How did the threat and use of physical force affect Ireland during
the period 1912-1923?
The threat and use of physical force had massive effects on Ireland from 1912-1923. The
foundation of two armed groups, the Ulster Volunteers and the Irish volunteers, both with vastly
opposing aims, gave rise to an era of conflict in Ireland. The extreme nationalists who planned
the 1916 rising also contributed to a growing notion of using violence for political gain. The war of
independence and civil war that followed were further evidence of this. However, this violence
was a means to an end as seen by the signing of the Anglo Irish treaty in 1922.
In 1912 Ulster unionists set up the Ulster volunteers and pledged to resist home rule by any
means necessary. Carson moved to control this group by late 1912 and Andrew Bonar Law,
leader of the conservative party in England said: “I can imagine no lengths to which the unionists
would go where I would not support them.” The Ulster volunteers signed the solemn league and
covenant where they pledged to resist home rule. As a protestant minority, they feared home rule
would be Rome rule. They also imported guns from Larne, which became known as the Larne
gunrunning scheme. The foundation of the Ulster volunteers was the first introduction of armed
groups in Ireland since the Fenian rising.
In 1913 Eoin McNeill founded the Irish volunteers. They were founded at rotunda rink in Dublin
and they were founded to counteract pressure from the Ulster Volunteers. They imported guns at
Howth on the Asgard. As a rebuttal, soldiers opened fire at bachelors walk later that day killing
three people. No such occurrence happened when the unionists imported guns. The foundation
of the Irish volunteers now meant there were two groups on the island with vastly opposing aims.
The threat of physical force forced Asquith into a search for a compromise between the two
sides. No concrete solution was found and when war broke out in 1914 home rule was passed
and suspended until after the war.
Unknown to McNeill the Irish volunteers mainly consisted of the IRB, and they were intent on
organizing a rising while England was at war. “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity.” The
planned a rising for Easter Monday and occupied seven buildings in Dublin. McNeil called of the
volunteer activities for that day as he thought that the rising was doomed to fail. Therefore the
rising was mainly confined to Dublin. In response to the rising, a gunboat sailed up the Liffey and
destroyed inner city Dublin. When Pearse heard of this and the 350 civilian deaths he
immediately surrendered. The rising had been a military failure yet its effect on Ireland was
nonetheless monumental.
The response to the rising among the Irish was initially negative as they resented a small group
taking action without a mandate from the people. Most people at that time thought home rule
granted adequate autonomy. However, after the rebels started to be executed there was a
widespread protest. The feeling in Ireland began to shift and the 1916 rebels were seen as
martyrs. This progression meant people began to desire greater levels of autonomy from the
British government. The violence and sacrifice involved in the 1916 rising gave rise to a
nationalist uprising throughout the country.
After the rising, the Irish volunteers began to reorganize and from then on worked in conjunction
with the party Sinn Fein. Lloyd George ordered the release of 1800 men arrested after the rising,
who brought home to Ireland a renewed sense of purpose. on the 21st of January 1919, the
same day as the dail met for the first time, a group of volunteers attacked a police convoy in
Soloheadbeag which began the war of independence. The war of independence is a further
example of violence being used in Ireland to further political aims.
The Irish opted for guerilla warfare for the war of independence, which was the brainchild of
Collins. Collins also set up a squad of twelve men who murdered British spies, which meant that
spies didn’t infiltrate the Irish volunteers. On bloody Sunday Collins squad murdered twelve
spies. In response, the black and tans opened fire at a match in Croke park killing thirteen. Irish
volunteers were organized into flying columns, groups of men who stayed in safe houses and
launched attacks on police convoys and barracks. The fiercest was ran by Liam Lynch, they
wiped out two lorries of auxiliaries in 1919. The auxiliaries responded by setting fire to buildings
in cork city. The war of independence continued along this vein, with brutal acts of violence and
reprisals.
By 1921 both sides wanted peace. A ceasefire was agreed upon and both sides agreed to talks.
The volunteers had used violence for political means but had not managed to attain
independence through it. The war had brought them a long way down the path to ultimate
independence but they would now have to adhere to normal democratic practices. The British
government had also implicitly conceded by agreeing to talks that the government of Ireland act
in 1920 had not granted sufficient levels of independence.
In 1921 Irish delegates signed the Anglo Irish agreement. This consisted of Ireland being granted
dominion status as well as total fiscal autonomy. There was widespread relief among ordinary
people as they hoped it would bring an era of peace. However, due to the oath of allegiance and
the continued partition of Ireland, there was a split in Sinn Fein and it led to the civil war. The civil
war was a bitter war and peace was not achieved until 1923. The effects of the war were
damaging to the Irish economy. The cost of restoring law and order and reconstructing the
country after the destruction was very high. The civil war also planted bitterness between the two
opposing parties that would dominate politics for the ensuing years.
The period from 1912 to 1923 is a very violent and turbulent period in Irish history. While the
1916 rising and the war of independence both undoubtedly played a massive role in Ireland
eventual independence they had long-term negative effects on the country. Many attribute the
troubles in the north to the violence in these years. As well as that the civil war served very little
purpose other than ensuring the free state was born into even more difficult circumstances,
sowing the seeds of bitterness and resentment between the two main political parties and
strengthening partition.
