The divided political landscape of County Cavan 1912-1922
This thesis as its title suggests explores the political landscape of County Cavan in the early part of the last century. These were years of major political upheaval in Ireland. The country was in the process of reinventing itself both culturally and politically and in Cavan the forces that drove these changes were clearly manifested. In 1912 County Cavan was and integral part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain a mere ten years later it was the northern frontier of the newly formed Irish Free State. Between the years of 1912 and 1922 Ireland experienced two simultaneous revolutions. The Catholics of Ireland were on the main nationalists and their long struggle toward self determination and independence rapidly gathered pace during this period. In response to this the Protestants of Ireland who espoused a British identity created a movement known as Unionism dedicated to preserving the union with Great Britain. The demographic religious make up of Ireland resulted in Unionists being most concentrated in the north of Ireland in the province of Ulster, while nationalism predominated in the other three provinces. Geography therefore became central to both ideologies. While nationalists insisted on national determination on an all Ireland basis, Unionists in the north of the country fostered an Ulster Unionist identity that sought to exclude all Ulster from any form of Irish independence.
National University of Ireland - Maynooth
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