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RuralHistory(2022),33,105–117
doi:
RESEARCHARTICLE
Conscription,ruralpopulationsandthedynamicsofwar
andrevolutioninIreland(1914–18)
EmmanuelDestenay
ResearchFellow,SorbonneUniversity,Paris,France
Email:emmanuel.******@
Abstract
DrawingonsecretwitnessreportsfromIntelligenceOfficersoftheRoyalIrishConstabulary,anddiplo-
maticcorrespondencefromFrance’srepresentativestoDublinandLondon,thisarticleseekstocomple-
mentrecenthistoriographyandqualifyourunderstandingoftheperiod1914–18byengagingfullywith
conscriptioncontributedtotheradicalisationofruralcommunitiesanddemonstratesthatopposition
toconscriptionformedasolidpoliticalfoundationforSinnFé’sdeterminationtoimplement
conscriptiontoIrelandfrightenedcivilianpopulations,gaverisetonationwidediscontent,andattracted
towardsSinnFé
re-examinationofthedynamicsbetweentheIrishrevolutionandtheconscriptionscaresandmaintains
thatfearsofcompulsoryserviceinIrelandsignificantlycontributedtothevictoryofSinnFéincandidates
duringthefourelectoralcontestsin1917.
Introduction
OnEasterMonday1916,withbarelynoweapons,ahandfulofbadlyorganisedrebelswithlittle
realhopeofsuccess,
forchildrencheeringandwavingattherebels,2Dubliners’reactiontotheEasterRisingwasgen-
erallyhostile3anditwasonlywhenBritishauthoritiesrespondedwithcoercivemeasuresthat
Maxwell(Ireland’sMilitaryGovernor)orderedtheexecutionoffifteenoftheringleaders,hetrans-
Whileacknowledgingtheradicalisingimpactoftheseexecutions,theclaimaccordingtowhich
theyweretheonlytippingpointislesspersuasive:changewasequallytheconsequenceofsubse-
-governmentsentimentwaschannelled
bydefiance,
Furthermore,SinnFéin’sabilitytoreorganiseandfederatethevariousdissidentfactionswhile
developinganewrhetoricforself-determinationpavedthewayforitspoliticalsuccessduring
the1917by-elections,
Ireland’stransformationhasbeensomewhatdissociatedfromthewiderstageofwartimepolitics,
hauntedbythespectacularafter-
Irishrevolutioninthelightoftheglobalconflict,itappearsvitaltoengagewiththeissueofcom-
pulsorymilitaryservice.
GregoryconcludesfromHouseofCommonsdebatespriortotheintroductionoftheMilitary
ServiceActinApril1918that‘theconstitutionalnationalistsweresacrificedtoappeasethe
©TheAuthor(s),,distributedunderthetermsoftheCreative
CommonsAttributionlicence(/),whichpermitsunrestrictedre-use,distribution,andreproduction
inanymedium,providedtheoriginalworkisproperlycited.
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106EmmanuelDestenay
Britishpublicdemandingasacrifice’.10ConorMorrisseygoesastepfurtherinarguingthatboth
thedeathoftheIrishParliamentaryPartyandSinnFéin’sDecember1918politicalvictorywere
-
onstratesthatEasterWeek1916radicalisedtheIrishnationalistpopulationsandthatthe
ConscriptionCrisissawrepublicanideologystrengthenedattheexpenseoftheIrish
,beyondmentionsofthesporadic
‘conscriptionscares’fromAugust1914onwardsorofactualconscriptionfromApril1918,his-
torianshavefailedtoenvisageconscriptionasatransformativefactorinIrishhistorybetween
1914and1918.
ThisarticleseekstodeterminehowsignificantconscriptionwasintransformingIreland,and
howconscriptionradicalisedruralpopulationsduringtheFirstWorldWar,withanti-
conscriptionsentimentsbeingarticulatedinearlyspeechesbytheIrishPartyandSinnFéin.
Firstofall,Iwillexaminehowcompulsoryserviceresonatedallovertheislandfromtheoutbreak
andRoyalIrishConstabulary(RIC)Inspectors,newspaperarticlesandprivatecorrespondence
fromFrance’srepresentativestoDublinandLondon,thisfirstsectionwillrevealthataseries
of‘conscriptionscares’13crystallisedanxiety,yetwithoutinitiallyunderminingtheIrishParty.
Thesecondpartofthisarticlewillillustratehowtheanti-conscriptionmessagebecameavital
componentofSinnFéin’snarrativeduringthefour1917by-,asthis
sectionwillendeavourtoreveal,ruralpopulationsdreadedconscriptionandlookedtowardsSinn
Fé
directconsequenceofthe1918ConscriptionCrisis,namelytheincreasingnumberofSinn
Féinclubs,andhowthethreatofconscriptionhungovertheIrishuntiltheDecember1918
,thisarticlehopestodemonstratethatfearsofamilitaryservicebill
generateddiscontentfromtheveryfirstweeksofthewar,capturedtheattentionofnationalist
populations,underminedtheIrishParty(eventhoughtheyclearlystoodagainstit)andcontrib-
utedtothefuturetransformationofIreland.
Arecurrentandobsessiveconcern
HistorianshavelongidentifiedthethreatofconscriptionascontributingtothegrowthofSinn
Féininthepost-,‘thethreat
ofconscription[was]likeaswordofDamoclesoverIreland’14andthatfearsofconscriptiondur-
ingthe1917by-
researchhasnonethelessrevealedthatseveral‘conscriptionscares’plaguedtheislandasearly
asAugust1914.
