29 Jul 1911

He famously said

Sir Edward Carson was the political and spiritual leader of Irish Unionism between 1910-21. He indicated his militant stand for the maintenance of the Union between Britain and Ireland in a private letter to the Ulster Unionist Sir James Craig:

“I am not for a mere game of bluff, and, unless Ulster men are prepared to make great sacrifices which they clearly understand, the talk of resistance is no use.”

28 Sep 1912

Leading by example

Sir Edward Carson was the first to sign the Covenant in the entrance of Belfast City Hall. The signing took place in front of a flag said to have been carried by King William III’s troops at the Battle of the Boyne and on a round table draped in the Union Flag.

28 Sep 1912

The Crawford myth

It has been claimed that many signed the Covenant in their own blood, particularly Frederick Hugh Crawford. Tests conducted in 2012 make it highly unlikely that Crawford signed the Covenant in his own blood, casting doubt on whether anyone else had. It has been suggested, however, that signing the Covenant ‘in blood’ was meant metaphorically and not literally.

28 Sep 1912

Crowds line the streets of Belfast

Watch this video from Ulster Day as Belfast became thronged with people declaring their opposition to Home Rule and see Edward Carson signing the Ulster Covenant.

28 Sep 1912

In the end

In total, almost half a million men and women signed the Covenant who pledged to oppose Home Rule by “all means which may be found necessary”. The Third Home Rule Bill became legislation on September 18th, 1914 but its implementation was suspended due to the First World War and the unresolved issue of whether Ulster would be included in a Home Rule parliament.

26 Apr 1907

Belfast on strike

In the spring of 1907 James Larkin, of the National Union of Dock Labourers, helped to organise dock workers in Belfast. Employers locked out union members and precipitated a bitter strike by dockers and carters, which lasted until November. During the strike there was sectarian violence, anti-sectarian actions by workers and the police mutinied in Belfast while British Army troops were deployed to quell unrest. James Sexton, the leader of the National Union of Dock Labourers, settled the strike without consulting Jim Larkin causing Larkin to feel dissatisfied at the role of British trade unions in Ireland.

01 Jan 1911

Larkin mobilises workers

After moving to Dublin, Larkin started to organise semi-skilled and unskilled workers within the city. His combination of strident trade unionism, passion for his members and organisational skill spawned a new description for his strategy: ‘Larkinism’. Employers across Ireland became increasingly alarmed at this new form of trade unionism.

01 Mar 1911

Connolly's link

Larkin combined forces with James Connolly, another important figure in the workers movement of the time, and who became the ITGWU’s Belfast organiser in 1911. Together they helped to form the Irish Labour Party in 1912.

01 Jul 1911

Larkin draws huge support

Jim Larkin addresses a rally as thousands turn out to hear from the popular trade unionist.

31 Aug 1913

The Dublin Lock-Out

The Dublin Lock-Out was a major dispute between over 20,000 workers and 300 employers and lasted for almost five months. The Lock-Out began when Dublin’s leading employer, William Martin Murphy, sacked 100 tramway workers because of their membership with the ITGWU. Larkin and the ITGWU decided to withdraw their labour in protest and force the Dublin employers to recognise their employees’ membership of the ITGWU. The most notorious day came on August 31st, 1913 when Larkin, wearing make-up and disguise, addressed a rally from a balcony of the Imperial Hotel on O’Connell Street. Larkin was arrested and the police stormed the crowd, killing two people.

01 Jan 1914

Strike reaches the end

The Dublin Lock-Out came to an end in January 1914 when ITGWU members were forced back to work to avoid starvation. Many also agreed to sign pledges not to join the ITGWU. The ITGWU was badly damaged, but not defeated. A dispirited Larkin departed for America later that year.

30 Jan 1914

In the end

After his union ran out of money and men were forced to return to work on employers terms, Larkin famously said:

“We are beaten, we will make no bones about it, but we are not too badly beaten still to fight.”

28 Jun 1914

Franz Ferdinand assassinated

One of the key triggers for war is believed to have been the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand who, along with his wife, were shot dead in Sarajevo by members of the Serbian Nationalist group, ‘The Black Hand’, causing a local confrontation between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary was backed militarily by its powerful ally the German Empire; while Serbia was backed by the Russian Empire (which was militarily allied to France and Britain). On the 28th July 1914 Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia and a localised Balkan conflict now threatened to become a general European war.

