Ireland and the End of the British Empire: The Republic and its Role in the Cyprus Emergency [Paperback]

In 1949, Ireland left the Commonwealth and the British Empire began its long fragmentation. The relationship between the new Republic of Ireland and Britain was a complex one however, and the traditional assumption that the Republic would universally support self-determination overseas and object to 'imperialism' does not hold up to historical scrutiny. In reality, for economic and geopolitical reasons, the Republic of Ireland played an important role in supporting the Empire- demonstrated clearly in Ireland's active involvement in the Cyprus Emergency of the 1950s. As Helen O'Shea reveals, while the IRA formed immediate links with EOKA and the Cypriot rebels, the Irish government and the Irish Church supported the British line- which was to retain Cyprus as the Middle-Eastern base of the British Empire following the loss of Egypt. Ireland and the End of the British Empire challenges the received historiography of the period and constitutes a valuable addition to our understanding of Ireland and the British Empire.Helen O'Shea is Tutor in British social and political history at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Edinburgh. She completed her PhD in Modern History at the University of Edinburgh in 2009.

Long Shadows
1. The Evolution of Enosis and the Irish Interaction with British
Cyprus, 1878-1954
i. 'Accidental' Irishmen or Erin's 'Gallant Sons'? The Early Years of 'British' Cyprus
ii. Growing Analogies: T.P. O'Connor, Michael Collins and 'British Fairplay' in Cyprus
iii. 'Enosis and Only Enosis': The 1931 Riots, World War II and the Greek Civil War
Unlearned Lessons
2. The Irish Press Response to the Cyprus Emergency: A Comparative Analysis
i. Hesitant Beginnings: Irish Anti-communism and the Cyprus Question
ii. Civil War Ghosts: Historical Constraints on Irish Press Opinion
iii. Reflecting the National Synthesis? The Irish Times and the Cyprus Question

3. Insurgent Compatriots: Irish Republicanism and the EOKl3