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What if.....Home Rule came to Ireland in 1914

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  • What if.....Home Rule came to Ireland in 1914

    Hi All

    Throwing out a topic to be debated. We all know that Home Rule was scheduled to be implemented in 1914 but was delayed by WWI. What would have happened if it had been enacted?

    The 1916 Rising would have been against an Irish Parliament and would have been dealt with by the Irish Parliament using British Army troops. Would this have had an impact on the eventual outcome ie. post Rising? Would they have executed the leaders of the Rising? Would they have had a choice? What would the situation been in regards to Northern Ireland?

  • #2
    The Third HR Bill was enacted in 1914, however as you say, WWI delayed the implementation...and that's not semantics.

    Who knows? Possible civil war between Ulster Unionists and the UK Govt, the "Curragh Mutiny" notwithstanding.

    I don't think the Rising would/could have happened in the absence of WW I.

    Probably would have had a situation broadly similiar to what actually happened, HR for most of the country, with some of Ulster excluded.
    "Hello, Good Evening and Bollocks..."

    Roger Mellie

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    • #3
      Originally posted by combatlogo
      I don't think the Rising would/could have happened in the absence of WW I.
      It might have, with the possibility of being put down by IRISH troops. - Didn't Redmond suggest that Irish units should be stationed in Ireland freeing up Britsh Units to fight in France? I think that this was one of his "get out of conscription" thingys, by which I mean as a clever way to avoid the fallout.
      Meh.

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      • #4
        You are assuming that the 1916 Rising would have happened, the Civil War may have occured earier

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        • #5
          ...

          Probably would have had a situation broadly similiar to what actually happened, HR for most of the country, with some of Ulster excluded
          Pretty much. From that time on, the course was pretty much set. Unfortunately, as it turned out, a little scuffle in Serbia, and we end up with the same end point, but with several thousand dead in between and an ascendant class out to assert a weird version of the past and messing up the state for the 40 years of its existence. Ain't life grand.

          Partition was a live issue from 1911 on, it was very much on the table after 1914. The UK Govts of the time had wanted to try and hold on to Ireland as a whole, in a limited sense (they had - the liberals - accepted the idea of limited Irish independence with 20 years), but the unionists had been resisting the idea for that long also. As soon as it seemed likely that Ireland (or most of it) was going to get at least some kind of independence, the Unionists did a quick deal on the side, resulting in the 1920 Govt of Ireland Act.

          Of interest also is the fact that the 1914 Home Rule Act was implemented, in 1920, but it had been superceded by events by that stage.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Aidan
            Of interest also is the fact that the 1914 Home Rule Act was implemented, in 1920, but it had been superceded by events by that stage.
            Yes, In 1914 the Unionist had no intention of accepting HR. By 1920, they accepted it as the much lesser of all the evils. There seemed to be no question of accepting it in 1920.

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