Some Key Background Events - 1858  to 1918

Note:  This page is designed to give only the briefest of background to the 1919 to 1923 period with a little more detail for the years before 1919

1858	Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) Founded	Curran J M (1980), pg3
1867	Fenian (IRB) Insurrection	Curran J M (1980), pg4
1873	IRB Re-organised and revitalised – they decide on ‘entryist’ policy into Irish/Ireland Movement.	Curran J M (1980), pg5
1886	Dissident Liberals join with Tories to defeat Gladstone/Parnell Home Rule Bill	Curran J M (1980), pg1
1890	Fall of Parnell	Curran J M (1980), pg1
1893	Gaelic League founded	Curran J M (1980), pg2
1908	Sinn Féin founded by Arthur Griffith	Curran J M (1980), pg2
1909	ITGWU founded by Jim Larkin	Curran J M (1980), pg2
1911	Pop of Ireland is 4,390,319 (In 6 counties of what was to be NI 820,370 Protestants and 430,161 Catholics - Catholic majority in Fermanagh and Tyrone)	Curran J M (1980), pg296
1911	Opposition to Home rule Bill by Carson and Ulster Volunteer Force - Pledge- supported by Bonar Law	Curran J M (1980), pg6
1912	Asquith (Lib) gets Home Rule Bill passed - Law in 2 years	Curran J M (1980), pg4
1913	Lock-out - Unions defeated – Irish Citizens Army founded to protect strikers.	Curran J M (1980), pg6
	Irish Volunteers founded by Eoin O'Neill (+IRB) - eventually supported by Irish Party	Curran J M (1980), pg6
1914	200,000 in Irish Volunteers and 100,000 in Ulster Volunteer Force	Curran J M (1980), pg7
	Split in Irish Volunteers after war starts with National Volunteers going with Redmond and in support of British war effort.  About 13,000 left in Irish Volunteers	Curran J M (1980), pg8
	Home Rule enacted but suspended	Curran J M (1980), pg8
Sept	IRB and Connolly decide for rebellion	Curran J M (1980), pg9
1915	IRB Military Council founded and headed by Pearse	Curran J M (1980), pg9
1916	Easter Rising in Dublin (Monday 24th to Saturday 29th April) - 800 turn out with about another 800 joining during the week - 60 rebels killed, 132 British (including 16 police) and more than 300 civilians killed.	Curran J M (1980), pg11
	15 rebel leaders shot and Casement hung - 97 death sentences commuted	Curran J M (1980), pg12
	Afterwards 3500 rebel suspects lifted, 1500 let go almost immediately, 1800 interned in England (most ~1300 let go quickly)	Curran J M (1980), pg11
	Lloyd George made Prime Minister	Curran J M (1980), pg13
	All remaining internees released - 150 prisoners still held	Curran J M (1980), pg14
1917
Feb	Count Plunkett wins seat for Sinn Féin in Roscommon	O'Farrell P (1997) P (1997), pg xiv
Mar	John Redmond dies and succeeded as leader of Irish Party by John Dillon	Curran J M (1980), pg15
Mar	Irish Volunteer meeting in Dublin leads to formation of National Executive
Apr	Joseph McGuiness wins seat for Sinn Féin  in South Longford while in prison	O'Farrell P (1997) P (1997), pg xiv
May	Convention called – Sinn Féin & Labour Party boycott - attended by Irish Party, Unionists and Bishops - Kept going until April 1918	Curran J M (1980), pg15
June	Remaining prisoners released including De Valera	Curran J M (1980), pg14
July	De Valera wins seat for Sinn Féin in East Clare.  An Irish Volunteer (Daniel Scanlon) is shot dead during victory celebrations.  An RIC man (Constable Lyons) is found guilty but no action is taken against him.	O'Farrell P (1997), pg xiv and pg 93
Aug	WT Cosgrave wins seat in Kilkenny for Sinn Fein	Curran J M (1980), pg17
Sept	Thomas Ashe, leader of the successful Ashbourne ambush during 1916 Rising and President of IRB, dies due to force-feeding in Mountjoy Prison during a hunger strike.  Massive funeral procession organised for him.	O'Farrell P (1997), pg 4
Oct-25	Sinn Féin Ard Fheis - 1,700 delegates – De Valera elected President; Griffith as Vice-President and Michael Collins on Executive	Curran J M (1980), pg18; Deasy (1973), pg 16
Oct-27	Irish Volunteer Convention - De Valera elected President and Cathal Brugha chief-of-staff and Collins on Executive and Director of Organisation	Curran J M (1980), pg18  O'Donnoghue F (1986), pg 15
1918
Mar	GHQ staff for Irish Volunteers set up with Richard Mulcahy (formerly O/C Dublin Brigade) as Chief-of-Staff and Michael Collins as Director of Organisation.  Dick McKee takes over as O/C Dublin Brigade.	Hopkinson (2002), pg 16
Apr-16	Conscription Bill passed by British House of Commons - heightening the conscription crisis	O'Donnoghue (1986), pg21
May-06	Lord French appointed Viceroy and Edward Shortt as Chief Secretary	O'Donnoghue (1986), pg22
May-17 & 18	Sinn Féin leaders jailed (including De Valera, Plunkett, Griffith and MacNeil) - "German Plot"	Curran J M (1980), pg19
Jul-08	Pat O’Sullivan and Dan Harrington from Kilnamatyra, Co. Cork disarm two RIC men at Béal na nGleanna.	O’Farrell (1997), pg 85
Nov-11	1st World War ends	Curran J M (1980), pg19
Dec	Election in Britain and Ireland.  Lloyd George elected to head coalition of Tories & some Liberals.	Curran J M (1980), pg20
Dec-14	Polling day of General Election in Great Britain and Ireland (except for University constituencies).  Sinn Féin wins 73 out of 105 seats - the remaining seats are 23 Northern Unionists; 6 Irish Party and 3 Southern Unionists.  Sinn Féin received only 48% of votes cast - however it received 65% of vote outside Six counties and there were 26 unopposed constituencies.	Curran J M (1980), pg21; Figgis 1927, pg 225; Walker (1992), pgs 4-9

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