Antrim: The Irish Revolution series, 1912-23

by Brian Feeney

ISBN: 9781846828607

Published: 2021-07-09

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Antrim contained the largest Presbyterian population on the island of Ireland. It also contained most of Belfast--the largest city in Ireland--which dominated the economy of the north-east. Belfast was tightly integrated into Britain's politics and economy, and the vast majority of its inhabitants, who were overwhelmingly Presbyterian and unionist like the rest of the county, were determined to keep it that way. In Antrim there was no land war, the majority of the population supported the RIC and Crown forces, and only a minority voted for home rule. Belfast was the centre of Ulster unionist resistance to home rule, and the location of the headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party and the UVF. This carefully researched book explores the political, economic, and social links between Ulster unionist leaders in Belfast and the Conservative Party in Britain, which proved decisive in obstructing the Irish Revolution. The book examines the...