A City in Civil War: Dublin 1921–1924

by Padraig Yeates

A Social History of the Irish Civil War in Ireland’s Capital City

The long-awaited concluding volume of Pádraig Yeates’ ‘Dublin at War’ trilogy

In A City in Civil War: Dublin 1921–1924, acclaimed historian Pádraig Yeates turns his attention to Ireland’s bloody and hard-fought Civil War and its impact on the capital city and its inhabitants.

The fascinating A City in Civil War tells the story of Dublin’s troubled passage to independence amidst the acrimony and upheaval of the Civil War, a period in which Dublin became the capital city of an independent Irish state for the first time.

Once again, conflict raged on Dublin’s streets, but this time the combatants were Irishmen – neighbours, friends, families – fighting each other. For a great many Dubliners, life remained a cycle of grinding poverty, but for many southern Unionists, ex-servicemen and anti-Treaty republicans, the city became a hostile environment. And all the while, the Catholic Church strengthened its grip on Irish cultural life, supplying many of the vital social services an embattled government was too poor and too preoccupied to provide its citizens.

In his distinctive and engaging style, Pádraig Yeates uncovers unknown and neglected aspects of the Irish Civil War in the capital and their impact on the rest of the country.

‘Pádraig Yeates excels as a social historian and never loses sight of the ordinary citizen.’
The Irish Times

‘A powerful social history … reminds us that for all the headline grabbing events, putting bread on the table was still the most important priority for most’
Professor Diarmaid Ferriter, The Irish Independent

‘Reminds the reader of how daily life went on side by side with the great events of history. In short, this is an excellent addition to the current literature.’
Irish Literary Supplement

389 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2015

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Civil wars are horrible when those who worked (and fought) so hard to secure freedom then turn on each other. The ordinary civilian is caught in the middle. In Ireland, to top it all off, the Great War had ended just 4 years earlier and the great powers were still in turmoil. It is a wonder that the new country got off the ground at all. In the end, the country was so weary that it was afraid to try anything and so the Catholic church stepped into the vacuum. A lot of good things were done by the Church (in terms of education and health) but so were a lot of bad and no one said stop!

The book gives a very good background as to why everyone became weary by the end of 1923 and this weariness continued for another 40 to 50 years. It is easy to look back now with 2018 eyesight and be sharply critical but would we have done things any differently. Probably not.