Studying a decade of upheaval as a new State is born

County series looks at Meath in revolutionary times

For the ‘average person’ in Meath (if there ever was such a thing), daily life in 1923 had changed profoundly since 1912. Years of seemingly endless political and military upheaval had transformed the symbols of state. Most, but not all, welcomed the new flags and uniforms, and the national identity they reflected. But the years between 1912 and 1923 saw another revolution, a social and technological one which brought exciting new possibilities, especially for women and workers. A fresh generation of Meath women and men now had access to higher education and the vote, social attitudes were changing as cinemas, gramophones, telephone and wireless spread across the county. Published recently by Four Courts Press, 'Meath: the Irish Revolution 1912-23', by Ciarán Wallace, investigates the events of 1916, the War of Independence and Civil War in the county, while keeping daily life and that other revolution in mind.

An overview of Meath in 1912 sets the scene. Concerns about the shortage of land, the prevalence of cattle ranches, and the scourge of emigration dominated the news columns. Soon the Home Rule Crisis began filling the pages of the Meath Chonicle and the Drogheda Independent, along with fears about how the unionists of Ulster would respond. Suddenly, in August 1914, the situation was transformed. A chapter on the First World War looks at those who went to fight, the refugees who fled to Meath, and the numbers killed and broken by the war. Meanwhile, while most families endured the grip of wartime shortages and regulations some farmers had a very good war indeed.

The bloody drama of Ashbourne in 1916 and local reactions are followed by a chapter on the rise of Sinn Féin – aided by a blundering government response. Perhaps the most powerful political movement in Irish history, opposition to military conscription in 1918 briefly united radical republicans, constitutional nationalists, the Catholic Church, Labour and Meath’s women’s movement. But as Trim Cumann na mBan showed in their public dispute with the parish priest who cancelled their procession, the women were no mere handmaids.

The chapter on the War of Independence (1919-21) describes the terror felt by ordinary people caught up in midnight raids and Black and Tan reprisals. Burnt-out police barracks, and the daily disruption of blocked roads and derailed trains cut into daily life. An account of young men from Navan forcibly cropping the hair of two neighbouring girls for socialising with soldiers is a grim reminder of how personal the revolution could be,

In 1922, former comrades in the Volunteers and the Irish Republican Army were bitterly divided by the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Meath’s experience of the Civil War saw widespread destruction of roads and railways, dramatic jail breaks and tragic shootings. Did public war-weariness, and the desire to just get back to normal, play as big a role in the Free State victory as guns and executions?

In nine chapters, this book looks at the civilian population of Meath through the turmoil of the revolutionary era. As politics, war and revolution intruded on daily life, some embraced the chance for change, risking life and livelihood for their chosen cause; others resisted the tide. But for most the responsibilities of work and family, getting the children out to school and worrying about money, were more pressing concerns. The upheaval of the years from 1912 to 1923, however, gradually affected the regular round of shopping, sport and socialising.

Meath: the Irish Revolution 1912-23 looks at life in the county as national and international events drew closer to home and the future looked ever more uncertain. While not at the centre of the fighting, the county suffered the long anxiety brought by terror - the terror of conscription, of the isolated killing, ambush and reprisal. More intense bursts of violence, such as at Ashbourne and Trim, terrified some and radicalised many. Meath’s unique location, touching both Ulster and Dublin, produced local patterns of political and revolutionary involvement, while older tensions over land flowed just below the surface. But this was also a time of social and technological revolution bringing exciting new opportunities, especially for women.

Using local newspapers and recently released records the author tells the story of the revolutionary years in Meath, keeping the people’s experience always in focus. Ciarán Wallace is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin. His publications include works on social history, local government and political cartoons. He is co-director of the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland.