were close to collapse, writes David Murphy

Ulster and Irish divisions fight side by side at Messines

Ulster and Irish divisions fight side by side at Messines A successful assault was the fruit of meticulous planning and the largest mine explosions ever, writes Tom Burke

Somme 620x125

The Somme: never were so many sacrificed for so little

The Somme:  never were so many sacrificed for so little The battle of the Somme was a new kind of battle, in a new kind of war, and overall it would claim some 1,000,000 casualties

The Somme battlefield: the longest 10 miles in history

The Somme battlefield: the longest 10 miles in history The Tyneside Irish Brigade of the 34th Division suffered some of the worst casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme

The war in France 1916: ‘No village now, only a hole in the ground’

The war in France 1916: ‘No village now, only a hole in the ground’ The 16th Irish Division paid a terrible price for its heroics in the capture of the Frenchvillages of Guillemont and Ginchy in 1916

One for all, all for one: first World War Allies agree military strategy

 One for all, all for one: first World War Allies  agree military strategy The deadly battles of Verdun, the Somme, and Salonika were fought in solidarity by the Allies to take pressure off each other

century 9 signatories

Jostling for their place in the rise to rebellion

Jostling for their place in the rise to rebellion Irish Republican Brotherhood militants were a diehard lot motivated by heroic failure and blood sacrifice

Tom Clarke: the leader left out of the story

Tom Clarke: the leader left out of the story The man who played a key role in organising the Rising was eclipsed for many years

Driven Patrick Pearse’s singular vision

Driven Patrick Pearse’s singular vision A poet, playwright, journalist and teacher, Pearse had gained a degree of public prominence years before entering the GPO

James Connolly’s vision never realised

James Connolly’s vision never realised Connolly’s tragedy was that his vision of a workers’ republic largely died with him in 1916, as the new independent Ireland became shaped by nationalist and conservative forces

c8 dragons stirring

Dragons Stirring: Six months to the Rising

Dragons Stirring: Six months to the Rising ‘The dragons of the past have not died and were only sleeping. Recent events have stirred them’ – George (AE) Russell

The first World War: A mix of despair and optimism

The first World War: A mix of despair and optimism The first World War provided both the opportunity for Irish republicans to plan their revolt and evidence that their ambitions were not shared by the majority, writes Diarmaid Ferriter

Ireland before the Rising: From Gallipoli to the Little Tramp

Ireland before the Rising: From Gallipoli to the Little Tramp  Cinema had made household names of Charlie Chaplin and Jack Johnson but did did little to boost recruitment for the Great War

Suffragettes at war

Suffragettes at war By autumn 1915, the first World War had raised tensions in the women’s movement

century 7 too much innocence again

The first World War: “Never such innocence again”

The first World War: “Never such innocence again” The Great War transformed our understanding of war, forcing writers to describe the world in new ways, and in a new language

Lost for words: Irish writing on the first World War

Lost for words: Irish writing on the first World War There is no convenient canon of Irish war literature, like that which appeared in Britain, even though Ireland had three towering literary figures in Shaw, Yeats and Joyce at the time, working at the pinnacles of poetry, prose and drama

Out of the wasteland: the first World War and modernism

Out of the wasteland: the first World War and modernism The evolution of modernist literature was intimately bound up with the shock and devastation of the war

Verses forged in blood

Verses forged in blood Guillaume Apollinaire, France’s most acclaimed war poet, who was born in Rome to a Polish noblewoman, survived the trenches of the first World War only to be killed by Spanish flu at the age of 38

century 6 too much to hope

The first World War: Too much to hope?

The first World War: Too much to hope? Redmond’s gamble that Irish nationalism’s support for empire in first World War would cement home rule proved terribly wrong, but Great War was still ‘our war’

Counting the Irish dead

Counting the Irish dead There is little consensus on the actual number of Irishmen who were killed in the Great War. It is unlikely we will ever get a definitive reckoning

Gallipoli: the final resting place ...

Gallipoli: the final resting place ... Almost 100 years on it is hard to imagine the carnage that ensued in this peaceful, Turkish seaside resort. Only the graves bear testament

The war against the War

The war  against the War In Dublin, a combative, ragtag coalition of feminists, socialists, trade unionists and just plain messers all did their bit for the anti-war effort

century 5 countdown to war

The war to end all war

The war to end  all war “One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans.”– Otto von Bismarck (1888)

Shots echoed round Europe

Shots echoed round Europe In the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sofia in Sarajevo, how Austria would react to the killing of the heir to the throne of the its empire was uppermost in European minds

The Dublin Pals who set off for Gallipoli’s killing fields

The Dublin Pals who set off  for Gallipoli’s killing fields In 1914, sports club members volunteered for ‘Pals’ battalions, and fought in one of the first World War’s bloodiest battles. A new immersive theatrical show remembers their catastrophic story

Redmond pledge that nationalists and unionists would fight together in first World War

Redmond pledge that nationalists and unionists would fight together in first World War The response in the south at the outset of the first World War was one of support for the British war effort

century 4 locked out

Wilful city of savage dreamers...

