Strand 2

1. Strand 2 1916–1923: the struggle for independence

2. The impact of the 1916 Rising Executions and the rise of Sinn Féin At first the Rising was very unpopular, as many civilians were killed and much of the centre of Dublin was destroyed The mass arrests of suspected rebels and their deportation to Frongoch in Wales created resentment The execution of 15 rebels in the first two weeks of May 1916 created sympathy for the Republican cause Sinn Féin, a small political party led by Arthur Griffith, was blamed by the press for the rebellion, and experienced a surge of support after the executions Éamon de Valera was the only senior rebel who was not executed and he became the very popular leader of Sinn Féin When the prisoners were released in early 1917, the Sinn Féin organisation became stronger By 1918, Sinn Féin was the most important political party in Ireland, winning 73 seats in the general election The Home Rule party experienced a collapse in support as a result of the Rising, and won only 6 seats in the 1918 election

3. The War of Independence Key events • The fighting began following the Soloheadbeg ambush, January 1919 • The IRA was organised into Flying Columns and used guerrilla warfare tactics • The police force (RIC) was supported by the British Army, the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries • Important IRA commanders included Tom Barry, Liam Mellows and Seán MacEoin • Michael Collins was in charge of the intelligence war and his ‘Squad’ carried out assassinations, mainly in Dublin • The worst single day of the war was Bloody Sunday, 20 November 1920, when 30 people were killed • A truce was called in the summer of 1921, and the War of Independence ended with the vote in the Dáil in January 1922 that accepted the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64 votes to 57

4. The Anglo-Irish Treaty Terms The partition of Ireland, made law under the 1920 Government of Ireland Act, was accepted A border commission, with one Irish, one British and one neutral member, would meet to decide which counties/areas would be part of Northern Ireland A 26-county independent state, to be known as the Irish Free State, was established in southern Ireland The Dáil was the parliament of the Free State and could make decisions about the internal government of the state Britain retained a Governor General in Dublin, who had the power to overrule Dáil decisions Britain retained control over the three naval bases at Cobh, Lough Swilly and Berehaven All Irish TDs had to swear an oath of allegiance to the King before they could take their seats in parliament