04 Aug 1914

War fever grips

In August and September 1914 ‘war fever’ gripped large numbers of people who rushed to sign up and fight.

04 Aug 1914

Britain declares war

Britain may have coped with a conflict confined to the southern European Balkans, but the German invasion of Belgium and France on the 3rd/4th August 1914 threatened the British government’s strategic interests. On August 4th, 1914, Britain declared war on the German Empire and, publicly, the British government declared its aim as the defence of the rights of small nations.

20 Sep 1914

The Woodenbridge speech

John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, gave a speech at Woodenbridge, County Wicklow, on September 20th, 1914, declaring his support of the war and encouraging Irish men to fight for the British Army. Redmond’s speech split the Irish Volunteers: the pro-Redmond faction formed the National Volunteers, with approximately 160,000 men; the anti-Redmond group, of approximately 12,000 men, maintained the Irish Volunteers name. Some of these men would go on to fight the British Army in Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising.

20 Sep 1914

He famously said

Speaking at Woodenbridge in September 1914, John Redmond said:

“I am glad to see such magnificent material for soldiers around me, and I say to you: ‘Go on drilling and make yourself efficient for the work, and then account yourselves as men, not only for Ireland itself, but wherever the fighting line extends, in defence of right, of freedom and religion in this war.”

01 Dec 1914

Another Redmond speaks up

Willie Redmond, brother of Irish Parliamentary Party leader John Redmond, became an inspiring figure on the battlefield and was revered by a large number of his fellow troops. He signed up to fight for the British Army in 1915 but had indicated his intention in December 1914 when he declared:

“I can't stand asking fellows to go and not offer myself.”

01 Jan 1915

Reasons to fight

Irish men joined the war effort for a variety of reasons including adventure, peer pressure, support for the war effort, job prospects and good pay. Many men had their jobs reserved for them at home in anticipation of their return from the fighting.

28 Jun 1919

In the end

The First World War, sometimes known as The Great War, would last for over four years and cost the lives of millions of people, including thousands of Irish men. A number of peace treaties were concluded in 1919 between the belligerents: the most famous was the Treaty of Versailles, between the Éntente and the German Empire on June 28th, 1919. In total, approximately 65 million people of all nations were mobilised during the war: over 8 million people died from the conflict and 21 million people were seriously wounded, while 6.5 million civilians were killed during the war.

01 Jan 1915

Preparing a Rising

A Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), including Sean MacDermott (left), was responsible for planning the Easter Rising, recruiting key men from the Irish Volunteers into its ranks. The Military Council hid their preparations from fellow IRB members who disagreed with a proposed Rising while other non-IRB members, including Sir Roger Casement, helped plan for the insurrection by approaching Germany for aid in the form of weapons and ammunition.

21 Apr 1916

Precious cargo

20,000 rifles and ammunition, which would be used to arm volunteers outside of the capital, made its way to Ireland four days before the Rising on board The Aud ship. With no-one there to welcome the cargo, the ship’s captain found himself pursued by three vessels and scuttled the ship with the loss of the weapons.

24 Apr 1916

Plans halted

The IRB’s Military Council had organised mobilisation orders for the Irish Volunteers for Sunday 23rd April 1916 but the leader of the Irish Volunteers, Eoin MacNeill, suspected a plot to use the Volunteers for a rebellion and issued a countermanding order on the April 22nd. The Military Council of the IRB delayed the start of the Rising until Easter Monday, 24th April when Patrick Pearse, the Volunteers’ Director of Organisation, read aloud the Proclamation on the steps of the General Post Office.

24 Apr 1916

They famously said

The opening line of the Proclamation, as read by Patrick Pearse on the steps of the GPO:

“In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.”

25 Apr 1916

Markievicz's commitment

Countess Constance Markievicz was one of the only women actively involved in fighting during the Easter Rising. She had an ambiguous role, but was appointed second-in-command to Michael Mallin at St Stephen’s Green. Following the Rising she was arrested and sentenced to death. This was later commuted to imprisonment, however, and she was subsequently released from prison in 1917.

