Land and Revolution in the West of Ireland, 1918–1921

Abstract

Recently, a debate has begun among Irish historians as to the nature of the Irish revolution, and Peter Hart has provided a useful definition of what is meant by the term the ‘Irish revolution’. Hart suggests that the Irish revolution was a period during which two distinct blocs made competing claims to the state (beginning with the Easter Rising), resulting in a period of multiple sovereignty which was only concluded in May 1923, when the anti-Treaty republicans gave up their attempt to dispute the existence of the southern state. This chapter examines the broader social dynamics of the Irish revolution in the west of Ireland between the general election of December 1918 and the Truce of July 1921, and considers the extent to which Irish society was transformed between these years.