Kildare

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This comprehensive history explores County Kildare during the Irish Revolution of 1912-23, highlighting its significance as a garrison county with the highest concentration of British military personnel in Ireland. The Curragh served as the country's largest military camp, and this presence persisted after the British withdrawal in 1922, when military barracks transitioned to the National army. Through extensive research of British and Irish archives, the study examines home rule's evolution in Kildare, emphasizing the county's involvement in the pivotal Curragh incident of 1914. It details the gradual formation of the Irish Volunteers and the local unionist community's stance on home rule. The book also underscores the critical role of Kildare's British army units in suppressing the 1916 Rising and the subsequent rise of Sinn Féin alongside the decline of the Irish Parliamentary Party. Contrary to the notion of Kildare as a "quiet county" during the War of Independence, it reveals the county's vital role in the intelligence war and its strategic importance for both Crown forces and republicans. During the Civil War, Kildare played a crucial role in national events, marked by the British army's evacuation and the use of military barracks as prisons. Ultimately, the Irish Revolution in Kildare did not lead to a republican victory, as the county reverted to its Redmondite roots under a pro-Treaty banner after 1923.