County Longford And the Irish Revolution, 1910 - 1923

This book gives an insight into the Irish revolution, and seeks to explain how it came about, through a study of events at a regional level. County Longford was the scene of Sinn FÈinís crucial by-election victories in 1917 and an active area of IRA operations during the War of Independence. Sinn FÈinís victory in the by-election acted as a catalyst for the rapid spread of the movement throughout Longford in the latter half of 1917. Marie Coleman discusses the political aspect of the revolution by examining the importance of administrative charges as Sinn FÈin and D·il …ireann usurped the functions of the courts and local government, and then goes on to describe the military side of the revolution. A narrative account of the War of Independence and Civil War in Longford is followed by a personnel profile of the Volunteers and Cumann na mBan respectively, outlining their activities at various stages of the independence campaign, and examining their motivation for joining these organisations and engaging in violent activity.