This topic examines how the First World War and the Second World War affected politics, daily life, and society across the island of Ireland. The Junior Cycle exam asks you to explain the reasons for Irish neutrality, life on the home front, military service, and the political fallout of each conflict.
World War I: Service and the Volunteer Split
In August 1914, all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom and entered the war automatically.
- The Home Rule Act was passed in 1914 but suspended until the war ended, putting Irish self-government on hold.
- John Redmond urged the Irish Volunteers to enlist, hoping Irish loyalty would secure Home Rule afterwards. This split the organisation into the pro-war National Volunteers and the anti-war Irish Volunteers under Eoin MacNeill.
- Men enlisted for army pay and adventure; unionists joined to show loyalty to Britain, while nationalists joined believing it would help win Home Rule.
- About 200,000 Irishmen served in the British forces, and roughly 35,000 of them died.
- Unionists mainly joined the 36th (Ulster) Division, suffering devastating losses at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
- Nationalists enlisted mainly in the 16th (Irish) Division and 10th (Irish) Division, fighting at Gallipoli and on the Western Front.
World War I: Life at Home and Political Upheaval
The First World War transformed daily domestic life and altered the course of Irish politics.
- Farmers profited by selling cattle, dairy products, and grain at high prices to feed wartime Britain.
- Women took on jobs in munitions factories, transport, and nursing while men were away at the front.
- In 1916, radical republicans launched the Easter Rising in Dublin. British executions of the leaders turned public sympathy against Redmond's party.
- In 1918, British plans to introduce conscription met mass strikes and church pledges across the country.
- Sinn Féin led the anti-conscription campaign, won 73 of Ireland's 105 seats in the 1918 general election, and set up the First Dáil in January 1919.
- After 1918, returning soldiers faced unemployment and, in the new political climate, their service was largely ignored for decades until recent commemorations such as the Island of Ireland Peace Park at Messines.
World War II: Neutrality and The Emergency in Éire
During the Second World War, Taoiseach Éamon de Valera kept Éire (the 26-county state, today the Republic of Ireland) outside the conflict during the years 1939–1945, which the Irish government called the Emergency.
- Most people favoured neutrality because they saw the conflict as Britain's war, not Ireland's.
- Neutrality proved the state was truly independent, while partition and military weakness gave de Valera further reasons not to join Britain.
- The Emergency Powers Act let the government make emergency laws quickly, without the usual debate in the Dáil.
- Newspapers and radio were censored so Ireland would not appear to favour either side.
- Sunk merchant ships caused shortages, so Seán Lemass, as Minister for Supplies, organised rationing and ration books for tea, sugar, and petrol.
- Under Compulsory Tillage, the government ordered farmers to grow food crops, such as wheat and potatoes, on a set share of their land.
- With coal cut off, families burned turf, and inspectors called Glimmer Men checked homes for banned gas use after hours.
- In May 1941, German bombs hit Dublin's North Strand, killing 28 people.
- Despite neutrality, about 50,000 people from Éire volunteered for the British forces, and many thousands more went to Britain for war work.
World War II: Northern Ireland and the Belfast Blitz
Northern Ireland entered the war in 1939 as part of the United Kingdom, serving as an Allied base and industrial producer.
- Belfast shipyards, aircraft factories, and linen mills worked full time, creating jobs and supplying the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
- The North became a key naval base for Atlantic convoys and hosted thousands of American troops from 1942 onwards.
- In April and May 1941, the German Luftwaffe carried out the Belfast Blitz, killing roughly 1,000 people and destroying thousands of homes.
- De Valera sent fire brigades from Dublin, Dún Laoghaire, Drogheda, and Dundalk north to help Belfast tackle the fires.
- Northern Ireland's direct role in the Allied victory contrasted with southern neutrality, deepening the political division between North and South.
Key terms
- The Emergency
- The official name used in neutral Éire for the Second World War between 1939 and 1945.
- Neutrality
- A policy where a country refuses to take part or choose sides in an international war.
- Emergency Powers Act
- The 1939 law that let the Irish government pass emergency orders, censor media, and ration scarce supplies.
- Rationing
- A system controlling how much of a scarce good, such as tea, sugar, or petrol, each citizen can buy.
- Compulsory Tillage
- A wartime government order requiring farmers to cultivate a set percentage of their land for food crops.
- Glimmer Men
- Officials who checked houses to stop people using gas outside permitted supply hours.
- Belfast Blitz
- German air raids on Belfast in April and May 1941 that caused roughly 1,000 civilian deaths and huge damage.
- Conscription
- A law forcing people to enlist in the military; it was successfully resisted in Ireland in 1918.
Check yourself
Why did John Redmond encourage the Irish Volunteers to join the British Army in 1914?
He believed Irish military service would secure the introduction of Home Rule after the war.
Which division did most Ulster unionists join at the Battle of the Somme?
The 36th (Ulster) Division.
Give one reason why Éire stayed neutral during the Emergency.
Most people saw it as Britain's war, not Ireland's.
What was the purpose of the Compulsory Tillage scheme in Éire?
To make farmers grow food crops on part of their land so the country would not run short of food.
What happened at Dublin's North Strand in May 1941?
German bombs fell on the area, killing 28 civilians.