War of Independence

Tom Hogan's coat and other exhibits from the GAA Museum

The GAA Museum: Remembering Bloody Sunday 1920

Croke Park was the site of one of the most horrific events of the War of Independence on Bloody Sunday. A new exhibition commemorates the centenary.

bloody sunday • 19 Nov 20

Michael Collins, Mr Dunphy and Harry Boland, at a GAA hurling match at Croke Park, Dublin 1921. Michael Collins and Harry Boland are both holding hurleys.Image: RTE Archives

Changing sides: the GAA and the War of Independence

For years the GAA was presented as synonymous with the Irish nationalist struggle. But the historical truth is more complex, as Paul Rouse explains.

bloody sunday • 15 Nov 21

Dick McKee, Peadar Clancy and Conor Clune

Shot in Dublin Castle: McKee, Clancy and Clune

They were killed in Dublin Castle on Bloody Sunday in mysterious circumstances and Michael Collins briefly emerged from hiding to attend the funeral. This exhibition in Kilmainham Gaol Museum commemorates their deaths

bloody sunday • 20 Nov 20

War of Independence in colour: British soldiers in TCD

Matt Loughrey's My Colorful Past project bridges "the gap between history and art", bringing colour to monochrome images. Compare both versions with our interactive presentation

History • 13 Nov 20

Colourised image of a civilian being searched in Drumcondra, Dublin, circa 1921. Image: RTE Photographic Archive.

Martial Law: powers with 'practically no limitation'

In 1921 in Ireland, press censorship was widespread, driving cars was forbidden and just walking with your hands in your pockets could make you a British military target. Helene O'Keeffe on the introduction of martial law to Ireland

History • 09 Dec 20

Peadar O'Donnell in 1966. Image: RTE Photographic Archive

Peadar O'Donnell: socialist writer who was a rebel until the end

He was the radical socialist and republical rebel who co-founded one of Ireland's most influential literary magazines. In this entry from the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Irish Biography, Fearghal McGarry tells the story of Peadar O'Donnell

History • 13 Nov 20

Terence MacSwiney on his deathbed, as depicted in the French publication Le Petit Journal

How MacSwiney's hunger strike drew international attention

Terence MacSwiney's death was a crucial event in the War of Independence and made headlines all over the world. In this video, featuring footage from the funeral procession, Dr Helene O'Keeffe explains why it was so important.

History • 22 Oct 20

Indignities and outrages: War of Independence and sexual violence

"Women were the bodies through which men were fighting for their ideals in many cases," says Dr Mary McAuliffe. In this video, she explains how both sides of the conflict carried out acts of sexual violence against women.

History • 08 Oct 20

Croke Park the day after Bloody Sunday. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Ninety seconds of horror: Croke Park on Bloody Sunday

The shooting lasted just 90 seconds and left 14 people dead. Michael Foley on the horrific attacks that took place in Croke Park on 21 November 1920

bloody sunday • 15 Nov 20

How the British authorities viewed the War of Independence

A new documentary, Hawks and Doves: The Crown and Ireland's War of Independence, draws on the "enemy files" to explore Britain's view of the War of Independence. As Fearghal McGarry explains, the "view from the barracks" was very different

History • 25 Jun 20

How Sinn Féin's daring decision made the First Dáil happen

How a daring decision made the First Dáil happen

In 1914 Ireland was on the path to Home Rule. But just four years later, a previously minor political party called Sinn Féin won a landslide victory and established the First Dáil. How did it happen?

History • 06 Apr 20

The History Show on Women in the War of Independence

The Ban • 03 Apr 20

Arthur Griffith arrives at the first Dáil in a still from the archive footage from Grinberg, Paramount and Pathe Newsreels

The First Dáil on film

This archive footage shows Count George Plunkett, Eamon De Valera, Arthur Griffith and others arriving at a session of the First Dáil.

Arthur Griffith • 27 Jan 20

Unidentified young woman wearing Cumann na mBan pin. Image courtesy of National Library of Ireland

Cumann na mBan and the War of Independence

How their "work that could only be performed by girls" helped to win the war

Cumann Na Mban • 21 Aug 20

The 1919 British raid on Sinn Féin headquarters in Harcourt Street, Dublin. This image is reproduced with the kind permission of The National Museum of Ireland.