29 Apr 1916

Evacuation and surrender

The week-long battle engulfed Dublin city and some of its most famous buildings. On Friday 29th April, under heavy bombardment from British artillery, the rebels fled the GPO. Realising the hopelessness of their situation, the rebel commanders decided to surrender on April 30th.

30 Apr 1916

Dublin in ruins

Large parts of Dublin city centre were decimated during the Easter Rising, including the GPO which came under heavy artillery bombardment from British forces.

03 May 1916

In the end

In total, 14 leaders of the Rising, including the seven signatories of the Proclamation, were executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Jail in Dublin over a ten-day period from May 3rd to May 13th, 1916.

01 Aug 1914

Irish men sign-up

Men from across Ireland enlisted to take part in the First World War. Members of both the Ulster Volunteer Force and the National Volunteers joined as part of Earl Kitchener’s call to Britain and Ireland for voluntary enlistment in the British Army.

01 Jan 1916

Reality of war

The romantic image of war that so many young recruits had envisaged was cruelly shattered by the grim reality of trench warfare. For most, rival soldiers confronted each other from the relative safety of fortified trenches across a strip of earth known as no-man’s-land. By 1916, Kitchener’s Volunteer armies were trained and prepared for battle. The 36th (Ulster) Division was part of the first offensive use of the newly created mass British Army during the Battle of the Somme in the summer of 1916.

01 Jul 1916

Going 'over the top'

On July 1st, 1916, at 7.30am, the 36th (Ulster) Division were one of the first groups to go over the top of their trenches following an allied bombardment of the German lines. The consequence for the British Army was horrific. Of the 120,000 who advanced, 57,470 suffered casualties in the single greatest loss of men by the British Army in one day. The 36th (Ulster) Division was hit particularly hard with 5,500 dead, wounded or taken prisoner.

01 Jul 1916

McFadzean's bravery

On the morning of July 1st, 1916, Lurgan man Billy McFadzean was distributing bombs in preparation for the attack. The box slipped and two of the safety pins fell out as a result. Sensing the carnage it would cause his fellow comrades, McFadzean sacrificed his life and dived on the grenades. Only one other person was injured due to the action taken by McFadzean, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery.

02 Jul 1916

He famously said

Following their attack, Captain Wilfred Spender, a correspondent for The Times, wrote:

"I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday, the 1st July, as I followed their amazing attack, I felt that I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world."

03 Jul 1916

Footage from the front

Footage from the Somme battlefield shows the harsh brutality of war.

03 Jul 1916

In the end

The 36th (Ulster) Division was able to capture their objective on the first day of the Somme, while suffering great casualties. The failure of other divisions of the British Army to be similarly successful left the 36th isolated and forced to retreat from their captured objective. They were eventually relieved from the front line on July 5th, 1916.

01 May 1917

'The Irish Question'

The issue of how best to grant self-government to Ireland, commonly known as ‘The Irish Question’, was an idea proposed by David Lloyd George (left) to John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, following the Easter Rising.

17 May 1917

He famously said..

David Lloyd George, speaking in the House of Commons on May 17th, 1917, was quoted as saying:

“Ireland should try her hand at hammering out an instrument of government for her own people”

01 Jun 1917

De Valera has other ideas

The separatist party Sinn Féin, which was rapidly gaining momentum under the leadership of Eamon de Valera, refused to attend the convention, which was held at Regent House in Dublin, weakening its authority and the chances of arriving at a widely accepted solution.

01 Jul 1917

Convention gets underway

Members from various groups and political parties arrive at Regent House to take part in the Convention.

25 Jul 1917

Differing expectations

Beginning on July 25th, 1917, the convention was made up of 95 representatives from Redmond’s Irish Parliamentary Party, Irish Unionists, members of local government authorities, clergymen from the Roman Catholic Church and Church of Ireland, and prominent members of Irish society. All of these groups had different assumptions and expectations of what they thought the convention could achieve.

06 Mar 1918

Last words

John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary party, died in London on March 6th, 1918. He was later replaced as leader of the Party by John Dillon. In Redmond’s last speech to the convention in early January 1918, he warned:

“Far better for us and the [British] Empire never to have met, than to have met and failed of an agreement.”

