Civil War politics has defined the Irish political landscape for generations. The parties which emerged from the divisions over the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 dominated elections for decades.
In County Kerry, the Civil War was more divisive, violent and protracted than any other county. The war cast a long shadow over party politics and elections in subsequent years, and is the subject of a forthcoming book from author and historian, Owen O’Shea.
This in-depth examination of how politics developed in the Kerry constituency in the decade after 1923 offers unique insights into the origins and characteristics of Civil War politics in Ireland. Political discourse and electioneering in Kerry were infused with the divisions and hatreds which the war had created. Elections brought underlying tensions to the surface and were often occasions of violence amid fiery rhetoric from election platforms.
This book examines how electioneering and party politics evolved and how, despite the underlying tensions and a profound legacy of suffering and loss, democracy endured and the ballot prevailed over the bullet as a means of settling political differences.
The results of elections for the Civil War parties as well as other parties who were not defined by the Treaty split are considered in detail and highlight significant deviations from national results. Key influences on electoral behaviour are considered including the extent of party organisation, the role of party members, the dynamics of election campaigns, how the memory of the Civil War was used to persuade voters, as well as the crucial role of newspapers and their coverage of elections and its impact on political discourse.
In this, the first ever examination of politics at constituency level in the formative decade after 1923, Owen O’Shea offer new insights into Civil War politics in Ireland by presenting the lived experience of elections for the party member, the candidate, and the voter, how parties organised and campaigned, and what influenced the choice of voters in polling stations during such a divisive and decisive period.
From Bullets to Ballots will be published by UCD Press in September 2025. More information coming soon.
