Aftermath of the Rising leading up to the Free Irish State

Below is a timeline of the major events leading from the executions in 1916 till the formation of the Irish free state. My section has a large amount of detail and stories that could be explored in their own merit, for the purposes of this project I will made brief reference to these events (the Irish civil war, War of Independence etc..) to show the fallout of the Easter Rising and how it put Ireland on a path to Independence from the British.

This information was sourced from UCD'S Decade of Centenaries website : http://centenaries.ucd.ie/1912-1923-timeline/

Aftermath of the rising 8 June 1916

3^rd of August 1916

Execution of roger casement

After a highly publicized trial, Roger Casement is found guilty of treason, and is hanged at Pentonville Prison.

5^th February 1917

COUNT PLUNKETT WINS BY-ELECTION

George Noble Plunkett, who entered politics following the execution of his son Joseph in the aftermath of the Easter Rising, wins a seat in the Roscommon North by-election. Plunkett receives 3,022 votes, as against 1,708 for the Irish Parliamentary Party candidate and 687 for Jasper Tully, an independent. In May, Joseph McGuinness wins another seat for the party at the Longford South by-election.

10^th July 1917

Eamon De Valera wins by-election

Following the death of MP Willie Redmond, brother of the Irish Parliamentary Party Chairman, John Redmond, at the Battle of Messiness Ridge in Belgium, a by election is held in East Clare. Eamon de Valera, running for Sinn Féin, defeats Patrick Lynch of the Irish Parliamentary Party by a majority of 2,975 votes.

25^th July 1917

First meeting of the Irish convention

The first conference of the Irish Convention meets at Regents House in Trinity College, chaired by Sir Horace Plunkett. The Convention is called for by David Lloyd George as an attempt to find solutions the problems surrounding Irish self-determination. The Convention is dominated by the Irish Parliamentary party after Sinn Féin refuse to participate.

25^th- 26^th October 1917

Mac Neill- De Valera alliance

Although he took no part in the Rising, Eoin Mac Neill was arrested and imprisoned along with those who rebelled. During his time in Lewes prison, he taught classes on Irish language and history. He also formed a friendship with Eamon de Valera, with whom he had discussions on “scientific matters”. Upon his release from prison, and awaiting reappointment at UCD, Mac Neill campaigned for de Valera during the East Clare by-election. The alliance formed over these months helps to avoid a split amongst their respective followers, and ensures that de Valera takes control of Sinn Féin ahead of George Noble Plunkett at the party’s convention in October 1917.

25^th – 27^th October 1917

ÉAMON DE VALERA ELECTED PRESIDENT OF SINN FÉIN AND THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS

At a convention in Dublin, Sinn Féin undergoes a radical reinvention as it comes under the control of the republican movement. Éamon de Valera is elected President of the party, ahead of Arthur Griffith, who does not contest the election. On 27th October, de Valera is also elected President of the Irish Volunteers, while Cathal Brugha and Michael Collins are elected onto the national executive.

March 1918

Mulcahy appointed IRA Chief of staff

Richard Mulcahy, second-year medical student at UCD, is appointed Chief of Staff of the IRA. The increased responsibilities that came with the position force him to abandon his studies later in the year. However, he continues to hold an office in the Chemistry corridor of the Physiology Department in Earlsfort Terrace, from which he conducts his duties as Chief of Staff.

21^st April 1918

Anti-conscription pledge signed by nationalists

In response to the passing of the Military Service Bill by the House of Commons, which empowers the British Government to enforce conscription on all Irish men of military age, an anti-conscription pledge is signed throughout the country. The pledge is brought about by Irish Anti-Conscription Committee, an alliance of leading Irish nationalists, including Eamon de Valera, John Dillon and Arthur Griffith. The move, which is supported by the Catholic Church in Ireland, reflects the mood among-st the Irish public towards what has become an increasingly unpopular war. Although the Irish Parliamentary Party spearheads opposition to the Military Service Bill at Westminster, Sinn Féin are the most vocal proponent of the anti-conscription movement and claim a large degree of support throughout the country.

4th December 1918

Sinn fein win landslide in general election

After the victories in the 1917 by-elections, Éamon de Valera leads his party to victory in the first general election following the end of the First World War. The party wins 73 seats, leaving 26 seats for the Unionist Party and 6 seats for the Irish Parliamentary Party. The defeat spells the end for the Irish Parliamentary Party, and reflects the role of the Easter Rising in provoking a radical upsurge in the nationalist ambitions of the Irish Public. The election is also notable for the election of Constance Markievicz, the first woman to be elected to the British House of Commons. Markievicz does not take her seat in Westminster, however, as Sinn Féin choose to follow a policy of abstention.

21^st January 1919

War of independence begins

At the Mansion House in Dublin, Sinn Féin’s elected representatives convene to form the First Dáil. In a session conducted through Irish, the Dáil ratifies its own Constitution and passes a Democratic Program. In the absence of Eamon de Valera, who is under imprisonment, Cathal Brugha is elected as temporary President of the Dáil. On the same day, members of the Third Tipperary Brigade of the Irish Volunteers carry out an ambush on two RIC constables in Soloheadbeg, Co Tipperary. The attack is seen as the formal initiation of hostilities in the Irish War of Independence; two days later, the British government declare South Tipperary a Special Military Area and place it under the Defence of the Realm Act.

