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Tipperary Studies

 

The Bureau of Military History   TL/A/40

The Bureau was established in 1947 “ to assemble and co-ordinate material to form the basis for the compilation of the history of the movement for Independence from the formation of the Irish Volunteers on 25 November 1913 to The Truce on 11 July 1921.”  The Civil War is therefore excluded.  Witness statements were taken from participants, during the 1950s and until recently this material was closed.  The availability of this material is reflected in all recently published work about the period.  Tipperary Studies holds copies of all statements relating to the county and these are listed in Finding Tipperary.

However, it was considered that history teachers would find it more convenient if the witness statements were arranged on the basis of the three brigade areas into which the county was divided.  (The witness statement of Thomas McDonagh’s brother John [W.S. 532] is included.  Though a member of the Dublin Brigade, he was in Tipperary during the Rising.)  Also, the listing in Finding Tipperary gives witness addresses relevant to the 1950s.  To ease access to the material, the locations given below relates to the primary places of witness activity, allowing students immediate connection with the source.  Other pieces of information are included: military positions held, especially membership of Active Service Units or Flying Columns and also the publication in Tipperary Historical Journal of some of these statements.

There is no reason why a student interested in the War of Independence and the events leading up to it, should narrowly define “local”.  A student with links to the area between Borrisokane and Cloughjordan might well decide to research the Modreeny Ambush of June 1921.  On the other hand, a student could look at ASUs in the county, concentrating for example on how they operated.  The Wind that Shakes the Barley might well be an inspiration.

Background information on the Bureau of Military History is in G. O’Brien, Irish Governments and the Guardianship of Historical Records, 1922-72 (Dublin, 2004), pp. 130-53. Seamus Robinson who led the 3rd Brigade was involved with the Bureau.

This material is ideal for student research projects:

  • The period 1913-21 is objectively important in Irish history
  • The period is packed with intense activity and fascinating personalities at a local level
  • There was activity throughout the county
  • Students will not only be familiar with locations but in some instances, events may have involved family members
  • As core source material, these witness statements are completely accessible with direct simply narratives that cannot but engage attention. 
  • Use of this material draws attention to the relationship between history and evidence and even less able students will be able to think about the reliability of accounts of events decades after they occurred
  • If a student is basing work on two sources, newspaper accounts complement the witness statements.
  • These witness statements, together with information from newspapers allow students a painless but fruitful experience of primary sources
  • Unusually perhaps in this exercise, a student could produce a meaningful piece of original research
 

Generally the published works of Peter Hart and Joost Augusteijn are useful, especially the latter’s From Public Defiance to Guerrilla Warfare (Dublin, 1996).  Hart’s “The Geography of Revolution in Ireland” in his The IRA at War 1916-1923 (Oxford, 2003) puts the level of political violence in Tipperary into context.  Augusteijn’s book deals with five counties, including Tipperary but his article in THJ (1996) concentrates on this county and in another article in THJ (2006) he discusses the central question “Why was Tipperary so active in the War of Independence?” 

Also see Michael Hopkinson, The Irish War of Independence (Dublin, 2002).   History teachers in the county, from teaching the prescribed course, are probably familiar with this material already.  Richard Abbott’s Police Casualties in Ireland 1919-1922 (Mercier, 2000) has valuable information.  A well illustrated and very accessible non-specialist general account of the Volunteers is G. White & B. O’Shea, Irish Volunteer Soldiers 1913-23 published by Osprey (2003), publishers who specialise in battles and uniforms.

 

 

last updated on: Wednesday, 09-Dec-2009 08:04:14 GMT