IAN KENNEALLY - HISTORIAN AND WRITER
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The Irish Civil War in the Midlands


On 23 November 2013 Custume Barracks, Athlone, hosted the Old Athlone Society's conference on 'The Irish Civil War in the Midlands'.

John Regan provided the keynote address while other speakers included John Borgonovo, Ann Mathews, Bill Kissane, John Burke, Patrick Murray, and Gavin Foster. I spoke about the media, censorship, and propaganda, as well some local aspects of the war. The society published a special edition of the journal in November 2015.


Contents
Introduction - John Keane
Foreword - Barbara Nolan
Foreword - Michael McDowell SC
Kindling the Singing Flame - John Regan
Remembering and Forgetting in Public and Private - Gavin Foster
The Roman Catholic Church and the Irish Civil War - Patrick Murray
A Medium for Enemy Propaganda - Ian Kenneally
Electoral Politics after the Revolution - John Burke
Internment and Women during the Civil War - Ann Matthews
Conversations with Teresa O'Connell - Seosaimhin Ni Mhuiri
Conclusion - Pat McCarthy


My chapter consists of two parts. In the first section, I will give some thoughts on the newspaper press in Ireland before and during the Civil War and contemporary attitudes to the role and importance of newspapers in society. During the conflict that followed the Treaty split the opposing sides attempted to enlist the support of the press, intimidate the press, or otherwise control the press. In so doing, they were acting within a belief system, both within Ireland and internationally, that judged the press to be the most powerful influence on public opinion. In the second part of the paper, I examine some incidents from the Civil War in Westmeath that still evoke controversy to this day: the shooting of Brigadier-General George Adamson; the shooting of Patrick Mulrennan in Custume barracks; and the Provisional Government’s policy of executions, including the executions in Athlone and Mullingar.
Irish Civil War in the midlands

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Copyright, Ian Kenneally - See also johnboyleoreilly.com and revolutionpapers.com
  • Home
  • Books
    • From the Earth, A Cry
    • AIT: a history
    • The Paper Wall
    • Courage & Conflict >
      • John Barry
      • The San Patricios
      • The Irish Battalion of the Papal Army
      • Irish Soldiers of the American Civil War
      • John Philip Holland
      • The Irish who fought at the Little Bighorn
      • John Henry Patterson
      • Mutiny in the Connaught Rangers
      • Dublin's Bloody Sunday
    • The Irish Regional Press, 1892–2018
  • Research and Consultancy
    • 19 Crimes
    • 1921 Expedition to Mount Everest
    • Historian in Residence: 2020 and 2021
    • The Revolution Papers
    • AIT: a history
    • Gorey: a portrait of a town and its hinterland
  • Headlines from History
  • Exhibitions
    • 1921 Expedition to Mount Everest
    • 'Shall the punishment fall on the girl alone'
  • Documentaries
  • Other Projects
    • Atlas of the Irish Revolution
    • The Irish-American Press
    • Irish Journalism before Independence
    • Independent Newspapers: A History
    • War of Independence in the Midlands
    • Periodicals and Journalism in 20th Century Ireland
    • Irish Civil War in the Midlands
  • Gallery
  • Contact