The Partition: Ireland Divided, 1885-1925

by Charles Townshend

A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021

'A model of research and analysis ... Townshend's concise and intelligent book tells a painful story that is probably not yet over' Simon Heffer, Daily Telegraph

A compelling history of the turbulent journey to Irish independence, published for the centenary of the Partition

In the aftermath of the horrors of the Irish Famine, the grim, distrustful relationship between Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom deteriorated into a generations-long argument about 'Home Rule'. The unprecedented nature of the Irish problem - with most Irish people wanting to break away from the world's largest Empire - made it extraordinarily difficult for either side to come up with a compromise. For many years actual independence seemed inconceivable. And then, as these bitter disputes continued, it became clear that under no circumstances would the Protestants be party to any of it.

The Partition is a remarkable, clear-sighted and thoughtful account of how two unthinkable events - full Irish independence and the creation of the state of Northern Ireland - came to pass. The Irish nationalist claim to leave ran into a loyalist demand to remain, increasingly centred on the north-eastern Protestant community, threatening large-scale violent resistance.

Here Charles Townshend lays out what is ultimately a tragic story, as partition became the only answer to an otherwise insoluble problem. The settlement of the Irish question drew in every major politician, conjured up heroes and villains, led to civil war and finally to Ulster's catastrophic Troubles. The hard border has always been seen as a failure of both British and Irish statecraft, but has endured now for a century. The Partition brilliantly brings to life the contingency and uncertainty that created it.

'A timely and important book ... so much of its content remains relevant to understanding contemporary preoccupations and controversies' Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish Times

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, Politics, Irish Literature

368 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2022

About the author

Charles Townshend FBA (born 1945) is a British historian with particular expertise on the historic role of British imperialism in Ireland and Palestine.

Townshend is currently Professor of International History at Keele University. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2008.

Reviews

[Gareth Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the centenary year of Irish partition and Northern Ireland’s creation, I have wanted to read more about this particular chapter in my country’s history. Partition is something which is simultaneously passionately invoked in modern Irish political cultures, yet frequently misunderstood. Stepping back from the conflicting passions of unionism and nationalism, Charles Townshend has produced a meticulously researched history of how - and why - Ireland was politically separated in the early 1920s, as well as the ways in which the partition continues to matter a century later.

While, at times, a little dry, “The Partition” is nonetheless an excellent piece of history and Townshend’s assessment on how unionism was misunderstood as much in the 1910s as it was in the countdown to Brexit is superb, nuanced, and it gave me pause for thought. Perhaps not for a beginner, I’m glad to have read this book as we live, a century later, with the consequences of the folly, heroism, bigotry, pettiness, greatness, and intentions of the Partition era.

[Senioreuge · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual with Townshend you get a very informative and detailed analysis of the events, the motivations of the main players and the consequences of their various action. Nothing is left out of this work and it even includes a reference to the 2 nation theory that briefly became popular around 50 years ago. Thankfully he avoids the trap of dwelling on it, as it is a swamp of fanciful nonsense. An example of this is his quote on page 179 from Colm Tóbín, that the owners of lands were fearful that republicans wanted to take their lands and one land owner is reassured by a policeman that "ye bought your land". He meant that they had not come during a plantation or Confiscation"; they had bought their land-in1732." Leaving open the question of from whom and how was it acquired. A timely work well worth reading.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too dry for my taste but important for researchers.

[Rasmus Tillander · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Partition oli toimiva, joskin omaan lähtötasooni nähden hieman liian tekninen tietokirja Irlannin jaosta Pohjois-Irlantiin ja Irlannin tasavaltaan. Jos kirjassa olisi ollut enemmän taustoitusta tiettyihin asioihin se olisi ollut huomattavasti lähestyttävämpi.

Mutta Townshend onnistuu kyllä kuvaamaan hyvin sitä miten vaikeasta prosessista oli kysymys. Kuinka kaikkien kompromissiehdotusten päällä leijui sisällissodan uhka. Eniten opin siitä miten Pohjois-Irlannin ulsteristit olivat jopa Lontoon hallituksen mielestä hyvin vaikea neuvottelukumppani: he olivat valmiina taistelemaan brittijoukkoja vastaan jos koko Irlannille myönnettäisiin home rule -itsehallinto. Todella kiinnostavaa oli myös se miten Irlannin kysymys oli Yhdysvalloissa niin keskeinen seikka ensimmäisen maailmansodan aikaan, koska amerikan-irlantilaiset olivat niin merkittävä äänestäjäryhmä. Ylipäänsä se miten ensimmäinen maailmansota muutti Irlannin tilannetta oli kiinnostava.

Mutta tästä on hyvä jatkaa teeman parissa. Jatkoluettavaksi ajattelin Townshendin vinkkaamana Colm Tóibín Bad Bloodia, matkakertomusta Irlantien rajalta 1980-luvulta.

[Cian Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book: my opinion divided

[Liz Forsberg Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was extremely dry and very much a slog.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing and deathly dry.

I picked this up at the library hoping to learn a lot more about Irish independence, partition, and the civil war. What I got was a retelling of parliamentary debates about those issues and almost nothing else.