The threat and use of physical force had a major impact on Ireland and Irish politics during this
period. Physical force and violence became a popular means through which nationalists could
achieve further independence from Britain and Unionists could fight to remain in the Empire.
Conflicting views in Ireland about Home Rule and independence gave rise to an era of conflict in
Ireland, aided by the establishment of the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers. The
use of physical force was used again in the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and the
subsequent Civil war- all with the aim of furthering their independence from Britain.
In 1912, Herbert Asquith introduced the third Home Rule bill which was due to become law in
1914. This divided Irish citizens, as Unionists greatly resented the idea of Home Rule. They felt a
close link to Britain in terms of identity as many were descendants of English settlers. Unionists
wanted to remain part of the empire and feared that an Irish parliament would be dominated by
Catholics – ‘Home Rule is Rome Rule’. However, nationalists believed that Ireland was a
separate nation to Britain in culture and identity. Both sides took action following the Home Rule
Bill to re-establish ‘the gun’ in Irish politics.
Unionists were furious at the prospect of Home Rule. On September 28th, 1912 (now known as
Ulster Day), 500,000 Unionists signed the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant, pledging to
resist Home Rule ‘by all means necessary’, including violence. Some even signed in blood,
showing they were willing to die for the cause. This pledge became reality in the form of the
Ulster Volunteer Force – a paramilitary force determined to resist Home Rule. They imported
25000 rifles and 3 million rounds of ammunition at Larne in 1914. The foundation of the Ulster
volunteers was the first introduction of armed groups in Ireland since the Fenian rising.
Inspired by the success of the Ulster Volunteers, Irish nationalists decided to form a nationalist
militia to oversee the enactment of Home Rule. The group was known as the Irish Volunteers
and was founded by Eoin MacNeill. They imported 1500 rifles and 45000 rounds of ammunition
at Howth onboard the Asgard in July 1914. At this point, there was a real threat of civil war in
Ireland. Two paramilitary forces with conflicting views were armed and ready to fight. The threat
of physical force forced King George V to call a conference at Buckingham Palace to discuss the
possibility of partitioning Ireland, but no decision was reached.
In August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany and subsequently postponed the introduction
of Home Rule. A group within the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, believed
‘England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity’ and began planning a rebellion while Britain was at
war. They planned a shipment of guns from Germany aboard the Aud, which was intercepted by
the British. They decided to go ahead despite the lack of guns on Easter Monday 1916, seizing
key buildings in Dublin. British reinforcements were sent to Dublin and shelled building held by
the rebels. The civilian deaths and destruction caused forced the rebels to surrender after 5
days. The rising had been a military failure, but its effects were monumental. The public
execution of the leaders evoked sympathy from the Irish public who began to support extreme
nationalism. The violence and sacrifice led to a demand for further autonomy from Britain.
After the Rising, the Irish Volunteers re-organised to form the Irish Republican Army. In January
1919, the same day as the meeting of the first Dail, a group of IRA members attacked a police
convoy in Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary. This began the War of Independence – another example
of physical force being used to further political aims. The IRA organised ‘flying columns’ to
launch surprise attacks on British forces. The British sent reinforcements in the form of former
soldiers – the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries- who used brutal tactics. The bloody war lasted 2
years before both sides agreed to peace talks which became the treaty negotiations. The use of
violence had brought them closer to discussing further independence. The Government of
Ireland Act 1920 introduced the partition of Ireland, but for nationalists it had not introduced
sufficient levels of autonomy.
In 1921, Irish delegates signed the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Ireland was granted ‘dominion status’
within the British commonwealth and all MPs had to swear an oath of allegiance to the King.
While this granted far more independence than Home Rule, it divided the Dail with Eamonn De
Valera claiming it placed Ireland ‘irrevocably under the British crown’. The delegates signed the
agreement after the threat of further violence – Lloyd George threatened ‘an immediate and
terrible war’ if they did not sign. This threat of violence gave way to another period of conflict in
Ireland, the Civil War, caused by differing views on the Treaty.
The treaty was accepted in the Dail 64 votes to 57 and president De Valera resigned in protest.
Pro-treatyites agreed it was a ‘stepping stone’ whereas Irregulars saw it as a betrayal of those
who died in the pursuit of sovereignty. The Civil War caused the deaths of 4000 people, including
key figures in Irish politics such as Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith and Liam Lynch. Minister for
Economic Affairs Kevin O’Higgins described the Irregulars actions as being fuelled by ‘20%
idealism, 20% crime and 60% futility’. The civil war was a bitter war and peace was not achieved
until 1923. The effects of the war were damaging to the Irish economy. The cost of restoring law
and order and reconstructing the country after the destruction was very high. The civil war also
created bitterness between the two opposing parties that would dominate politics for the ensuing
years.
The period 1912-1923 was a very violent and turbulent period in Irish history. The threat and use
of physical violence furthered the political aims of Irish nationalists but the deaths and destruction
caused created long-term negative effects on the country. Many attribute the conflict in the North
to the violence of this period. The new Free State was born into a time of great upheaval,
creating numerous problems for the new government. The Free state created in 1923 was very
different to the Ireland of 1912 as a result of the threat and use of physical force during this time.