In Ireland, during the period of 1912-1923, County Tyrone was at the
center of the conflict between nationalism and unionism, the evolution
of partition, and the emergence of two Irish states. The fate of Tyrone
shaped that of Ireland itself. In this book, author Fergal McCluskey has
produced the first comprehensive and meticulously researched study of
County Tyrone during the Irish Revolution. The book offers fresh
perspectives on how Tyrone men and women engaged in a range of unionist,
nationalist, republican, and trade union activities. Intent on resisting
home rule, the county's sizable unionist minority, led by the local
aristocracy and backed by the Orange Order, mustered 4,000 members of
the UVF. The forced acceptance of partition in 1914 shattered
nationalist confidence and apparent unanimity. This occasioned a
dramatic reorientation of nationalism in Tyrone as Sinn Fein eclipsed
the Irish Parliamentary Party. The nature of the two-year conflict
between IRA and the Ulster Special Constabulary, a force based firmly on
the UVF, is carefully analyzed. The book charts the prominence of Tyrone
during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations and examines Michael Collins'
incongruous attempts to achieve a middle ground between the treaty and
the republic through the abortive joint-IRA northern campaign of 1922.
By this time, Tyrone's position under a northern administration had
solidified. The book concludes that the British government's stance on
Tyrone confirmed its role as an imperial power determined to bolster
unionism and thwart the republican demand. Richly detailed, this
ground-breaking study represents essential reading for anyone seeking to
understand the Irish revolution. *** McCluskey's examination of
Tyrone's political culture is illuminative of broader British and Irish
political ideologies." - Irish Literary Supplement, Vol. 35, No. 1, Fall
2015 (Series: The Irish Revolution, 1912-23) [Subject: History, Irish
Studies]
