Introducing the Global Irish Revolution

To what extent do revolutionary developments outside Ireland shape what happens in Ireland?

And in what ways do events in Ireland during the revolutionary period impact beyond Irish shores – what influence do they have, for instance, upon the large Irish diaspora population and amongst other national groups?

These are two core questions addressed in the Global Irish Revolution Project which examines the global history of Irish nationalism throughout the revolutionary period, from the 1916 Rising to the end of the Irish Civil War in 1923. ‘The Irish revolution is a fundamental event in Irish history, but it is also a fundamental event in global history’, insists Prof. Enda Delaney, who, together with Prof. Fearghal McGarry of Queens University Belfast, leads the project team which, with funding support from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, is involved in the exploration of archival materials held in Ireland, Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

READ MORE ARTICLES FROM THE GLOBAL IRISH REVOLUTION PROJECT

‘The purpose of the Global Irish Revolution project is to think about what happens in Ireland in terms of what’s happening in the rest of the world’, Prof. McGarry explains. This positioning of revolutionary history within a wider international framework is designed to deepen understanding of Irish nationalism as global force throughout a period of rapid international change.

Century Ireland is delighted join in this endeavour and we look forward to showcasing some of the fruits of this exciting project in the coming months and years. Here, in a short interview for Century Ireland, Prof. Fearghal McGarry and Prof. Enda Delaney introduce the Global Irish Revolution Project.