The Long and the Short of It, BBC Radio Ulster

Description

Was the Irish War of Independence a Sectarian War?

In this episode Tim and David ask: was the Irish War of Independence a sectarian war? The war was fought from 1919 to 1921. Tim follows the nationalist perspective that the IRA of that time were involved in alegitimate liberation struggle against Britain based on the democratic election in 1918 that Sinn Fein won by a landslide. Were Protestants specifically targeted for murder and intimidation? David thinks that the sectarian killings around Cork and elsewhere cannot be excused away as due to fear of informers and that there was a darker side to the republican movement. Many Protestants left the Irish Free State after the partition which shows there is a deeper debate to be had. David and Tim both travel to Dublin's Lord Mayor's residence, The Mansion House where the first Dail Eireann was convened, David visits the Ulster Museum's modern history gallery and Tim visits the National Folklore Collection at UCD where stories have been collected about Protestants who were affected by the war at that time.