FollowingGreatBritain’sentryintothewar,rumoursspreadwithinIrelandclaimingthatthe
Britishgovernmentexpectedtoimplementthe1793MilitiaAct,16withTheIndependentcontend-
communitiesinCountySligoreadthattheMilitiaBallotActwasabout‘tobeputintoforceatone
:::andtoapplytoGreatBritainandIreland’.18Ashearsaydeveloped,dailynewspapersfaithful
totheIrishPartyimmediatelycounteredthismisinformation,andlambastedthe‘scare-mongers
who,ontheirownresponsibility,ha[d]beenthreateningconscriptionforsometime’.19The
Freeman’sJournaldeplored‘thecirculationofthemalignantconcoctionaboutconscription’,20
arguingthatnosuchthinghadeverbeenmentionedinthecorridorsofWestminster.
Nonetheless,,youngmen
intheirhundredsfledtheislandoutoffearofbeingdrafted,22highlightinghowalarminganissue
Lateron,inspring1915,another‘conscriptionscare’
onrecruitmentwasplainforalltosee;insteadofbeingforciblytakenawayfromtheirhomes,
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RuralHistory107
‘some[men]joinedupwithfriendsandfamilyandgotintounitsoftheirchoice’.25Rumoursofa
forthcomingmilitaryservicebillforcedorganisationsandsocietiesfaithfultotheIrishPartyto
,branchesoftheUnitedIrishLeaguevoicedtheIrish
ParliamentaryPartylineandarguedthattheBritishwouldneverseriouslythinkaboutapplying
conscriptiontoIrelandsimplybecause‘[therewas]notevenasufficientnumber[ofmen]totill
theland,andtherewas,therefore,nodangerofanymanbeingbroughtintothearmyagainsthis
will’.26InBallinaglera(CountyLeitrim),thelocalUnitedIrishLeagueguaranteedthat‘there[was]
nodangerofconscriptionandtheyoungmenshouldremainathomeandputdowntheircrops’.27
GreatBritainneededtobefedandsustainedduringtheconflict,andagriculturalproduction
,eveninthemostremotelocalities,com-
munitiesknewtoowellthat‘nomatterhowtheIrishParliamentaryPartyweretalkedof,andno
matterhowtheywerecriticised,theywereallagainstconscription’.28
DuringheatedHouseofCommonsdebatesinJanuary1916,whenconscriptionwasabouttobe
votedforGreatBritain,JohnRedmondsuccessfullyhamperedanypossibilityofconscriptionfor
,themanwhohaddefeatedcon-
scriptionbywiselyarguingthatIrelandhadbeencontributinggreatlytothewareffortsince
’sexemptionfromtheMilitaryServiceActwasregardedasthefinalchapter
intheongoinggossip-
Nonetheless,
debatedandagreeduponatWestminster,eventhoughithadbeenpostponedfortheduration
,whenAsquithundertooktofindasolutionto
theIrishQuestion,hefacedtheuncompromisingandunifiedoppositionofIrishUnionists
,hesuggestedthatsixof
-
sionofthesesixcounties34metwithnationwideprotest35inwhatwouldsoonbecomeknownas
crisis,theradicalisationofcivilianpopulationsandthegrowingpopularityofSinnFé
Nonetheless,doestheinfuriationofnationalistpopulationsnecessarilyprovethattheywereready
toadoptamoreradicalstance?Partitionhaslongbeenassociatedwiththegrowingpopularityof
SinnFé,
whatwouldmostlikelyembitterruralpopulations:apossiblepartitionoftheislandorbeing
forcedintotheBritishArmy?Iarguethatadistinctionhastobedrawnbetweenconcernsover
partition(likelytoinfuriatetheIrishParty,SinnFéinandélitesingeneral)andanxietyathaving
tofightontheWesternFront(likelytoalarmruralpopulations).
InanalysingsecretreportsfromtheRoyalIrishConstabularyandfilesfromFrance’srepre-
sentatives,itisundeniablethatinthelastsixmonthsof1916,conscriptionwasthetriggerbehind
,France’s
ConsultoIreland,JeandesLongchamps,maintainedthatthis‘wouldcertainlyleadtoageneral
uprising’.37HisevaluationmirroredtheconcernsoftheBritishAuthoritiesinIreland,andin
October1916,asecretreportwassenttotheCabinetOfficeinwhichitwasstatedinnouncertain
termsthat‘youngmenwouldprobablytaketothehillsandwouldhavetoberoundedupbythe
policeassistedbysoldiers’.38BritishmilitaryfiguresinIrelandsuchasLordWimborne(Lord
LieutenantforIreland),(actingasChiefSecretary),GeneralByrne(Headofthe
RIC)andGeneralMahon(Commander-in-Chief),allobjectedtotheimplementationofconscrip-
,France’smilitaryattachétoLondon,ColoneldelaPanouse,claimedthatcon-
scriptionwouldbeapoliticalblunderand‘wouldleadtodisastrousconsequences’.40BothBritish
militaryauthoritiesinIrelandandFrance’srepresentativestoDublinandLondonrecommended
notimplementingconscriptionunlessHomeRulewasgrantedfirst,arguingthatmenofmilitary
agewouldresist,localpopulationswouldhelpthemescape,andviolentuprisingscouldultimately
endangerthesecurityoftheisland.
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108EmmanuelDestenay
Moreworryingly,compulsorymilitaryservice‘wouldenableSinnFéinerstodenounceanother
grossmismanagementofIrishaffairsbytheBritishgovernment’,
wouldeven‘killtheConstitutionalParty’,-
ernmentmismanagementcouldmoreoverdirectlythreatenthelegitimacyoftheIrish