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  • Helene O'Keeffe

    Helene O'Keeffe

    Helene O'Keeffe is a historian, author and project manager, based in UCC's School of History.

    Helene O'Keeffe is a historian, author and project manager, based in UCC's School of History. 

    Barefoot children look on as National Army troops gather in Bruff, County Limerick after taking the town in early August 1922. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

    Unintended victims: child casualties of the Irish Civil War

    The youngest victim of the Civil War was just two years old. Helene O'Keeffe explains how children ended up caught in the conflict.

    Civil War Fatalities • 20 Mar 24
    Cosgrave O'Higgins and O'Reilly

    'An end and a beginning': birth of the Irish Free State

    It was the beginning of an independent Ireland - but the new Saorstát Éireann's lingering ties to Britain were unacceptable to many. Helene O'Keeffe tells the story

    History • 05 Dec 22
    Soldiers on board the SS Lady Wicklow watching land for snipers as they approach Passage West, Cork in August 1922. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

    What was the Conventional Phase of the Civil War?

    There were two phases to the Civil War. The first is known as the Conventional phase - and it was more dramatic than its name suggests, as Helene O'Keeffe explains.

    Conventional Phase • 11 Aug 22
    Photograph of the Dáil Government and Provisional Government with supporters in background, January 1922. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

    Blurred lines: the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State

    The British may have formally handed over power in January 1922, but the subsequent creation of a new government was a complex business. Helene O'Keeffe explains what happened.

    Dublin Castle • 12 Jan 22
    A funeral procession in famine Ireland. Source: Getty Images

    How the Temporary Fever Act failed to stop epidemics

    Infectious disease was the single biggest cause of death during the Famine. The Temporary Fever Act of 1846 was an attempt to combat an epidemic - but with little success, as Helene O'Keefe explains

    Famine Ireland • 25 Feb 21
    May Gibney in her Cumann ma mBan uniform. Courtesy of Kilmainham Gaol Museum/OPW 19PO-1A22-27

    RTÉ History in the Junior and Senior Cycle history classroom

    From the Great Famine to the revolutionary period of the early 20th century, RTE History provides a wealth of accessible material by noted historians, along with a huge range of maps archival images and more, to support secondary school history students

    History • 27 Jan 21
    A montage of images from the RTE History website

    History resources for secondary teachers and students

    Based on the Atlas of the Irish Revolution from UCC, these downloadable workbooks, lesson plans, overviews and document packs make historical research accessible to secondary school students from Junior Cycle to Leaving Cert

    History • 13 Sep 21
    Ulster map

    Interactive map: how the border could have been

    The line of what became the Irish border could have been very different. Explore the possibilities with our interactive map

    History • 18 Dec 20
    An old customs building at a border crossing in Co Donegal

    Road to Partition: how the border was drawn up

    A very different border could have been chosen, but by the time the Better Government of Ireland act passed on 23 December 1920, the line between what would become Northern Ireland and the rest of the island had been drawn.

    History • 21 Dec 20
    A cartoon shows Lloyd George tangled up by the Irish Question

    Road to partition: the plan to divide Ireland

    Partition became a reality after the December 1921 Anglo-Irish treaty, but the idea had been suggested years before and the border was enshrined in the Better Government of Ireland Act in December 1920. Here's how it all began.

    History • 22 Dec 20
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