Irish revolutionary period

A period of political upheaval in Ireland from the Home Rule crisis through the Easter Rising, War of Independence, partition, and Civil War, chiefly spanning 1912–1923.

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Home Rule crisis: The political confrontation over Irish self-government that intensified between 1912 and the outbreak of the First World War. The crisis over the Third Home Rule Bill opened the period’s decisive confrontation over Ireland’s constitutional future.
John Redmond: An Irish Parliamentary Party leader who campaigned for Home Rule and supported Britain during the First World War. His constitutional strategy shaped the Home Rule campaign before the Rising displaced parliamentary politics.
Irish Republican Army: The Irish republican armed organization that fought British forces during the War of Independence and split during the Civil War. Its guerrilla campaign was the principal military force behind the independence struggle.
Irish Parliamentary Party: A party that pursued Irish self-government through constitutional politics at Westminster in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its parliamentary strategy contrasted with the republican turn to revolution and armed resistance.
Easter Rising: An armed insurrection in Dublin in April 1916, when Irish republicans proclaimed an independent republic. The failed rising transformed public opinion and strengthened support for Irish independence.
Patrick Pearse: An Irish nationalist, educator, and writer who was a leading figure in the Easter Rising. His leadership and execution made him a defining symbol of the 1916 rebellion.
Irish Republican Brotherhood: A secret oath-bound society that sought an independent Irish republic and helped organize the Easter Rising. Its organizers prepared the Rising that launched the period’s most consequential rebellion.
Home Rule: A policy of granting Ireland a legislature for domestic affairs while retaining its place within the United Kingdom. Home Rule offered self-government without the independent republic sought by Irish republicans.
Irish War of Independence: The 1919–1921 conflict between the Irish Republican Army and British forces over Irish independence. The republican campaign turned political demands into a sustained war against British rule.
Michael Collins: An Irish revolutionary who organized intelligence and guerrilla operations, negotiated the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and led pro-Treaty forces. His roles in the independence campaign and treaty settlement connect the period’s military and political turning points.