Irish Soviets 1919-23

Workers throwing out the boss, hoisting a red flag and proclaiming a Soviet are not something that you would normally associate with Irish history. That sort of stuff is normally presumed to have happened in Europe but not Ireland. Most history books describe all Irish people as being united with the sole aim of driving the British out. Yet Ireland was caught in a wave of Socialism similar to that in Italy and France. During the War of Independence over 100 Soviets were set up in Ireland. Although it is now forgotten, many thought Bolshevism was a greater threat to British rule than Sinn Fein. All across Europe there were strikes and revolutions. The mass slaughter of the First World … Continue reading “Irish Soviets 1919-23”

October 8, 2012PoliticsBruree, Creameries, Economics, History, IRA, Ireland, Irish History, Irish Politics, Knocklong, Munster, Politics, Red Flag, Revolution, Soviet, War of Independence, Workers Occupation, Working Class Leave a comment

Religion As A Cause Of War In Ireland

In my last post I argued that religion was a major cause of war. Now I want to discuss this in an Irish context. In fact the history of Ireland is basically the history of Protestants and Catholics warring among each other. There are numerous incidents where Catholics or Protestants were killed solely because of their religion. There is a serious problem in separating actions based on religion from those based on nationality. In fact Daniel O’Connell went as far as to claim that being Catholic and being Irish was the one thing. This presents a serious problem in decoding conflict and classifying them as nationalist or religious wars. Some even argue that class was the driving force, with the … Continue reading “Religion As A Cause Of War In Ireland”

May 23, 2012Religion1916. 1798, Atheism, Catholic, Christianity, God, History, IRA, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Political Theory, Protestant, Religion, Troubles, UDA, UVF Leave a comment