Wilful city of savage dreamers... Locked Out seeks to recall in all its complexity the 1913 events that marked the coming of age in Dublin of the Irish labour movement

The Lockout of 1913

The Lockout  of 1913 President Michael D Higgins: ‘Knowledge of history is intrinsic to citizenship’

Barriers to worker unity

Barriers to worker unity The 1907 strike in Belfast united Protestant and Catholic workers but by 1913 the sectarian divide was a barrier too strong to breach, writes Peter Collins

West awakens to worker rights

West awakens to worker rights Labour activity and strikes in Galway and Sligo proved that the movement was not solely a Dublin phenomenon, writes John Cunningham

century 3 stories form the revolution

Beyond heroes and villains

Beyond heroes and villains   ‘Stories’ is about the richness and complexity of history’s weave, and the part our relatives all played in it, for good or ill

‘A tigress in kitten’s fur’

‘A tigress in kitten’s fur’   Helen Molony was held as ‘an extremist of some importance’, a badge of honour for the Abbey actress turned trade union leader

‘Should the worst befall me . . .’

‘Should the worst befall me . . .’   Philip Walshe was shot dead in the Easter Rising, unaware that a ceasefire had been called

Relative rows over Rising commemorations echo 1966 war of words

Relative rows over Rising commemorations echo 1966 war of words Opinion: Capital projects offer a chance to redress cultural neglect

century2 women and the vote

The long road to equality

The long road to equality Their struggle is our struggle: Women’s empowerment will progress only through their involvement in political processes and in shaping constitutions that guarantee the equal rights of all citizens.

Women's work

Women's work Women often wielded authority at home 100 years ago, but as public figures in professions such as teaching and nursing they were becoming much more common.

How the other half lived - life for poor women in Dublin in 1911

How the other half lived - life for poor women in Dublin in 1911 In Dublin city  in 1911, 26,000 families lived in tenements, 20,000 of them in single rooms

A history of her story

A history of her story The big picture: The Irish women’s movement was created by unionists and nationalists, Home Rulers and republicans, liberals and socialists, Protestants, Catholics and women of no religion. They deserve a place in the history books.

century1 home rule

1912: Home rule and Ulster's resistance - an introduction

1912: Home rule and Ulster's resistance - an introduction The drama of the Home Rule Bill was to be an extraordinary curtain raiser to a decade that changed the face of modern Ireland

'The Irish Times' and Home Rule

'The Irish Times' and Home Rule For a newspaper which largely represented the views of Protestants in southern Ireland, the move to introduce Home Rule was 'a conspiracy to interrupt and destroy the peace and prosperity of Ireland'

Contrasting lives, new aspirations

Contrasting lives, new aspirations Social and economic conditions were improving for large sections of Irish society during the early years of the 20th century and the increasing prosperity fuelled a growing desire for political independence.

Starting out on the road to partition

Starting out on the road to partition The introduction by Prime Minister Herbert Asquith of a third effort to grant Home Rule led to a increasingly bitter debate in the House of Commons, with the Unionist politicians hell bent on scuppering the proposal.

Vote 100 Celebrating a century since Irish women won the right to vote
 
Tell us your story Did you have a family member in the national struggle or the first World War? Tell us: century@irishtimes.com
 
Guests at  the birthplace and museum dedicated to  Lance Corporal Francis Ledwidge  during the State commemoration ceremony at Slane, Co Meath, to mark the centenary of the poet's death, during the first World War. Photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times Centenary of death of WWI poet Francis Ledwidge
Risen women: The ‘Weekly Irish Times’ chronicles in detail what women did during the Rising, noting that men had no monopoly on courage
1916: Weekly Irish Times
Soloheadbeg: The fatal shots that ignited the War of Independence 10:42 Soloheadbeg: The fatal shots that ignited the War of Independence
A date with destiny: The centenary of the first Dáil 11:12 A date with destiny: The centenary of the first Dáil
100 years on: How the Treaty of Versailles reshaped Europe 3:41 100 years on: How the Treaty of Versailles reshaped Europe
Suffragette’s granddaughter marks centenary of women’s vote 1:42 Suffragette’s granddaughter marks centenary of women’s vote
The battle of Messines: When unionists and nationalists came together 13:33 The battle of Messines: When unionists and nationalists came together
Battle of the Somme: was it worth it? 4:09 Battle of the Somme: was it worth it?
The Somme's Irish casualties Over 450 Irish died from wounds received on the first day of battle. Search them by name or county here
 