12 Apr 1918

Final report is delivered

A final report was delivered on April 12th, 1918, but the German spring offensive of 1918 was sorely testing the Allies on the Western Front. Lloyd George was determined to introduce conscription in Ireland (it had been in effect in Britain from 1916) and to simultaneously introduce Home Rule. On April 18th, 1918, conscription was introduced in Ireland, causing a renewed political crisis on the island. Despite nine months of deliberation the Irish Convention’s report was out-of-date within weeks of its publication.

01 Jan 1919

In the end

Crowds of Irish men emerge in force on the streets of Dublin in a rally and protest against conscription with many signing an anti-conscription pledge.

01 Feb 1918

She famously said

A militant suffragette and Irish nationalist, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington reminisced in later years, that:

“The [Suffragette] movement was a liberal education for all those who took part in it; it developed a new camaraderie among women, it lifted social barriers, it gave its devotees a new ideal, a revelation as of a new religion, it helped women to self-expression through service.”

06 Feb 1918

Voting rights increased

The 1918 Representation of the People Act gave the vast majority of men over the age of 21 the right to vote and also enfranchised female property owners aged over 30. In both Britain and Ireland the electorate was trebled by the legislation: in Britain the electorate increased from 8 million to 21 million; while in Ireland it increased from 800,000 to 2 million eligible voters.

14 Dec 1918

Sinn Féin's power increases

In December 1918, the United Kingdom general election produced a key moment in Irish history as the Irish Parliamentary Party trailed in the wake of the rising Sinn Féin who, under the leadership of Eamon de Valera, now held 73 seats in Westminster’s Parliament. Even John Dillon, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, failed to be re-elected.

14 Dec 1918

Markievicz makes history

In a monumental year for women’s rights, Constance Markievicz, who fought in the Easter Rising alongside Michael Mallin in St. Stephen’s Green, became the first woman elected to the British House of Commons winning in the constituency of Dublin St Patrick’s.

14 Dec 1918

Constance Markievicz following her election victory

Constance Markievicz is seen here surrounded by supporters following her election victory.

01 Jan 1919

Dáil Éireann is established

Eamon de Valera and other Sinn Féin MPs refused to take their seats at Westminster, London. Instead they setup their own parliament in Dublin, known as Dáil Éireann, which declared Irish independence at its first meeting in Mansion House on the 21st January 1919.

21 Jan 1919

A new Declaration

Dáil Éireann at its first meeting adopted a Declaration of Independence, deliberately borrowing the title of the American Declaration of Independence of 1776. The Dáil’s Declaration stated:

“We solemnly declare foreign government in Ireland to be an invasion of our national right which we will never tolerate, and we demand the evacuation of our country by the English Garrison.”

21 Jan 1919

In the end

On the same day as the first meeting of Dáil Éireann, two RIC constables were shot dead in an ambush at Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary. This date is also, therefore, marked as the beginning of the Irish War of Independence, or Anglo-Irish War. There was no immediate decision for war between the British authorities and Dáil Éireann and only as violent conflict developed it became clear that a war was being waged. The Irish Volunteers also became recognised as the army of the Irish Republic and, subsequently, became known as the Irish Republican Army.

21 Jan 1919

Beginning of the war

The War of Independence began with the attack and killing of two members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), in County Tipperary, on 21st January, 1919. The Irish Republican Army, previously known as the Irish Volunteers, targeted the RIC and British Army barracks

01 Aug 1920

Black and Tans deployed

The British government reacted by recruiting two temporary forces in support of the RIC: the first was known as the ‘Black and Tans’ because of the improvised uniforms they wore; the second, ‘the Auxiliaries’ were recruited from August, 1920. Both forces were primarily recruited from amongst ex-soldiers, many of whom had fought in the First World War.

01 Sep 1920

Patrolling Dublin's streets

Black and Tans patrol the streets of Dublin amongst large crowds.

21 Nov 1920

Bloody Sunday

One of the most brutal days in the War of Independence came on 21st November 21st, 1920, known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. Michael Collins, a driving force behind the War and the IRA’s Director of Intelligence, masterminded the assassination of 13 British intelligence officers and two civilians living in Dublin. Later that day, British Auxiliary forces attacked a football crowd at Croke Park killing 14, including one of the players, Michael Hogan, and wounding 65. In total, 41 people were killed across Ireland on November 21st.