25^th February 1920

Government of Ireland bill introduced into commons

This new Bill proposes the establishment of two separate Home Rule parliaments in the North and South of Ireland.

25^th October 1920

TERENCE MACSWINEY DIES ON HUNGER-STRIKE

Terence MacSwiney, the Lord Mayor of Cork and commandant of the 1st Cork Brigade of the IRA, dies following a 74 day hunger strike. His death provokes an outpouring of condemnation, both at home and abroad. His predecessor, Tomas MacCurtain, had been killed earlier in the year, allegedly at the hands of the RIC.

1^st November 1920                         

EXECUTION OF KEVIN BARRY.

20 year-old Kevin Barry, a medical student at UCD, is executed in Mountjoy Prison following his role in an attack on 20th September, in which three British soldiers were killed. After learning of his death sentence, he writes a letter to a friend, asking him to convey his “sad grath from me to all the girls in UCD”. His execution comes a week after the death of Terence MacSwiney, and both become major rallying points for the republican cause.

21^st November 1920

BLOODY SUNDAY

Following the assassination of 14 British secret service agents by a covert unit of the IRA, crown forces open fire at a Dublin-Tipperary football match in Croke Park. 12 people lose their lives.

28^th November 1920

KILMICHEAL AMBUSH

The 3^rd Cork Brigade of the IRA ambush a patrol of auxiliaries in Kilmichael, Co.Cork. All 18 members of the patrol are killed.

11^th December 1920

GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND BILL ENACTED

The government of Ireland bill is enacted, bringing partition to Ireland, 6 Ulster counties are governed by home rule parliament at Stormont, while the Sinn Fein representatives continue their policy of abstention, leaving the home rule parliament in Dublin redundant.

14^th March 1921

EXCUTION OF FRANK FLOOD

Frank Flood, an engineering student at UCD, is one of six IRA Volunteers to be executed for his part in an attack on  the police in January. A “great chum” of Kevin Barry, the pair are the youngest Volunteers to be executed during the War of Independence.

9^th July 1921

TRUCE CALLED BETWEEN IRA AND CROWN FORCES.

A Truce is called between Britain and Ireland, coming into effect as of noon on the 11^th July. Over 2,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including 550 IRA volunteers, 410 RIC members and over 700 civilians.

9^th July 1921

O’MALLEY RECIEVES NEWS OF TRUCE

In south Tipperary, Ernie ‘O Malley, who had abandoned his medical studies in UCD during the rising, receives a message from the IRA chief of staff Richard Mulcahy, which states that, due to the commencement of peace negotiations, “active operations by our forces will be suspended as from noon, Monday, 11 July”. O’ Malley, who had made Tipperary something of a strong hold during the conflict, later wrote that he was “bewildered” by the order, though he nevertheless conveyed the message to the five IRA brigades under his command.

11^th October 1921

NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND DAIL REPRESENTATIVES LAUNCHED

Following talks between Eamon de Valera and David Lloyd George, a delegation of Irish plenipotentiaries led by Arthur Griffith arrive in London to begin talks with representatives of the British Government.

6^th December 1921

ANGLO-IRISH TREATY SIGNED

After two months of negotiations, the Anglo=Irish treaty is signed by the British and Irish delegations. The Treaty grants Ireland the status if a dominion, placing it alongside countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. However Northern Ireland is given the option of withdrawing itself from the new set of arrangements. The British administration at Dublin castle will cease, while the crown forces are to withdraw from Ireland, although 3 ports remain under the control of the British Navy. Although signed, the Treaty must be ratified by the elected representatives of both Britain and Ireland. The ambiguous status given to the Irish plenipotentiaries in advance of the negotiations cause problems in the ensuing Dail debates.

14^th January 1922

PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND FORMED

The pro treaty wing of Sinn Fein takes power under the Provisional Government. Michael Collins serves as both the chairman and Minister for finance of the provisional Government. Two days later, the British administration from Dublin Caste ceases at a formal “handing-over” ceremony.

7^th January 1922

DAIL RATIFIES TREATY

After a month of heated debates, the Dáil accepts the Anglo-Irish Treaty on a vote of 64 to 57. The debates are marked by several heated exchanges. Those against the Treaty suggest that it falls too far short of the sovereign republic that they had fought for. Michael Collins argues that the Treaty provides Ireland with “freedom, not the ultimate freedom that all nations desire….. but the freedom to achieve it”. Following the result Eamon De Valera and his supporters, who had spoken against the treaty , walk out of the chamber. Two days later, Arthur Griffith is elected the President of the Dáil.

14^th April 1922

THE FOUR COURTS SEIZED BY REPUBLICANS

Rory O’Connor and around 200 anti-Treaty republicans take the Four Courts and a small number of other buildings, including the Ballast Office and the Freemasons’ Hall on Molesworth Street. The occupation, which lasts for a period of over two months, fuels tensions between the Sinn Féin factions.

