Episode 50: The End of the Beginning

Belfast's streets erupt into bloodshed with 30 dead in the space of 5 days. Historian Éamon Phoenix tells Tara and Declan how his grandfather survived World War I only to come close to being killed in the sectarian violence blighting the city. Please be advised that some listeners may find some of the incidents described in this episode upsetting.

Treaty talks are reaching a critical point in London. In Belfast, Tara and Declan delve into the past at the Linenhall Library, while in Cork listener Robert Bogue has been learning about his grandfather's time in the Irish police. Meanwhile, Declan's hungry...

Amid death and violence across the island of Ireland at this time, one incident stands out. The McMahon family is targeted one night by a gang believed to have been made up of RIC men, led by DI John Nixon. Tara and Declan hear how the Cavan man came to be linked to a number of killings carried out on Catholic civilians following IRA attacks on police. Please be advised that this episode contains the sound of gunshots.

Policing in 1921 is in disarray as the RIC is hit by mass resignations. Enter the Black and Tans, the Auxiliaries and the Ulster Special Constabulary to bolster up policing. Tara and Declan explore how these organisations operate, and learn that reprisals are state sanctioned. And they discuss how the forces have gone down in history, with the help of historians Éamon Phoenix, Brian Hanley, Richard Doherty and Police Museum curator Hugh Forrester. Please be advised that the sound of gunshots is featured in this episode.

As Ireland divides, the game of soccer faces its own split. Declan and Tara learn about events which lead to the creation of a new football association in Dublin – and the impact the schism continues to have right up to the present day.

The fear of Home Rule led to a split in unionism; Irish Unionists who insisted the whole of the island must stay in the United Kingdom and Ulster Unionists who supported a backstop to protect the north-east. We visit a building considered a spiritual home of Ulster Unionists and delve into the mindset of Unionism then and now.

To some people, de Valera was responsible for causing a civil war in Ireland. To others he was instrumental in freeing the country from British rule. A man with a passion for maths and opera, he was known to many as ‘The Long Fellow’ because of his great height. By 1921 he’d become leader of Sinn Fein, taken part in an audacious jail break, and would now oppose the Treaty negotiated between Ireland and Britain. He became Taoiseach (prime minister) three times, and later President of Ireland.

Her story illustrates how events during 1921 are reflected in the recent Troubles. Meanwhile, 100 years ago, Belfast is struggling under an island-wide boycott of its goods. Crowds are travelling to Armagh to hear Michael Collins address his supporters. And little Annie Watson is playing outside her Belfast home. Warning: this episode contains the sound of gunshots.

The negotiations end and the deal is done. Declan and Tara learn about Ulster Month, during which the Northern government could opt in to a 32-county Ireland. And they ask whether the Treaty really is the document which signs and seals the creation of Northern Ireland.

Divisions emerge within the Irish government as Collins and Griffith return to Dublin to regroup following an ultimatum from the British. The split that emerges at this key Cabinet meeting will eventually lead to civil war in Ireland.