Document Type
Honors Project
Abstract
In 1916, under the pressurized conditions of the Great War, two violent events transpired that altered the state of Anglo-Irish relations: the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme. These events were immediately transformed into examples of blood sacrifice for the two fundamentally opposed communities in Northern Ireland: Nationalists and Unionists. In 1969, Northern Ireland became embroiled in a civil war that lasted thirty years. The events of 1916 have been used to legitimize modern instances of violence. This paper argues, through the use of cultural texts, that such legitimization is the result of the creation of mythic histories.
Recommended Citation
Reeder, Anne L., "To Die a Noble Death: Blood Sacrifice and the Legacy of the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme in Northern Ireland History" (2009). History Honors Projects. 6.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/history_honors/6
Included in
Cultural History Commons, European History Commons, History of Gender Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Military History Commons, Political History Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons
© Copyright is owned by author of this document
