Prelude to Revolution: How the South African War (1899-1902) Changed Irish History

Recent events have shown how Irish nationalist opinion can be galvanised by controversial wars and perceived anti-colonial solidarities. In his new book, Ireland’s Opportunity: Global Irish Nationalism and the South African War, Shane Lynn examines how “Boer fever” erupted across Ireland and the Irish diaspora in response to the British Empire’s invasion of the Boer Republics in 1899. While the Irish Party reunited under John Redmond to condemn this “crime of the century” in Westminster, revolutionaries saw England’s difficulty in Africa as Ireland’s opportunity to strike for independence. Riots, dynamite plots, spy scandals and intrigue ensued, but the revolution never materialised. The upheavals and failures of these years would, however, help create the conditions and the determination to make the next opportunity count. Join us to celebrate the launch of Ireland’s Opportunity and learn how a global approach can shed new light on this overlooked turning point in Irish history.

Presented by Dr. Shane Lynn, Assistant Professor, Department of History, McMaster University.
Dr. Lynn is a historian of the global Irish diaspora. He studied history at Trinity College Dublin and earned his MA and PhD at the University of Toronto. He lectured in Irish history at St. Michael’s College and held a postdoctoral fellowship at New York University before joining McMaster University as Assistant Professor in the Department of History.