Mayo County Library

The Long Revolution: Mayo 1913 to 1923

The decade from 1913 to 1923 was a defining period in modern Irish history and has shaped the political landscape of today. These years saw a series of momentous events in Ireland, and beyond, which changed the course of Irish history and led to the foundation of the state. Among the main events of the decade are the First World War, the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War. The role played by the labour movement at this time is pivotal, as is the role of Irish women in helping to lead the way in the fight for universal suffrage. This period in the country’s history is one characterised by great heroism as well as great suffering. The story of this momentous period of Mayo History is told in The Long Revolution: Mayo 1913 to 1923.

Find out more about the Historic Events of 1913-1923 in County Mayo here.

The Local Studies Dept in Castlebar library also hold the following records relating to the period:

British in Ireland : Mayo County Library holds microfilm copies of records of the Dublin Castle administration in Ireland. The collection titled British in Ireland makes available original materials documenting the British presence and control in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• Royal Irish Constabulary Monthly Reports and Returns of Outrages, 1892-1897 Inspector Generals' and County Inspectors' Monthly Reports, 1898-1913.
• Inspector Generals' and County Inspectors' Monthly Reports, 1914-1918, and Police Reports, 1920-1921. 
• Public Control and Administration, 1884-1921. 
• Judicial Proceedings, Enquires and Miscellaneous Records, 1872-1926.
• Sinn Fein and Republican Suspects, 1899-1921.

Witness Statements: Compiled by the Bureau of Military History the statements contain personal accounts of the War of Independence in the as recalled by several of the leaders and men including Michael Kilroy Newport, Richard Walsh Balla, Thomas Hevey Ballina, Sean Walsh Kiltimagh, Edward Moane Westport, Patrick Hegarty Crossmolina,Sean Gibbons Westport, Patrick Cassidy Ballaghaderreen, John P. Brennan Tubbercurry, Stephen Donnelly Ballina,Martin Mooney Kiltimagh, Patrick Coleman Ballina, Patrick Lyons Ballyvary,John Timoney Crossmolina, William J. O’Hora Ballina, Thomas Howley Balla,George Heweson Ballina, P.J. Kelly Westport, Patrick J. Cannon Castlebar, Conor Maguire  and Major Geoffrey Ibberson.

Mapping the loyalist experience in Mayo during the Irish Civil War

This project provides insight into the loyalist experience of the Irish Civil War in County Mayo. Originally the project scope was limited to North Mayo, but it was later extended to include all Mayo claims and utilise the opportunity of a county-wide study. Undertaken by Dr Liam Alex Heffron and funded by a Royal Irish Academy 2023-4 Decade of Centenaries Bursary, the study uses the original compensation claims held at The National Archives in London (originally submitted to British authorities following the conflicts in Ireland over 1919-23), to develop a publicly accessible digital showcase of these records and encourage their thematic or locational analysis and case-study examinations. Using a tailor-made online database and linked mapping solution, each individual claim is digitally summarised and geographically mapped, in an interactive and searchable query database, hosted on a dedicated website.

You can access that website here.