The Miracle of Irish Independence – Why Freedom was Never Inevitable

One hundred years ago, a unique confluence of circumstances presented the first real opportunity in history for Ireland to break free of the British state. The critical event was the First World War. Without the First World War there would have been no Easter Rising and without the Easter Rising, there would have been no War of Independence and no Irish State. In his talk entitled The Miracle of Irish Independence, Ronan McGreevy argues there was nothing inevitable about it,  as the experience of other would-be states such as Scotland, Wales, Catalonia and Quebec have shown.

Presented by Ronan McGreevey 2021