Ulster Unionists & the Home Rule Issue 1886-1914
The issue of Home Rule excited much debate from the mid-1880s until its resolution of sorts through the Government of Ireland Act in 1920.
This is a talk which examines how unionists reacted to the prospect of Home Rule and what their objections were to it.
Providing a wealth of information based on extensive research, this is a talk which will look at events including the formation of the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, the 1912 Ulster Covenant and 1914 Gunrunning.
These events were formative in modern Irish history and are brought together in a detailed and balanced account.
‘In solemn league’:
The Ulster Covenant of 1912
The 1912 Ulster Covenant is one of the formative documents in modern Irish history and was signed by almost half a million men and women. This talk looks at the Home Rule issue which provoked the Covenant, how the idea originated and was developed for a unique document to show widespread opposition to Home Rule, and the events of September 28, 1912 – Ulster Day.
Who signed the Covenant and where they signed is all part of what is an interesting examination of one of the major events in Irish history in the early 20th century. While Ulster was the focus, there are also interesting social aspects of those who signed overseas, in mining areas of Scotland and mill towns of New Jersey, for example.
The 1916 Easter Rising from Unionist perspectives
The Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916 took the authorities by surprise, but was a republican response to the Home Rule debate.
Unionists were angered, saddened and horrified by the events of Easter 1916 and this talk examines some of the events of the Rising as well as unionist responses to it at the time.
This talk will bring a different perspective to a formative event in its centenary year.
Independent Orangeism, Home Rule & Radicalism in Ulster, 1902-1914
The story of the Independent Orange Order’s early years is often not well-known or dealt with in a balanced way. The Order was formed following a split with the established Order and by 1905 it appeared to be supporting a measure of Home Rule for Ireland.
Comprised of working-class Belfast radicals and County Antrim tenant farmers, the Independent Orange Order took a place centre stage during the Home Rule debate.
But who were the Independent Orangemen, and did they really support Home Rule. This talk sets the story of Independent Orangeism and the pro-Home Rule Magheramorne Manifesto in historical context.
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