- Prospect of civil war loomed over Ireland due to religious divide between six Protestant countries of north and majority Catholic south threatening to wreck 1912 Home Rule Bill granting Irish independence.
- In March 1914, British soldiers at Curragh mutinied, refusing to take action to enforce Home Rule on hostile north. Both sides, Ulster Volunteers and Irish Volunteers, armed. 3 deaths and many casualties in July 1914 and Home Rule had to be suspended for duration of war.
- Protest escalated during war and southern- pro-independence organisation, Sinn Fein, organised an unsuccessful rising in Dublin during Easter 1916. Leaders of Dublin Uprising killed and mood in Ireland was low.
- Sinn Fein won 70% of the total Irish seats in the 1918 General Election, but were still in the minority in Ulster, where the Unionists were the majority. Sinn Fein refused to take their seats in Westminster, and instead govern Ireland in Dublin.
- Declared an independent Irish republic and established a government in Dublin à likely to lead to war with Britain; Westminster government willing to offer nationalists only limited powers of self-government. Irish Volunteers became Irish Republican Army and began guerrilla war against British, who reinforced Royal Irish Constabulary with ‘Black and Tans’.
- Black and Tans were force of temporary policemen who recruited to assist Royal Irish Constabulary. Many were WWI veterans and improvised uniforms worn, composed of khaki and RIC green.
- The volunteers attacked government property, carried out raids for desperately needed weapons and funds and, to disrupt the British administration, assassinated prominent individuals. In the course of the Anglo-Irish War, 15,000 volunteers were actively involved, with around 3,000 in service at any given time
- Conflict ended in 1921 with signing of Anglo-Irish Treaty, which created Irish Free State, after events of Bloody Sunday. 6 Northern counties used legal right to ‘op out’.
- Conflict was not over since Eamon de Valera, one of principal Irish leaders, refused to accepted treaty, partly because Irish Free State was not republic and because it involved splitting country. Brought further Irish Civil War which ended in 1923 with defeat of republicans.
Southern Ireland treated as Dominion, gaining equality of status in Statute of Westminster. Valera still not satisfied and his protest continued, refusing to attend Imperial Conference of 1937 and drew up new constitution which turned Ireland into republic – Eire. Adopted policy of neutrality during WWII and in 1948, became Republic.