Plans of Irish
home rule were shelved because of World War I; however, the abortive Easter
Rising of 1916 inspired new support for the Republicans cause. In 1919 an
unofficial Irish Parliament was established and war began against the
“occupying” British forces. The Anglo – Irish Treaty of 1921 divided the island
in two, granting independence to the Irish Free State, while Northern Ireland
remained in the United Kingdom. There followed a civil war between pro – Treaty
and anti – Treaty factions in the South.
1904 Dublin’s Abbey Theatre opens
1905
1905 Sinn Féin (We Ourselves) party founded
1910
1912 Edward Carson rallies Ulster Protestant; solemn
covenant to defeat Home Rules signed by 471.414 people
1912 Belfast – built Titanic
sinks on her maiden voyage
1913 General strike in Dublin
1915
1916 Easter Rising quashed
1918 Sinn Féin wins 73 seats at Westminster; Constance
Markievicz elected first woman MP
1919 First meeting of the independent parliament (Dáil Éireann)
1920
1920 Government of Ireland Act proposes partition of the
island
1921 Anglo – Irish Treaty signed; de Valera resigns;
southern Ireland plunged into civil war
1922 Irish Free State inaugurated; Michael Collins shot
dead in ambush in Co Cork
1923 W B Yeats wins Nobel Prize in literature
1925
1925 G B Shaw also receives Nobel Prize
1926 De Valera quits Sinn Féin; sets up Fianna Fáil
(Soldiers of Destiny) party
1929 Work starts on River Shannon hydroelectric power
scheme
1930
1932 Fianna Fáil sweeps to victory in general election and
De Valera begins 16 – year term as Taoiseach (Prime Minister)
1933 Fine Gael (United Ireland) party formed to oppose
Fianna Fáil
1935
1936 IRA proscribed by Free State Government
1937 New constitution declares complete independence from
Britain; country’s name changes to Éire
1939 Éire declares neutrality during World War II
