Irish Republican Army Research Paper

Katelyn Nutley

Dr. Sasikumar Balasundaram

ANTH 350-03

18 October 2015

The Origin and Development of the Irish Republican Army as an Anti-State Militant Group

A “nation” is a collective body, which has a vast number of cultural, social, and ethnic commonalities. These characteristics can include but are not limited to communal traditions, historical narratives, language, belief systems, ethnicity and even kinship. From an amalgamation of two or more of these qualities arise a shared interest and a ‘collective consciousness’. Moreover, there exists no paradigm for “nationhood,” as its definition is dynamic and no two ‘nations’ are ever exactly alike. Throughout history, states have existed in various forms. There have been, however, within

It is often argued by modern scholars that Julius Caesar’s designs for Britannia were remarkably different from those that he had for Gallia, and that is seemingly supported by the variation within his accounts, Commentarii de Bello Gallico. Though the economies of Hibernia grew rapidly through contact with Roman merchants, it should be dually noted that the regional autonomy of the various kingdoms was never threatened. It was the introduction and subsequent institutions of Catholicism that provided a sort of unity within the provincial kingdoms, as seen through the appointment of a singular “High King” to rule over Pan-Hibernia. Norman invasions supplanted local customs with Norman feudal law. The English trying to curb the rise of a “middling nation” that was neither English nor Irish by passing the Statutes of Kilkenny in 1366, which prevented Hiberno-Norman

The cruelty of this occupation was epitomized by the Nine Years War (1594-1603), in which the British effectively quashed any rebellion and many blood lines for the time being. The later colonization by the Scottish and English of the Irish Isle led to several wars for the reclamation of land for the native Gaelic peoples. The motivators of these separatist anti-state movements were often captured and sold into slavery in the West Indies. These struggles for Irish independence often ended quite poorly for Irish nationals- whether it was famine, slavery, or negative feelings. The coronation of King William III and Queen Mary II further augmented Protestant rule in the British kingdom; the civil rights of dissidents and Catholics were increasingly controverted. The religious disposition of the monarchs led to a desperation amongst the peoples that manifested itself as a steadfastness of the Catholic faith and the creation of a Protestant