Spirit of Revolution
I’m very enthused by the reviews of our latest book on the Irish War of Independence and Civil War periods - Spirit of Revolution: Ireland from below 1917-23 - edited by Dr John Cunningham and Dr Terry Dunne. I contributed a chapter based on an aspect of my PhD research, looking at the experience of an IRA Volunteer company in rural North Mayo.
The book brings different academic voices together in a history-from-below re-telling of the local Irish Revolution. In the spring of 1919, UK Prime Minister David Lloyd George observed that Europe was engulfed in a revolutionary spirit marked by widespread discontent and rebellion among workers against prewar conditions. While some countries, like Germany and Russia, experienced open rebellion, others saw widespread strikes and a reluctance to return to normal work routines.
Despite this broader European context, traditional narratives of the Irish revolution often focus narrowly on the demand for national independence, emphasising the actions of political and military elites. This perspective overlooks the extensive popular mobilisation and diverse forms of participation by tens of thousands of ordinary people. However, new regional and local case studies reveal that the revolutionary spirit was indeed widespread in Ireland from 1917 to 1923, reflecting a more complex and inclusive picture of the Irish revolution. This book hopes to capture some of these variant understandings of the troubled foundation of our modern republic.
Noel Ward of Saothar , The Irish Labour History Society, includes the following in his upcoming review of the book:
Few areas were more rural than Moygownagh Co Mayo and Liam Alex Heffron provides an analytical review of the pre- and post-independence activities of its local republicans. In a fine piece of local history (like many other essays here) he notes a prevailing “innate conservatism” regarding land reform and redistribution.
It will be interesting to see what the readers - especially those with some knowledge of the region - make of it!
The book should be available in local bookshops from late April 2024 and may be ordered online from Four Courts Press here via the link to their site below:
References:
Ward, Noel, ‘Review of Spirit of Revolution: Ireland from below 1917-23 (Four Courts Press, 2024)’ in Saothar, Journal Of The Irish Labour History Society, no. 48 (2024), p. Review Section, https://www.irishlabourhistorysociety.com/saothar/ (2024-04-30)