Historian Cormac Moore will provide a talk based on his recent publication of the same title. His 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. It 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, Cormac will assess 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.
Cormac Moore is from Emo, County Laois. He has a PhD from De Montfort University, Leicester, and is Historian-in-Residence with Dublin City Council. A columnist with the Irish News, he edits its ‘On This Day’ segment and has published extensively on various topics of modern Irish history.
This talk takes place in Portlaoise Library on Wednesday 23rd July 2025 at 7pm. Book your place on the Portlaoise Library booking page or contact localstudies@laoiscoco.ie
