A UNION SEVERED? LOYALISTS IN IRISH FREE STATE BORDER COUNTIES, 1922–7

By Jack Hepworth Founded a century ago, the Irish Free State was established as a dominion of the British Commonwealth under the Crown. For the predominantly unionist Protestant minority in the Free State, however, the formal separation from Britain prompted difficult political questions. What did it mean to be a ‘unionist’ or ‘loyalist’ after Ireland’s … Read more

‘NO THATCHED COTTAGES’—REPRESENTING THE IRISH FREE STATE AT CHICAGO’S WORLD’S FAIR

By Billy Shortall The 1933–4 Chicago World’s Fair, also known as the Century of Progress Exposition, celebrated the development of Chicago into a modern city. The recently elected Fianna Fáil-led government decided that Ireland should be represented at the spectacle, despite civil servants’ recommendation against participation. They cited the considerable costs involved as an obstacle, … Read more