When was irish independence

For more detailed articles on the war see the Irish Story archive on the War of Independence. The war is usually said to have run between and , but violence both preceded these dates and continued afterwards. Parallel with the military campaign was the political confrontation between the separatist Sinn Fein party, who after winning the General Election of , declared an Irish Republic, and the British administration based in Dublin Castle.

A third strand of the conflict lay in the northern province of Ulster, which was majority unionist or pro-British and which opposed Sinn Fein. This led to violence between the majority Protestant unionists and the mainly Catholic Irish nationalist minority in the north.

In , as a result of a political deal between the Irish Parliamentary party and the Liberal Party at Westminster, the British government introduced a Bill for Home Rule, or limited autonomy for Ireland within the United Kingdom as Irish nationalists had been demanding since the s. However, this was opposed by Ulster Unionists, who formed their own militia, the Ulster Volunteers to oppose Irish self-government. Irish nationalists in response formed a rival militia, the Irish Volunteers to ensure Home Rule was passed.

Tensions between the two sides were eased by the outbreak of the First World War , when both sides agreed to support the British war effort. However, in , a more radical Irish nationalist element in the Irish Volunteers, largely directed by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, unhappy with support for Britain in the war and believing that Home Rule fell too far short of Irish independence, launched an insurrection known as the Easter Rising in Dublin, proclaiming an Irish Republic.

See the Easter Rising, an overview. The rebellion was put down within a week with about deaths, but the British reaction, executing the leaders and arresting 3, nationalist activists antagonized Irish public opinion.

However, British policy was inconsistent. In , in a bid to restart negotiations on Home Rule, all of the prisoners from the Easter Rising were released. Many of them joined the Sinn Fein party and led a very popular campaign against the introduction of conscription into Ireland for the Great War.

Several hundred republicans were arrested in under charges of conspiring with Germany. More were detained under legislation banning public parades. The incident illustrated the quality of his informants and the continuing devastating capability of the IRA. It immediately stung the security forces into brutal retaliation; hours later, newly recruited members of the police force fired indiscriminately into the crowd at a football match in Dublin, killing 12 people.

By late , IRA strategy had been modified further. In August, the British Army was given powers to intern persons on suspicion without trial. They became in effect professional revolutionaries, differentiated from their part-time colleagues, and with no prospect of normal life until British rule was ended. Throughout the war, the IRA sustained an effective, calculated and flexible campaign. They considered then that continued violence would break the volunteers, given their lack of men, arms and funds and the steady build-up of troops in Ireland.

Moreover, they doubted the capacity of the Irish people to endure more fighting. Also, they were convinced that there was nothing to be gained by it as they were anticipating a generous political settlement. Home Explore the BBC. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. A movement for Irish home rule gained momentum in the late 19th century, and in Irish nationalists launched the Easter Rising against British rule in Dublin.

The rebellion was crushed, but widespread agitation for independence continued. In , a cease-fire was declared, and in January a faction of Irish nationalists signed a peace treaty with Britain, calling for the partition of Ireland, with the south becoming autonomous and the six northern counties of the island remaining in the United Kingdom. Civil war broke out even before the declaration of the Irish Free State on December 6, , and ended with the victory of the Irish Free State over the Irish Republican forces in Conflicts persisted over Northern Ireland, however, and the IRA, outlawed in the south, went underground to try to regain the northern counties still ruled by Britain.

Violence between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland escalated in the early s, and to date the fighting has claimed more than 3, lives. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! On December 6, , the 13th Amendment to the U. Constitution, officially ending the institution of slavery, is ratified. Left with no other constructive policies, the British Cabinet agreed to talks with Sinn Fein. The truce came into force on 11 July The Anglo-Irish Treaty of December gave Ireland dominion status within the Empire and momentously gave Ulster the right to opt out of a unified Ireland and remain part of the United Kingdom.

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