An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 31 Rule by peace- ful means, the party succeeded in placing Irish issues before the British parlia- ment. However, the movement was weakened by the split between Parnellites and anti-Parnellites in the 1890s and by the defeat of Home Rule bills in 1886 and 1893. In common with most of European society, Ireland witnessed a sharp rise in na- tionalistic fervour around the turn of the century. Nationalism per- meated politics, sport, literature, language and education, as the desire grew to get out from under the dominant influence of England and to develop an 'Irish' Ireland. After the death of Parnell, John Redmond took over the leadership of the Irish Parlia- mentary Party, which continued to lobby succes- sive governments for Home Rule, but to no avail. It was not until the general elec- tion of 1910 that Redmond was able to capitalise on Prime Minister Asquith's political difficulties to extract a promise of another Home Rule bill in return for Irish Parliamentary Party support in the elec- tion. Asquith had no choice but to agree to a new bill. The bill passed and this time the House of Lords no longer had the absolute power to veto the bill. Due to reforms of the upper house they could only delay a bill for up to two years after which it could be brought back to the House of Commons for a third reading. Having passed its third reading it could become law with or without the consent of the upper house. Ulster Unionists were outraged at the possibility of Home Rule for Ireland and immediately took action by forming a provisional government and raising the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force to defend their link with Britain. Gaelic Leaguer, Eoin MacNeill wrote that if a volunteer force was allowed to exist in Ulster, there should be no reason why one should not be established in the south. The Irish Volun- teers were accordingly formed on November 25th 1913. Concerned at the escalating situation in Ireland, Asquith tried to appease both factions but failed. Believing that arms depots in Ulster were in danger of being raided by the UVF, the government issued orders to send troops to secure the installa- tions in the north of the country. In response, 58 army officers at the Curragh camp in Kildare who were sympathetic to the Ulster Unionists threatened to resign rather than take up arms against the Unionists. This incident, which became known as the Curragh Mutiny, forced the cabinet to back down and the scheme was dropped. The outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914 changed the situation in Ireland. John Redmond, believing that Home Rule would be granted after the war, encouraged his followers to join the British army and "fight for the rights of small nations". In a speech at Woodenbridge, County Wicklow, on 20th Sep- tember 1914, Redmond stated: "The war is undertaken in defence of the highest principles of religion and morality and right and it would be a disgrace forever to our country, a reproach to her manhood and a denial of the lessons of her history, if young Ireland confined their ef- forts to remaining at home… or should shrink from the duty of proving on the field of battle that gallantry and courage which have distinguished their race all through history…" The speech caused a split among the Volunteers, about 90% of whom sided with Redmond, changing their name to the National Volunteers. It was from the remaining approxi- mately 10,000 Irish Volunteers that the Easter Rising would get its support. While thousands of young Irishmen would die on the battle- fields of France and Flanders in the hope of gaining Home Rule for Ireland, many of those who remained at home regarded revolution as the only solution to Ireland's political problems, a revolution which was moving inexorably closer.

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