{"id":6322,"date":"2020-02-10T11:44:16","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T11:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/qpol.qub.ac.uk\/?p=6322"},"modified":"2020-02-10T11:44:16","modified_gmt":"2020-02-10T11:44:16","slug":"the-2020-irish-general-election-was-overshadowed-by-1920","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/qpol\/the-2020-irish-general-election-was-overshadowed-by-1920\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2020 Irish general election was overshadowed by 1920"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Irish Independent <\/em>declared the result of the election to be a \u2018Sinn F\u00e9in sweep\u2019. The election in question was that for Irish local authorities held on 2 June 1920, which resulted in Sinn F\u00e9in taking control of 29 of 33 of Ireland\u2019s county councils. Similar headlines are appearing today in various Irish, British and international media outlets following Saturday\u2019s general election in the Republic of Ireland. The electoral success of Sinn F\u00e9in is not the only parallel between these electoral contests held a century apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first TDs declared elected yesterday was Sinn Fein\u2019s Dessie Ellis, topping the poll in Dublin North West with 14,375 first preference votes, comfortably exceeding the quota of 8,097 on the first count. On the declaration of his election, Ellis was serenaded at the count centre by his supporters\u2019 rendition of the rebel song Come out, ye Black and Tans<\/em>. Dominic Behan\u2019s lyrics recall the unpopularity of the Royal Irish Constabulary\u2019s Temporary Constables, recruited largely from British ex-servicemen, who were drafted into Ireland in 1920 and gained a reputation for unrestrained and wanton violence during the Irish War of Independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The song gained renewed significance in the context of the 2020 election which came within a month of the outgoing Irish government\u2019s cancellation of a planned centenary commemoration<\/a> of the police forces which operated in Ireland prior to independence. The effect of the resulting \u2018RIC-gate\u2019 on the election was seen as highlighting the extent to which the Fine Gael-led government was out of touch with public opinion in the republic generally. Those who were first to condemn the planned commemoration, such as Fianna F\u00e1il\u2019s mayor of Clare, Cathal Crowe, appear to have benefitted electorally from their stance; Crowe came second in the Clare poll and appears likely to be elected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The abortive RIC commemoration was part of the Irish government\u2019s extensive process of marking the events of one hundred years ago that led eventually to partition and independence for southern Ireland. Since 2013 the government has spent seven years highlighting the significance of the foundation of the Irish Volunteers, the 1913 lockout, the First World War and the Easter Rising among other seminal events during the 1910s. Looking at the result of yesterday\u2019s election in the this context, the Dublin City University historian, Dr Will Murphy, raised the question<\/a> of whether there is a causal relationship between this emphasis on Ireland\u2019s past republican struggle and renewed support for Ireland\u2019s principal republican party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the decade of centenaries, in the short and long term, appear to have had some impact on this election, the focus will now shift to looking at how any government including or supported by Sinn F\u00e9in will approach the remaining commemorations between now and the centenary of the end of the Irish Civil War in 2023. These years will include the centenaries of the most intense phases of the Irish War of Independence, the partition of Ireland and the creation of Northern Ireland, and the Irish Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commemorating a civil war is difficult in any country but the prospect of the centenary of the Irish Civil War taking place under a government composed of Fianna F\u00e1il and Sinn F\u00e9in (one possible outcome of the election) \u2013 both parties descended directly from the anti-Treaty side which opposed and sought to overthrow the new state during 1922 and 1923 \u2013 raises dilemmas for the government itself and the defence forces. One convenient solution would be to delegate the ceremonial side to the head of state, President Michael D. Higgins. As the son of an anti-Treaty IRA man, who was raised by his pro-Treaty National Army uncle, Higgins\u2019s family background personifies the acrimonious \u2018brother against brother\u2019 divisions that characterised the Irish Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way in which any Irish government including or supported by Sinn F\u00e9in will approach the centenary of partition is much more intriguing. The Irish government\u2019s expert advisory group on historic commemorations has recommended apolitical activities to \u2018mark the centenary of the partitioning of Ireland and the foundation of Northern Ireland\u2019, including the release and digitisation of relevant archival material and a \u2018significant academic conference\u2019, which is scheduled to be held here at Queen\u2019s University later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the northern perspective of such commemoration, the Democratic Unionist Party<\/a> \u2018wants Northern Ireland to celebrate its centenary as a beacon of achievement within the United Kingdom.’ The party\u2019s recent election manifestos have floated the idea of a bank holiday in May 2021 to mark the centenary of the coming into effect of the Government of Ireland Act, the legislative basis for the establishment of Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was never clear how any Irish government would have reacted to such a commemoration or whether representatives would have attended it if invited. It is safe to assume that no Irish government that includes Sinn F\u00e9in will recognise any such event. The only way in which Sinn F\u00e9in is likely to commemorate partition is in seeking to reverse it through a border poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While current issues such as homelessness and hospital waiting lists contributed largely to the result of the 2020 Irish general election and seeking solutions to such pressing concerns will consume the focus of the new government, the echoes of 1920 were still audible and will continue to resonate during the lifetime of the new government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0featured\u00a0image<\/a><\/em>\u00a0has been used courtesy of a\u00a0<\/em>Creative Commons license.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This weekend’s electoral success of Sinn F\u00e9in has parallels with an electoral contest held a century ago. Dr Marie Coleman reflects on commemorations, ‘RIC-gate’ and the general election results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2443,"featured_media":6323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[471],"tags":[923,256,286],"class_list":["post-6322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-demography-and-identity","tag-irish-general-election","tag-republic-of-ireland","tag-sinn-fein"],"mb":[],"acf":{"authors":{"simple_value_formatted":"