How banning the Dáil backfired on the British

History • 03 Apr 20

Prime Minister David Lloyd George made the fateful decision

Banned! Why nationalist groups were driven underground in 1919

By the end of 1919 Dáil Eireann, Sinn Féin, the Gaelic League and Cumann na mBan had all been banned by the British. Why?

The Ban • 24 Mar 20

Ambushed! The story of a crucial tactic

Soloheadbeg • 01 Apr 20

Badge of shame: The R.I.C. members became pariahs

Outcasts: how Ireland shunned the R.I.C. and their families

Soloheadbeg • 03 Apr 20

The First Dáil established its own alternative legal system

Underground justice: the Dáil Courts

The Ban • 02 Apr 20

First Dáil Loan stamps, 1919. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Funding the revolution: how the First Dáil was financed

Posters, newspaper ads, canvassing and even a short film starring Michael Collins - the first T.D.s came up with ingenious ways to encourage the people of Ireland to buy bonds to fund the new counter-state.

First Dáil • 03 Apr 20

Desmond Fitzgerald, the First Dáil's Director of Propaganda, drawn by Ernest Forbes. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Driven underground - how did the banned Dáil operate in secret?

On 11 September 1919, Dublin Castle declared that Dáil Eireann was an 'illegal assembly'. So how did the first T.D.s carry out their duties? With a lot of subterfuge and a bit of theatrical flair...

The Ban • 29 Jan 20

The First Dail meets at the Mansion House in 1919

GPO veterans, accountants, chemists - who were the first TDs?

First Dáil • 03 Apr 20

The First Dáil at the Mansion House, January 21st 1919

Flags, prayers and cheers: The atmosphere of the First Dáil

It was a meeting that changed Irish history forever. But what was it like to be in the Mansion House on that fateful day?

First Dáil • 03 Apr 20

A poster for the 1918 election appealing to female voters. Irish and British women over 30 who owned property were entitled to vote in general elections for the first time.

How Sinn Féin's daring decision made the First Dáil happen

In 1914 Ireland was on the path to Home Rule. But just four years later, a previously minor political party called Sinn Féin won a landslide victory and established the First Dáil. How did it happen?

First Dáil • 17 Feb 20

The Great Irish Famine

Famine Ireland

After the Famine

The Lockout

From the RTÉ Archives: Irish memories of WW1

Gallipoli

The 1916 Rising

Overview

The 1918 General Election

The First Dáil

Soloheadbeg

De Valera in America

The Dáil Ban

Suppression of Cumann na mBan

Hunger Strikes

The Munitions Strike

The death of Terence MacSwiney

Bloody Sunday

Martial Law

The Burning of Cork

The Border

The burning of the Custom House

Northern Ireland's parliament opens

The Truce

The Treaty

Overview

Transfer of Power

IRA Convention

The Pact Election

The Battle of Dublin

The Conventional Phase

The Sea Landings

The death of Michael Collins

Guerrilla warfare

The Irish Free State

The arrest of Liam Deasy

The end of the Civil War

The Silent Civil War

The Irish Civil War Fatalities Project

Stardust

The Good Friday Agreement

war-of-independence

The GAA Museum: Remembering Bloody Sunday 1920

Changing sides: the GAA and the War of Independence

Shot in Dublin Castle: McKee, Clancy and Clune

War of Independence in colour: British soldiers in TCD

Martial Law: powers with 'practically no limitation'

Peadar O'Donnell: socialist writer who was a rebel until the end

How MacSwiney's hunger strike drew international attention

Indignities and outrages: War of Independence and sexual violence

Ninety seconds of horror: Croke Park on Bloody Sunday

How the British authorities viewed the War of Independence

How a daring decision made the First Dáil happen

The History Show on Women in the War of Independence

The First Dáil on film

Cumann na mBan and the War of Independence

How banning the Dáil backfired on the British

Banned! Why nationalist groups were driven underground in 1919

Ambushed! The story of a crucial tactic

Outcasts: how Ireland shunned the R.I.C. and their families

Underground justice: the Dáil Courts

Funding the revolution: how the First Dáil was financed

Driven underground - how did the banned Dáil operate in secret?

GPO veterans, accountants, chemists - who were the first TDs?

Flags, prayers and cheers: The atmosphere of the First Dáil

How Sinn Féin's daring decision made the First Dáil happen

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