The ‘Irish Revolution 1912–23’ series brings together new approaches to the Irish revolutionary period and to themes like paramilitarism and labour and feminist activism through a series of county-based studies. John O'Callaghan's Limerick: the Irish Revolution, 1912–23 and Adrian Grant's Derry: the Irish Revolution, 1912–23 are two of the latest publications in the series, which adopt a thematic and chronological approach. O'Callaghan and Grant trace the major political, social and economic changes during the revolutionary period at county-level, providing a local angle on the major events like the home rule crisis, the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War.
O'Callaghan's Limerick explores the revolutionary experiences of the people of Limerick through a diverse range of sources, including personal papers, census returns and newspapers. Firstly, he sets out the social, political and economic conditions in Limerick in 1912, noting differences between the primarily agricultural economy at county level and the concentration of industry, particularly bacon, cloth and dairy, in Limerick city. He emphasises the importance of labour disputes throughout the revolutionary period, an issue traditionally overshadowed by nationalism and republicanism in histories of the revolution. The fight for better working conditions, for women's rights and against poverty is seen here as a crucial part of everyday experience during the revolution, rather than a footnote to the national struggle.
Like much recent historiography, O'Callaghan explores the impact of the First World War, as well as the aftermath of the Easter Rising, on the growth of advanced nationalism. Limerick clergymen like Bishop O'Dwyer played a major role in the anti-conscription campaign and in building support for Sinn Féin, making it seem respectable to the middle classes. Other aspects of Limerick's history appear more distinctive, particularly the Limerick ‘soviet’ of April 1919, discussed in chapter four. The radicalism of the Limerick ‘soviet’ and the extent of Bolshevik influence remains a contested issue. O'Callaghan adopts a balanced position in this debate; he acknowledges that the strike committee was not strictly a soviet according to socialist theory but emphasises its importance as part of a wider surge in labour militancy in this period.
In the final third of the book, O'Callaghan explores the nature and impact of violence in Limerick during the War of Independence and the Civil War. Chapter seven contributes to the contentious debate about the extent of sectarian targeting during the Civil War. It suggests that multiple, sometimes intersecting factors caused a decline in the Protestant population in this period, including demographic changes as well as Protestant anxieties about political change. O'Callaghan's reading of the revolutionary period is subtle: he argues that, for many, this was a time of uncertainty and dislocation rather than linear improvement or decline. By 1923, ‘some had benefited and some had not, but everybody was weary and nearly all wanted to move on’.
Grant's Derry provides a different angle on the social and political changes of the revolutionary period. Given Derry's geographical position, partition and the relationship between nationalism and unionism dominate much more than in Limerick. Grant emphasises the severity of the home rule crisis in Derry and tensions over unionist gerrymandering. While recognising the importance of the First World War, he suggests that divisions and frustrations, including with the Irish Parliamentary Party, were already acute in Derry by 1914. Chapter three touches on the relationship between the nationalist, labour and suffrage movements and suggests the level of ‘prioritisation’ required for those involved in multiple movements. Chapter four explores the local impacts of the First World War and the Easter Rising. As in Limerick, problems with communication prevented fuller participation in the Rising, although Derry was a major centre for arms distribution before and after the Rising.
In the second half of Derry, Grant draws particularly on Bureau of Military History statements and Fr Louis O'Kane's interviews with veterans of the War of Independence in the north, which were conducted in the 1960s and recently digitised by the Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive. Grant suggests the distinctiveness of patterns of violence in the north compared to the south, with the most intense violence in Derry occurring during 1920 following the election of the first nationalist corporation. Even within the county there was considerable variation in levels of violence. The book also reflects on the appropriateness of the term ‘revolution’ for this period. Grant suggests that, at the very least, there was an attempted revolution in Derry following the 1916 Rising (although the term is not clearly defined). He argues that, for the nationalist population, the revolution resulted in marginalisation and discrimination under the Northern Ireland government; resentments over this paved the way for future violence in the county.
At a time when global and transnational histories are strongly in vogue in the historical discipline, this series is a helpful reminder of the importance of local context and local agency in explaining historical change. Both Grant's and O'Callaghan's studies might have benefited from fuller conclusions discussing the relationship between the county, national and even international picture. On the other hand, a diligent reader can make their own comparisons by reading the books as part of a series. O'Callaghan and Grant's works make a valuable contribution to understandings of revolutionary politics and social change, successfully combining extensive micro-level research with analysis of bigger themes and ideas.
