The Irish Revolution encompasses Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising, its War of Independence (1919-1921) and its Civil War (1922-1923). The Great War was the catalyst for the Irish Revolution and the four presentations at this conference explore some connections between the war and revolution.
‘They Have Rights Who Dare Maintain Them’ – The Formation of the Irish Volunteers by Gerry White
The Irish Volunteers would play a major role in the Irish Revolution. In this presentation Gerry White looks at the organisation’s formation, the role played by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, the split caused by John Redmond’s call for Volunteers to take part in the Great War and the path taken by the Irish Volunteers and National Volunteers after that split.
Gerry White is a former member of the Irish Defence Forces the Island of Ireland Trustee and Chair of the Cork Branch of the Western Front Association. He has written a number of books and articles on aspects of Ireland’s military history for the period 1913-1923.
Conditional Loyalty – the 1914 ‘Curragh Incident’ by Patrick Sheehan
The Curragh ‘Incident’ or ‘Mutiny’ of March 1914 took place against the backdrop of rising tensions between the rival nationalist and unionist paramilitary organisations in Ireland. It also alarmed the British government as it saw senior British Army officers intervene in politics. In his presentation Patrick Sheehan examines the cause, course, impact and aftermath of the Curragh Incident.
Patrick Sheehan is a member of the Western Front Association and a former officer in Ireland’s Reserve Defence Forces who has a keen interest in military history. He is also a member of the Mallow Field Club and has had a number of articles published in that history society’s journal.
Stories from the Stones – Dublin Soldiers in War and Revolution
Many cemeteries in Ireland and near the battlefields of the Great War contain remains of Dublin soldiers who took part in that war or in the Irish Revolution. Though their names are engraved on their headstones for eternity, those same headstones don’t say much about their lives or circumstances of their death. In this presentation, Fiona Forde looks at the stories of some of these men and the part they played in the Great War or Irish Revolution.
Fiona Forde is a genealogist and member of the Western Front Association who has a keen interest in the Great War. Among her projects is locating and photographing of the graves of Irish men and women who took part in the Great War and Irish Revolution.
An Irish Family in War and Revolution by Denis Kirby
Many Irish families had a member who fought in the Great War or took part in the Irish Revolution. Members of Denis Kirby’s family had both. In this presentation he tells their story and the impact the war and revolution had on his family.
Denis Kirby is a member of the Western Front Association and former Vice-Chairman of the Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Association. He is also a nephew of Kevin O’Higgins TD, and Great-grandson of the nationalist MP Timothy Daniel O’ Sullivan. Another uncle was killed in action while fighting on the Western Front in the Great War.
Saturday, 18 October, at 11am
Pearse Street Library, 138 – 144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2
Doors open at 10.15
While the event is free, we would ask that you consider making a donation for your ticket to offset our costs.
Admission is free, but tickets must be booked on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-great-war-and-the-irish-revolution-tickets-1708701986639