"While Ireland holds these graves" the survival and revival of Catholic identity in Northern Ireland, 1925-1968

Abstract

Collective cultural identity is a powerful force. It is forged in battle, suffering, and celebration. It can encompass generations and it moves beyond borders drawn on a map. In Ireland, as in other nations, cultural identity is passed down through music, folklore and mythology; in Ireland, sports, religion and politics are added to the mix, each of them acquiring their own Irish manifestations. Unfortunately, for many years the tradition of violence, self-sacrifice, and revolution has also been passed down as a part of Irish Catholic identity. The creation of the two new states, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, divided that collective identity for half a century. This thesis will ask: how did the collective identity of Irish Catholics get divided? How did that common identity evolve in separate directions, and then, by the 1960s, how did this once common culture grow back together, and what were the results? This thesis will discuss how the creation of Northern Ireland affected the collective identity of Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland from 1921 to 1968, the beginning of the time of the Troubles. The intent is to understand the origins of the Troubles through the lens of cultural history, specifically how the Fenian Cycle of Irish myth and traditional Irish songs contributed to a more traditional and combative culture for Irish Catholics. The thesis will argue that that culture led Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland to challenge their imposed inferiority in the six northern counties and resulted in a violent response from Northern Irish Protestants and the British military alike.