Limerick was a key social, political and military battleground during
the Irish revolution of 1912-23. By examining a wide range of
contemporary sources, O'Callaghan reveals what life was like for people
from all sectors of Limerick society during these turbulent years.
In 1912, the home rule movement was the dominant political force in the
city and county, but support for this cause ebbed away during the First
World War. Limerick was particularly prominent during the War of
Independence between 1919 and 1921. As civil war raged in the summer of
1922, Mayor Stephen O'Mara said that the people of Limerick desired
'food, wages and work - not war'. There was little respite until the
summer of 1923, and even then bitter land and labour disputes persisted.
The revolution in Limerick was divisive. The middle classes were
satisfied that spiralling lawlessness was contained. Radicals hankered
after lost opportunities for greater change. Some members of the
Protestant community believed that sectarian impulses had been a factor
in their dramatic demographic decline.