16^th June 1922

IRISH GENERAL ELECTIONS

The Irish general election is won by pro-Treaty Sinn Féin, who gain 58 seats to defeat anti-Treaty Sinn Féin’s 36. In advance of the election, Collins and de Valera had drawn up a pact to ensure that Sinn Féin representatives on both sides of the divide would not run in opposition to each other.

23th June 1922

KIDNAP OF JJ O’CONNELL

JJ (Ginger) O’Connell, former engineering student at UCD and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Free State Army, is captured by forces under the command of fellow UCD graduate Rory O’Connor and held at the Four Courts garrison. O’Connell’s kidnap provides Michael Collins with a justification to launch an attack on the Four Courts and begin the fighting phase of the Irish Civil War.

22^ND June 1922

SIR HENRY WILSON SHOT

Reginald Dunne and Joseph O’Sullivan, both IRA men, assassinate Sir Henry Wilson, security adviser to Northern Irish Prime Minister James Craig, outside his house in London. The British Government, believing the killing was the work of anti-Treaty republicans, pressures Collins to attack the Four Courts

28^th June 1922

FREE STATE ARMY ATTACKS THE FOUR COURTS

Supplied with arms and ammunition by the British Government, the Free State Army bombards the Four Courts. Michael Collins uses the kidnapping of JJ O’Connell, the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Free State Army, as a justification for the attack. The republican garrison holds out until 3 July, when the Four Courts is overwhelmed by flames, forcing Rory O’Connor and his men to surrender. During this time hostilities break out around the country; clashes occur between pro- and antiTreaty forces in Kerry, Donegal and Sligo, amongst other places. This period marks the beginning of the Irish Civil War.

12^th August 1922

DEATH OF ARTUR GRIFFITH

Arthur Griffith, whose health had been deteriorating over the course of the Civil War, dies at his home in Dublin, suffering a brain haemorrhage. He is buried in Glasnevin cemetery.

9^th September 1922

WT COSGRAVE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE THIRD DAIL.

With the two primary leaders of Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin now dead, WT Cosgrave is chosen as the President of the Third Dáil. He simultaneously holds the role of Chairman of the Provisional Government.

22^nd August 1922

DEATH OF MICHAEL COLLINS

While travelling to Bandon, Michael Collins and his convoy are ambushed by republican soldiers at Béal na Bláth. Collins is fatally wounded during the attack. An estimated 500,000 people attend his funeral in Dublin.

17^th November 1922

REPUBLICANS EXECUTED BY FREE STATE.

James Fisher, Peter Cassidy, Richard Twohig and James Gaffney become the first of 77 republicans to be executed by the Free State between November 1922 and May 1923. Such prominent figures as Erskine Childers, Liam Mellows and Joe McKelvey are amongst those killed. The executions prompt several reprisals from the anti-Treaty IRA, including the killing of Sean Hales, TD and the burning of WT Cosgrave’s house.

6^th December 1922

IRISH FREE STATE ESTABLISHED

The provisions of the Anglo-Irish Treaty are adopted by  the government and Ireland officially becomes a dominion of the British Empire. WT Cosgrave becomes the President  of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State.

Erskine

24^th May 1923

REPUBLICAN MILITARY CAMPAIGN ENDS

Frank Aiken issues orders to cease-fire and dump-arms, ending the Civil War. However, deaths such as those of Noel Lemass in 1924 and Kevin O’Higgins in 1927 demonstrate that political violence had not fully ended. The War has cost an estimated 1,000-4,000 lives and leaves an indelible mark on the Irish political landscape.

10^th April 1923

LIAM LYNCH SHOT

Liam Lynch, the commanding general of the anti-Treaty IRA, is shot during a raid by the Free State army on his hideout in the Knockmealdown Mountains. He is succeeded by Frank Aiken.

27^th August 1923

CUMANN NA NGAEDHEAL WIN VICTORY IN GENERAL ELECTION

Cumann na nGaedheal, the party formed from Sinn Féin’s pro-Treaty wing, wins the first general election of the Irish Free State. WT Cosgrave’s party wins 63 seats, with Éamon de Valera’s Sinn Féin claiming 44. Sinn Féin’s representatives abstain from taking their seats until 1927.

After the tumultuous events of the preceding decade, the election of 1923 marks something of a new beginning for the Irish state. The majority of the people reaffirm their support of the treaty by voting for Cumann na nGaedhal, paving the way for a new state in which UCD would continue to play an important role. Professor Eoin MacNeill is the Free State’s first Minister for Education. Alongside him in the cabinet are Minister for Justice and Deputy President Kevin O’Higgins and Minister for Lands and Agriculture Patrick Hogan, both UCD graduates. Fellow graduate Hugh Kennedy, who had already become the State’s first Attorney General, is made the first Chief Justice of the Irish Free State. He is the first of several UCD law graduates to hold a prominent position in the judiciary, including Supreme Court judges James A. Murnaghan and Cecil Lavery, and President of the High Court Cahir Davitt.

10^th September 1923

IRISH FREE STATE ENTERS THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

WT Cosgrave heads an Irish delegation at Geneva, where the Free State is admitted into the League of Nations. The admission confirms international recognition of the Free State’s status.