Sinn Fein Founded (1905)

‍ The nationalist sentiment that first grew during the beginnings of the New Departure continued to expand, despite the IPP’s political dysfunction.[1] The political stalemate of the Home Rule issue did not tamper nationalist sentiment.[2] Where a political identity had not quite formed, a cultural one was being built and at its center was an ancestral Celtic pride—of which Sinn Fein will later rely on to garner public support. By 1905, alternatives to Home Rule were being considered and Arthur Griffith’s Sinn Fein presented its own alternative—however minor the organization was at the time. Griffith himself took great inspiration from the Irish Republican Brotherhood, believing that if Home Rule was not possible, only through an armed nationalist movement will Ireland be free. In 1909, when an opportunity for Home Rule once more presented itself, Arthur Griffith expressed his support. It appeared that the IPP may at last achieve Home Rule, and the possibility of such an achievement drew support away from Sinn Fein. A year later Griffith would take a step back from the political arena, to ensure the Irish Party’s success. [3] Despite advocating for an armed fight against Britain, Griffith still held hope for Home Rule.

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[1] Robert Kee, The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism (Penguin Books, 1972), 426.

[2] Kee, The Green Flag, 435.

[3] Kee, The Green Flag, 456.

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