Fermanagh: 1912 – 1922 A Decade of Turbulence and Transformation by Margaret Urwin

Public talk coinciding with the display of the “Changing of a Nation” exhibition at Enniskillen Castle.

Margaret discussed the effect of this turbulent and transformative period on Fermanagh, beginning with Unionist resistance to the Third Home Rule Bill of 1912, which gave rise to the Ulster Covenant, the founding of the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers. The loss of life of Fermanagh men in the First World War was examined as were those who fought in the Easter Rising of 1916. The effect on the county of the Government of Ireland Act, the War of Independence, the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Boundary Commission, and the consolidation of Partition was explored.

Margaret’s recent book “Fermanagh: From Plantation to Peace Process” was published by Eastwood Books, Dublin, in December 2020. It charts the major events that have shaped Fermanagh from the days of the Ulster Plantation. The focus of the book is how the recent conflict impacted on Fermanagh with every death detailed. Margaret’s book is available to purchase here.

The NI2021 FODC programme is supported by the Digital Remembering Initiative funded through the Shared History Fund, which The National Lottery Heritage Fund distributed on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.