THE RISE OF SINN FEIN AND THE IRISH WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

Sinn Fein was formed in 1905 by Arthur Griffith. The execution of the leaders of the 1916 Rebellion changed the political situation in Ireland forever. The Rebellion had drawn attention to the long history of British injustice in Ireland and had demonstrated that the cause of Irish freedom was not illusory.

In 1917 the death of Thomas Ashe after being force fed while on hunger strike and the attempted conscription of Irish people were two of the main events post 1916. The Home Rule party was by now discredited. Sinn Fein became the organization for those who wanted a free and independent Ireland.

The landslide victory by Sinn Fein in the general election of December 1918 led to the formation in 1919 of the First Dail Eireann which approved a provisional constitution for an Irish Republic. The British refused to recognize the Irish Republic and so the Irish War of Independence began in January 1919.

The course will include audio visual materials. All students will receive a PowerPoint presentation for each class.