September
1916, Dublin, Southern Ireland
Dear diary,
Easter
rising. The outbreak should have been on Easter Sunday but was postponed to the
next day, April 24th 1916. We were heading along with Patrick Pearse
as president and James Connolly as commander in chief to proclaim the Irish
Republic. We occupied the Grand Post Office (GPO) in Dublin and raised the
Irish flag for the first time at the top of the building. We had been fighting
at the headquarter all week, but suddenly we were outnumbered by the British
troops. Unfortunately, Mr. Pearse and
Mr. Connolly had no other choice but abandon their headquarters at the GPO and
to surrender on April the 29th 1916. I managed to escape, but the
other leaders were brought to Kilmainham Jail and sentenced to death. Pearse
and Connolly were executed.
Janurary 21st
1919, Southern Ireland
Dear diary,
What is
happening?? Why did the IRA shoot two Irish policemen in county Tipperary dead?
Irish men are killing Irish men! I think this is the beginning of the War of
Independence. I don’t know what is going to happen in the future, but maybe the
Sinn Fein party, along with Eamon de Valera as president, will be able to make
a change. The IRA, led by Michael Collins, is using guerilla tactics to fight
the British soldiers. It is as bloody as it can be out there.
December
1921, Ireland
Dear diary,
Two years
of pure violence have passed by. Finally, the British and the Irish agreed to
talk and to sign the Anglo-Irish treaty in December 1921. The treaty brought us
a new state called the ‘Irish Free State’ which consists of the 26 counties of
Southern Ireland. We do have our own army, but we have to swear allegiance to
the British crown. The other six counties of Ulster are forming a new state
within the UK and are remaining under its rule. But not all of the citizens are
happy with the partition. A vote on the treaty is being announced: 57 are supporting the treaty, and 54 are
opposing it; a ruthless Civil war is about to begin.
1922, Ireland
Dear diary,
Finally the
Civil has come to an end. Those who were fighting in favor of the treaty
won the Civil war. But the most
devastating thing of all is the death of Michael Collins. He was assassinated
in county Cork on August 26th 1922. Our beloved leader is gone now.
It seems like Ireland is becoming a catholic and conservative society, now that
war has ended and things have changed drastically.
During
WWII, Ireland
Dear diary,
It’s World
War II and we do not want to be part of it in any way. We have a certain degree
of pride and want to stay neutral and, as well, go our own way. Ulster is
deeply involved in the war, since it is a part of Britain. Our country and its
citizens are quite poor and exhausted from all the fighting. I hope we will see
better days in the future.
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