Blood on the Banner

In May 1915, Ernest Blythe was appointed as an organiser for the Irish Volunteers by Volunteer headquarters and was sent to Clare to train the Cloonagh and Kilfenora Volunteers. The authorities were well informed about Blythe's activities in Clare. He established Irish Volunteer companies at Doolin and Liscannor and supplied the Crusheen company with seven rifles. Because of his success in organising and arming the Clare Volunteers, Blythe was arrested and deported a few weeks later, under the defence of the realm act.Fifty three republicans from Clare gave their lives in the struggle for independence, but the story of Clare republicanism goes much deeper than that. Padraig Og O Ruairc takes the story of Clare's republicans from the start of the twentieth century to the end of the War of Independence. In the process, he examines the course of the campaign, the events tragic, heroic and the victims, British and Irish. Featuring detailed descriptions of the battles and campaigns, Blood On The Banner offers a fresh perspective on events that shaped the county for decades to come.