Civil War in Ulster

The Centenary Classics series examines the fascinating time of change and evolution in the Ireland of 100 years ago during the 1916-23 revolutionary period. Each volume is introduced by Fearghal McGarry who sets the scene of this important period in Ireland’s history. Civil War in Ulster, originally published in 1913, analyses the events leading up to the massive arming of the Orangemen which followed the Larne gun-running. Joseph Johnston was an Ulster Protestant writing as a liberal supporter of Home Rule. He gives the book’s target Protestant readership an outline of recent Irish history, making the case that Home Rule had many positive features, and that none of the perceived negative features would be worth fighting a civil war to avoid. Although Johnston’s objective in writing the book was unsuccessful and the point of view has been largely forgotten, his highly readable book provides a fascinating insight into the thoughts and fears of the population of Ulster at a critical time in Irish history and the foreword and introduction, by Tom Garvin and Roy Johnston, give a contemporary analysis of the thinking behind Johnston’s unusual stand.