JUNIOR CYCLE HISTORY Unionist reaction to the Third Home Rule Bill
Unionists were opposed to Home Rule because they believed ‘Home Rule is Rome Rule’ and they felt that trade would be greatly affected. Unionists believed the government would not enforce Home Rule if opposition was strong enough. They:
• organised demonstrations and protests against Home Rule
• made a declaration called the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant, which stated that Unionists would ‘use all means to defend the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule Parliament in Ireland’. This was signed by over 200,000 men on 28 September 1912. Some even signed it in their own blood. Roughly 250,000 women signed a similar, separate declaration
• founded the UVF (or Ulster Volunteer Force) in January 1913 as paramilitary resistance. A paramilitary force is an unofficial military-style organisation of amateur soldiers. Some 100,000 joined the UVF, led by former army officers
• bought arms and ammunition from Germany for the UVF. The Larne gun-running took place in April 1914, when 35,000 guns and five million rounds of ammunition were smuggled into Ulster.
DID YOU KNOW?
The first three signatories of the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant were Edward Carson, Lord Londonderry (former Viceroy of Ireland) and James Craig.
Solemn League and Convenant declaration document
