Union to Partition

Introductory Transcript

In the period 1922-23 there was terrible violence in Northern Ireland. For the most part, worried Unionists attacked Catholics, whom they saw as possible traitors to their new state. Over 550 people from all communities died. Over 20 000 Catholics were driven out of their homes. And yet during the same period in Ireland, even worse violence was taking place.

If you go to the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, there are many exhibits covering many periods in Irish history. One of the largest is the exhibition on the events of 1916 and the War of Independence of 1919-21. However, there is very little in this museum on the Civil War in Ireland of 1922-1923.

In the Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland, and on the streets of its towns you will find plenty of reminders of the struggles between Nationalists and Unionists from the late 1800s up to the creation of Northern Ireland in the period 1920-22. However, here too you will find very little about the Civil War.

Most people have heard of the Civil War because it was during this conflict that the Irish leader Michael Collins was killed. Strangely, in the Hollywood movie of Collins’ life only devotes one fifth of screen time to the civil war.

All of this is strange, because the Irish Civil War was much larger in scale, division and destruction than any of the conflict in Ulster or the rest of Ireland in the period 1900-1921. Is it time to set the record straight about this forgotten war?

Investigation

The Irish Civil War was larger in scale and more destructive than all the conflicts of the early 1900s. Despite this, it is relatively unknown compared to other events of the period such as the Unionist opposition to Home Rule or the Easter Rising. Why is this, and how can this situation be changed?

The Assignment will help you to understand this important issue.

Assignment