The Donegal Awakening: Donegal & the War of Independence

By Liam Ó Duibhir

Liam Ó Duibhir charts the struggle for independence, both militarily and politically, in Donegal from before the events of Easter 1916 until the truce in 1921.Donegal has long been seen as one of the quietest counties during the War of Independence but this reputation belies an intriguing story of how republican sentiment grew in the county. From the first mention of Sinn Féin, through the conscription crisis and the success of the 1918 elections, Ó Duibhir charts the rise of the new political leadership in Donegal and how they built their own system of justice and local government.Alongside the practical politics, he also highlights the role of the IRB and the activities of the volunteers in resisting and thwarting the British efforts to retain control and impose order. Featuring new information and a fresh look at events of the period, The Donegal Awakening offers an updated account of this crucial period. PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO RIGHTS RESTRICTIONS THIS EBOOK DOES NOT CONTAIN IMAGES AVAILABLE IN THE PRINT BOOK.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mercier Press
• Release date: Jun 15, 2009
• ISBN: 9781781170014

Reviews for The Donegal Awakening

[thegeneral_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a very interesting book and also very well referenced. In parts though the chapters appear somewhat disjointed as they are of different lengths. The author does provide a good historical characterisation of Donegal before 1916 and how this atmosphere changed and how the populace became more amenable towards Sinn Féin and the Irish Volunteers. The successful candidates in the 1918 election are also identified as well as WOI participants. The book does identify activities in the Dáil Courts and in Local Government as well as War of Independence activities throughout the county. As such it is a rigorous analysis of the entire conflict of the time in Donegal and can be compared with similar studies of the conflict in other counties.