Laois

The Irish Revolution, 1912-23

Cormac Moore

The turbulent period from 1912 to 1923 had a profound impact on 
Laois – politically, economically and socially. The land question 
became prominent in Laois from the late nineteenth century onward 
and remained so throughout the Irish Revolution. Cormac Moore 
explores how Laois experienced seismic national events – the third 
home rule crisis, the First World War, the 1916 Easter Rising,
the War of Independence and the Civil War. 

Moving beyond an examination of the Irish Revolution solely 
through the prism of political violence, this study assesses how the 
separatist movement created a counter-state in Laois by taking control 
of local government and initiating republican courts. Given the 
county’s central location, Laois’s extensive transport network played
a pivotal role in both curtailing the movement of the Crown forces 
and as a means of gathering intelligence. Boycotting was deployed 
extensively in Laois against members of the Royal Irish Constabulary 
and traders who conducted business with Belfast-based firms. It was 
also used against local loyalists, sometimes due to land disputes rather 
than for political reasons, and this practice intensified during the 
truce period and the Civil War. Notably, Laois experienced far
more bloodshed during the Civil War than during the War of 
Independence and the reasons for this are explored. 

This book provides a comprehensive account of how the Irish 
Revolution affected all sections of society in Laois and how its effects 
reverberated for years thereafter.

Cormac Moore, a Laois native, has a PhD from De Montfort 
University, Leicester, and is an historian-in-residence with Dublin 
City Council. A columnist with the Irish News, he edits its ‘On This 
Day’ segment.