01 Jul 1921

Fighting comes to an end

The war lasted for almost two and a half years during which time more than 1,300 people had lost their lives in the conflict. Both sides agreed to a ceasefire in July 1921 and signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed on 6th December 1921. Irish representatives in London for the signing included Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith.

19 Dec 1921

He famously said

As one of the signatories of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Michael Collins defended it during a sitting of Dáil Éireann in December 1921:

“In my opinion, it gives us freedom, not the ultimate freedom that all nations desire and develop to, but the freedom to achieve it.”

07 Jul 1922

In the end

The Anglo-Irish Treaty saw the government of Dáil Éireann become the Provisional Government of Ireland, and it was this body which established the Irish Free State: a self-governing dominion within the British Empire. The Treaty was narrowly ratified by Dáil Éireann, but it led to a deep split between pro and anti-Treatyite factions. These two factions fought a bitter Civil War between June 1922 and May 1923. Northern Ireland, which was created under the Government of Ireland Act, had the ability to opt out of the Irish Free State, which it chose to do on the 7th December 1922.

23 Dec 1920

Proposal falls short

The intention of the Government of Ireland Act was to establish two separate Home Rule institutions within Ireland – with both still a part of the United Kingdom. Ulster Unionists were prepared to accept this outcome: a six-county Northern Ireland with a devolved administration and a majority Protestant population. But the proposal fell far short of what the Republican administration, Dáil Éireann, was prepared to accept.

07 Dec 1922

In the end

Northern Ireland’s Parliament enacted its ability to opt of the new Irish Free State, established under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, in December 1922, a day after the Free State came into being.

09 Jan 1922

He famously said

When the Anglo-Irish Treaty was ratified on the 7th January 1922, Eamon de Valera resigned as President of the Republic two days later. Speaking in Dáil Éireann de Valera stated:

“I am against this Treaty not because I am a man of war but because I am a man of peace. I am against this Treaty because it will not end the centuries of conflict between the two nations of Great Britain and Ireland.”

14 Apr 1922

Dublin sees battle again

Over 200 anti-Treaty IRA members took hold of the Four Courts and other buildings in the heart of Dublin. In May 1922, Collins and de Valera agreed to an electoral pact in the hope this would stop the slide towards violent confrontation between republicans. However, following British pressure and the kidnap of a leading pro-Treaty General, Irish Free State forces began attacking the Four Courts. The anti-Treatyites surrendered after two days of shelling.

30 Jun 1922

Public records destroyed

During the bombardment of the Four Courts, the Irish Public Record Office was destroyed with the loss of records detailing centuries of Irish governments. It has been argued the records may have been destroyed by mines intentionally laid by anti-Treaty members as they evacuated.

30 Jun 1922

Buildings come under fire in Dublin

Forces attack the Four Courts with shells while Dublin residents attempt to get a closer view.

20 Jul 1922

Violence across the country

The war was not just focused on Dublin however, with many towns and cities throughout the country engaged in battle, including Limerick which fell to the Free State forces on July 20th. Collins’ Free State forces held superior artillery and armour to that of de Valera’s Irregulars, and were able to defeat them in most instances.

01 Aug 1922

Men come under arrest

Pro-treaty forces apprehend anti-treaty forces in the countryside. Men who may have once fought side by side were now each other's enemies.

22 Aug 1922

Collins is killed

While travelling by car in County Cork, Michael Collins’ convoy came under fire from anti-Treaty Republicans and Collins was killed. His death is widely believed to have contributed to the increasing viciousness of the civil war.

30 Apr 1923

In the end

Following months of attacks and casualties, a ceasefire was called by Frank Aiken, the IRA’s Chief of Staff, in April 1923. This was followed a month later with his order for the IRA to dump their arms, indicating it was a fight they were incapable of winning. 927 people lost their lives during the bloody conflict. The principal protagonists in the civil war, Treatyites against anti-Treatyites, would form the basis for party political divisions in southern Ireland for decades to come.