John Borgonovo

Peasant Resistance Traditions and the Irish War of Independence, 1918–21

Ireland has a rich rural resistance tradition flowing from successive campaigns waged for land reform and national independence throughout the nineteenth century. While Irish agrarianism was characterised by violence and intimidation, non-violent tactics also featured in this agitation. During the Irish Revolutionary period, many traditional resistance techniques were redeployed against the British state in Ireland. This chapter identifies these recycled modes of peasant resistance, such as boycotts, alternative courts, and the issuing of threatening letters. It also explores alternative forms of collective civil disobedience during the Irish Revolution, such as hunt disruptions, prayer vigils, paramilitary funeral spectacles, and public processions. Finally, this chapter will consider the tensions between the peasant resistance tradition and a forward-minded independence movement trying to prove itself capable of orderly self-government.