I cannot emphasise enough that this book is just ‘he said, he said’ from all the major political players back and forth. There is more space allocated to the tortured decision making in a variety of committees related to defining, implementing, and interpreting plebiscites on the Northern Irish border than there is to the entire civil war. By the end of the book, I was not even aware of what status the Irish Free State had in 1922 (Dominion), I had learned nothing about the Irish Civil War, and I was only vaguely aware of the impact of all the events in the book on the average Irish person.

There seems to be a huge amount of assumed prior knowledge. Important events like the IRA dumping their guns in May 1923 is mentioned in passing, and I had no idea what that meant until I looked it up elsewhere. The Black and Tans are mentioned briefly and then never revisited. The attack by the National Army against the Four Courts garrison is not even mentioned. The Easter Uprising of 1916 is referred to only cryptically by a reference to ‘the execution of the rebel leaders in Dublin’ with no other explanation.

This lack of contextualisation is very odd, considering Townshend has written several books on the subject, and I hardly think many readers would consider a brief explanation of who those executed rebel leaders were as ‘unnecessary fluff’ in a relatively short book like this. I might argue that quoting one MP as he transitions from talking about Ireland to India in a parliamentary debate could be cut instead.

The only thing I will say about this book is that it really makes you empathise with a lot of the British politicians involved. In particular for Lloyd George, there was no simple path that would completely satisfy both Catholics and Protestants. For all of England’s imperialistic unpleasantness, Townshend’s account really makes it clear the extent to which a lot of people were trying to chart a course between the two maximalist positions (complete independence vs pure unionism), while ensuring peace and prosperity on both sides of a border that emerged from nothingness into reality over a few short decades.

If you want a retelling of parliamentary minutes going back and forth for 280 pages then by all means read this, if you want a book that tells you what happened outside the halls of power then look elsewhere.

[Jack Walsh]

This was an informative read which enlightened me to the fact that, on the part of the British Government, Northern Ireland and partition were only ever intended to be a temporary measure which would stagger the process of the entire island's 'liberation' so to speak. I also opened my eyes and caused me to begin to understand the anger and, at times, paranoia of Northern Irish loyalists feeling both under siege on the island of Ireland whilst simultaneously feeling as if the reward for their loyalty to the British establishment comes in the form of being viewed as a thorn in the side of said establishment.

Parts of the book do make for very heavy reading which is to be expected of a text which is very legislation and political affairs heavy. Nonetheless, I am extremely glad I read this thorough publication by Charles Townshend.

[Jack Walsh]

This was an informative read which enlightened me to the fact that, on the part of the British Government, Northern Ireland and partition were only ever intended to be a temporary measure which would stagger the process of the entire island's 'liberation' so to speak. I also opened my eyes and caused me to begin to understand the anger and, at times, paranoia of Northern Irish loyalists feeling both under siege on the island of Ireland whilst simultaneously feeling as if the reward for their loyalty to the British establishment comes in the form of being viewed as a thorn in the side of said establishment.

Parts of the book do make for very heavy reading which is to be expected of a text which is very legislation and political affairs heavy. Nonetheless, I am extremely glad I read this thorough publication by Charles Townshend.

[Richard Birt-Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book on Ireland, following a completely inept English education on Britain’s nearest and most closely tied neighbours. It’s a pretty intimidating read for someone so completely uninitiated, but I left it with a good working knowledge not only of the partition of Ireland but also the cultural divide and diverse anxieties between the North and South. This book gave me an appreciation of the complexities at play. It’s left me feeling like I need to do more reading though, as this is a deep dive into a specific area.

It’s an incredibly well researched and thoughtful book. The main issue I had was keeping track of the various different names. It’s a bit of a “who’s who?” at points with bucket loads of assumed knowledge - not necessarily a bad thing!

[Dr David Oxley · Rating 3 out of 5]

So a rather dry exposition of the various and multiple people, politics, and forces that shaped the almost daily events around the time of Irelands partition.

The author clearly knows his history but what the book lacks is some attempt at explanation of the causes and possible solutions to ‘the Irish’ problem.

There is some allusion to how events might have been different if British politicians had not mismanaged the situation but not explanation of that point.

[S Ravishankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Ireland’s partition is interesting because the history of the island was in a state of flux during the forty long years this was decided and for at lease 25 years afterwards. The author describes events during the period and later in great detail. This book is interesting for readers who have seen partitions in their own lives and the attendant trauma this can bring.

[Oraklet · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, but written in a very dry way. I almost quit a few times.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional fine book and I doubt if there is a better one on Ireland's partition. It makes it a worthy companion to Mr. Townshend's other books on Ireland.

It was only after I started to read this book that I realised that I hand not previously, despite the number of books on Irish History that I had read, ever read anything, or encountered anything, specifically dealing with the partition; it was always dealt with within the general account of the history of the period. This wonderful book shows how much the subject needs individual treatment. It forces one to think outside preconceptions and prejudices and also to explain how something that nobody wanted came to pass.

I am not going to rehash what Mr. Townshend says. If you think you know why Ireland was partitioned, particularly if you have a belief about the wickedness of Nationalists, Unionist or the British government, then you need to read this. Reality is messier and has no real heroes or villains, many stupidities and mistakes for sure, but a sad and dispiriting tale of things coming to pass that no one wanted.