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HIS21340

Academic Year 2026/2027

The Irish at War, 1914-1998 (HIS21340)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Fionnuala Walsh
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

The twentieth century was a time of global conflict; the effects of successive world wars and ideologies profoundly shaped Irish politics and society. Many thousands of Irish people voluntarily mobilised to serve in the British military in the two world wars while republican, nationalist and loyalist ideologies brought conflict home to many others. Guerrilla warfare, reprisals, and sectarian violence became part of the Irish experience during the ‘Greater War period 1918-1923’, in common with many other European nations. The arrival of another world war in 1939 could not be ignored even in neutral Ireland and both Dublin and Belfast suffered from bombing campaigns. The Northern Ireland Troubles (1968-1998) divided communities and further blurred the line between civilian and combatant. The long tradition of Irish military service endured, with members of the Irish Defence Forces serving on peacekeeping missions far from Ireland. Irish soldiers were centrally involved in UN attempts to forcibly end the secession of the mineral-rich Congolese province of Katanga in the 1960s and in the protection of civilians in Lebanon during that country’s civil war (1975-1989). Significant numbers of Irishmen and women continued to join the British military. This course examines motivations for enlistment in the Irish or British forces or participation in paramilitaries and explores the impact of regional, national and global conflicts on the Irish population.

Key themes include mobilisation and demobilisation, veterans in civil society, gender and the military, policing insurgency, the role of the State, neutrality, remembrance and commemoration. Drawing on leading international scholarship, the module places the Irish experience in comparative context and introduces students to social, military, and cultural perspectives for studying the history of warfare.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course you should be able to:
-Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of Irish history and the Irish involvement in regional, national and global conflicts in the twentieth century
-Demonstrate familiarity with the key concepts and methodologies which historians use to approach the history of warfare from social, military, and cultural perspectives
-Demonstrate skills in analysing primary and secondary sources
-Write scholarly assignments appropriate for a Second Year (Level 2) student of history



Indicative Module Content:


Week 1. Introduction: methodologies and approaches to the Irish at war
Week 2. Propaganda, recruitment, and military service 1914-1916
Week 3. Radicalisation and re-mobilisation on the home front 1916-1918
Week 4. Waging war at home 1919-1923
Week 5. Joining the fight overseas: Volunteers from neutral Éire 1936-1945
Week 6. The Belfast Blitz and life in wartime Northern Ireland
Week 7. Northern Ireland, the British Army and the threat from republican and
loyalist paramilitaries, 1920-1923

March Midterm (no lectures or tutorials)

Week 8. The strategies of republican and loyalist violence during the Northern
Ireland Troubles, 1968-1998
Week 9. Counter-insurgency, collusion and peacebuilding: The British and Irish
States and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1969-1998
Week 10. Keeping (and enforcing) the peace: Ireland and UN, EU and NATO-led
peace support operations
Week 11. Conclusion: The Irish and military service today



UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Advanced Beginner

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Advanced Beginner

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Novice

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Novice

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Novice

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Advanced Beginner

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Advanced Beginner

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Novice

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Advanced Beginner

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Advanced Beginner

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Advanced Beginner

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 1

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

11
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

45
Total

112

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module combines large-group and small-group teaching, through a weekly lecture and seminar. Weekly lectures provide overviews of weekly topics, with focus upon key historical trends, debates and events. Weekly seminars focus on small-group active task-based learning using both secondary and primary sources related to the weekly topic covered in the lecture. Autonomous learning is nurtured through required preparatory reading each week, and a formative and summative written assignment. Key research, writing and citation skills are explicitly incorporated into seminar work and are assessed and advanced from the formative to the summative assignments.

Generative AI may not be used for assessments in this module. If you have any concerns about what is included in the remit of generative AI, please consult with your Module Coordinator.

A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Each student will analyse a primary source in a structured 1000-word essay. A list of
sources will be made available from Week 2 and discussed in the seminars.		 Week 7 Graded No
30
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Each student completes a 1,500 to 2,000 word essay including footnotes but excluding bibliography.
The research paper will be based on assigned questions provided on Brightspace.		 Week 12 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Your participation grade is based on contribution to weekly seminars and completion of a 3-5 minute oral presentation on your chosen essay topic in Weeks 8, 9 or 10. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11 Graded No
20
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on the written assignments will be given online via Brightspace. Oral feedback on the presentations will be provided in the tutorials. Students are welcome to meet with the Module Coordinator by availing of office or making an appointment to discuss their grades and progress.

The required readings and suggestions for further reading are provided on Brightspace. There is no textbook for this module.

Name Role
Dr Edward Burke Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Emer O'Brien Tutor

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 14:00 - 14:50
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Seminar Offering 2 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Seminar Offering 3 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
Spring Seminar Offering 4 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
Spring Seminar Offering 5 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Seminar Offering 6 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Seminar Offering 7 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Seminar Offering 8 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Seminar Offering 9 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
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