Ireland 1905-1949

            What were the problems encountered and the achievements gained by Irish nationalists between 1905 and 1949 as the sought to win an independent and united Ireland? To what extent does their struggle remain unfulfilled today?.
             From the beginning of the twentieth century, Ireland was undergoing a cultural and political revival in favour of it's independence from Great Britain. From as early as 1169 the English had been asserting their dominance and laying claim to Ireland. What had begun as a religious quarrel between Pope Adrian IV and the Catholics of Ireland, slowly developed into the seventeenth century plantation of Protestants in Ulster. The Battle of the Boyne between King James II and William of Orange (or Catholic versus Protestant) in 1690 is a direct starting point in relation to the troubles which are still evident today. The conflict can be traced back to not only religious differences but also to social - economic divisions, which were very evident at the turn of the twentieth century.
             In 1800 the Act of Union abolished the status for Ireland as a separate kingdom, and future Irish MP's were to sit at Westminster. Politicians gradually came to realise that this would be hard to maintain without alienating the Catholiocs of Ireland. This led to the First Home Rule Bill in 1886, however this Bill now alienated the Protestants in Ulster who felt that a separate Irish Parliament would eventually lead to an independent Ireland. This would assumably lead to Catholic supremacy over Protestants. After much furore the First and Second Home Bill's failed. .
             The turn of the twentieth century saw a Gaelic Revival (cultural nationalism led by the Gaelic League and Gaelic Athletic Association focusing on sport, music, dancing, language etc.) was in full swing. This revival was helped along by the creation of Sinn Fein (We Ourselves) in 1905 by Republican Arthur Griffith. Also at this time there was a revival of the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood led by) who had been threatening to seek independence from Britain by an armed revolution.