Irish Free State troops guarding a road on the Fermanagh-Cavan border. Photograph: Getty Images 100 years ago today, the British cabinet began work on partitioning Ireland

The Government of Ireland Bill did not try to solve the Irish question, just the Ulster question

What it meant to be Irish a century ago and an ocean away from Ireland

Review: Land of Dreams: Ethnicity, Nationalism, and the Irish in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Maine, 1880–1923 by Patrick Mannion

Diarmaid Ferriter: Romantic notions no match for ugly realities of war

The focus extends to the Civil War and this reveals some of the book's strongest material

‘An eye for an eye’: The IRA’s campaign in 1920s Britain

Gerard Noonan tells the story of an often overlooked aspect of Irish history

Messines to Carrick Hill: Writing Home from the Great War by Tom Burke

Browser review

Women Writing War: Ireland 1880-1922

Browser review

The Auxiliaries: Churchill’s vengeful anti-IRA strike force

Diarmaid Ferriter reviews ‘Havoc: The Auxiliaries in Ireland’s War of Independence’

Rebel Prods review: The Protestants behind Irish independence

A history of the little-known people who defied the political consensus in their churches

The End of Europe by James Kirchick review: Heading towards the 1930s?

An analysis of the ‘crisis of liberalism’ warns that stability is not the European norm

Grandpa the Sniper review: family tale of a brave man of 1916

Frank Shouldice draws movingly on private and official sources of an Irish Volunteer

Michael Davitt: After the Land League, 1881-1906, by Carla King review

A major study completes the picture of a man whose life story, in terms of achievement, obstacles overcome and unyielding integrity, was more extraordinary than Parnell’s

A French take on Irish history: ‘Histoire de l’Irlande: De 1912 à nos jours’ review

Alexandra Slaby’s beautifully written book forces one to reappraise recent Irish history and to see the extent to which this island has changed in the past 100 years

The Road to Home Rule review: How disgust at colonial aggression fuelled Irish nationalism

Paul A Townend looks at how analogies were made with Ireland’s centuries of suffering

“Governing Paddy has never been a hopeful or a pleasant task”

Review: Poverty and land lie at heart of K Theodore Hoppen’s Governing Hibernia as he traces how Britain ruled Ireland

Lenin on the Train review: All aboard the Red ball express

Catherine Merridale’s retelling of Lenin’s momentous journey is history come alive

Voices from the Easter Rising, edited by Ruán O’Donnell and Mícheál Ó hAodha

Browser review

The Twelve Apostles review: Tim Pat Coogan’s ballad to his heroes

Ireland’s best-known historical writer brushes aside scholarship in an uncritical narrative of the War of Independence and Civil War

After the Rising review: acts of a state whose fabric is threatened

Seán Enright looks at the well-meaning but inadequate judicial system put in place after 1916

The Vanquished: Why the First World War Failed to End, 1917-1923 review

Robert Gerwarth’s fascinating and finely crafted book is full of insightful observations

Wherever the Firing Line Extends: Ireland and the Western Front review

Ronan McGreevy beautifully demonstrates the process of how Ireland’s memory of war is changing

War and Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans review: real, raw and powerful

This is an important work about the first World War largely because of the material from which it draws

Life in the Country House in Georgian Ireland by Patricia McCarthy review

Over-indulgence in alcohol and noisy use of the chamberpot characterised social life among the not-so-genteel Georgian upper class in ‘the long 18th century’

16 Lives: Patrick Pearse by Ruán O’Donnell

Browser review

1914 by Jean Echenoz review: epic telling of the horrors of the Great War

Barely a novella in length, 1914 displays the authority of an historian and the humanity of a storyteller

Irish Nationalists in America: The Politics of Exile, 1798-1998 review

A history of the red, white, blue and green challenges assumptions about Irish America

Review: The Indignant Muse: Poetry and Songs of the Irish Revolution, 1887-1926

This great, mammoth collection shows how Irish revolutionary writers sang from one hymn sheet, writes Diarmaid Feritter

1916 – Ireland’s Revolutionary Tradition, by Kieran Allen: Shadow of a gunman

An eloquent study argues that Ireland should grasp this moment to revisit ‘Connolly’s way’

The Stinging Fly: In the Wake of the Rising review: Rising above the romance

A visceral collection of pieces by modern Irish writers depicts another side of 1916

The Seven, by Ruth Dudley Edwards review: surveying the signatories

Insightful studies of the men who signed the Proclamation are undermined by lack of rigour

Scotland and the Easter Rising review: Cumann na Caledonia

Scotland’s connections – and disconnections – to 1916 are explored in this provocative though sometimes simplistic collection of essays

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