Ireland Flashcards
(31 cards)
What did the Third Home Rule Bill propose?
- Ireland to have its own parliament and legislate around things concerning Ireland
- Ireland would still be under ultimate authority of UK Parliament
- UK would control foreign policy, defence, trade, social security
Who set up Sinn Fein and when?
1905 by Arthur Griffith
Who introduced the Ulster Covenant? Why?
- Sir Edward Carson
- Sir James Craig
How many signed the Ulster covenant?
450,000
Who was Major Crawford?
- The guy who was rumoured to have signed the ulster convenant in blood (though this was later proved to be untrue)
- Believed saving Ulster was his God-given purpose
Why did the Cons dislike the idea of Ireland having Home Rule?
The UK’s power would be undermined and the Empire broken up
What were the economic reasons for Ulster remaining part of the UK?
- Belfast was a key shipbuilding region that unionists feel relate more to British cities like Glasgow and Liverpool than Dublin
- Businessmen don’t want to be heavily taxed to compensate for poorer, rural parts of Ireland
When were the Ulster Volunteers set up? Why?
1913, to ensure that Ulster would be left out of home rule
What convinces nationalists that the police are on the unionist side?
They don’t try to stop weapons being smuggled for the Ulster Volunteers
What was the Curragh Mutiny? When was it?
- 1914
- British soldiers threaten to resign rather than fight Ulster Unionists
Why were the Irish Volunteers created?
Because the Third Home Rule Bill was still being debated by 1913 and the nationalists realised that the Liberals were likely to agree to leave Ulster
Who was notably arrested for treason? Why? What did this mean for the Easter Rising?
- Roger Casement
- For smuggling weapons out of Germany into Britain during the war
- Meant that, for the most part, the Easter Rising was cancelled
How did the Irish Volunteers change in the war?
- Previously under MacNeill
- Seriously split over whether they should support the war
- John Redmond said they should, so majority broke away and formed the National Volunteers
How were the new, fringe Irish volunteers known in the press?
“Shinners”, or “Sinn Fein Volunteers”
How did the Easter Rising start? When?
- April 1916
- 1,000 armed rebels seize Dublin general post office and proclaim and Irish Republic
- They either want this to spread nationally or for Germany to invade
What did WB Yeats say about the Easter Rising?
“A terrible beauty is born”
Who condemns the Easter Rising originally?
- Catholic Church
- Redmond and the other moderate nationalists
What did the British do to change attitudes towards the rising?
- The seven who signed the proclamation were tried and shot
- The post office was bombed by the British and completely destroyed
- James Connolly was so injured that he was strapped to a chair and shot at by a firing squad
- Rebels were martyred by British actions
What was the IRB?
Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret, oath bound fraternity dedicated to rebellion. Ranks within this were the people who began planning the Easter Rising
What was the Military Council?
The IRB established this to plan a rebellion against Britain. These were the people who planned and executed the Easter Rising, including Patrick Pearse and James Connolly
What was the Irish convention?
- 1917
- Months of negotiation between different irish political parties
- No one comes up with a solution. Ultimately useless
What happened in July 1917?
- Eamonn de Valera elected as MP for Sinn Fein in a by election
- de Valera then becomes head of Irish Volunteers, bringing them under the Sinn Fein umbrella
What did DLG try to do in 1918 that caused tension?
- Tried to extend conscription to Ireland
- Led to Irish nationalist party storming out of Westminster in protest
- Sinn Fein and nationalist also joined in beginning a national campaign against conscription
What where the results for Ireland of the 1918 coupon election?
- Signals the end of the nationalists, only winning 7 seats
- Sinn Fein, in contrast, win 70, including Constance Markievicz, the first ever female MP
