In pictures: Revolutionary Ireland 1913-1923

A NEW EXHIBITION and book will be launched tomorrow evening which will bring a decade of revolutionary turmoil in Ireland into sharp focus.

Many previously unpublished photographs are included in ‘Revolution: A photographic history of revolutionary Ireland 1913-1923′, by Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc (Mercier Press). The collection covers events from 1913 through the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence from 1919-21 and the bitter and bloody Civil War of 1922-23.

In that period, the author explains, photographs played an increasingly significant role, being used both as a propaganda tool for all parties and also as evidence and information in the intelligence war between British and Irish during the War of Indepdendence.

Mercier Press have provided us with a selection of striking images from the book for you to see here. To see the exhibition, visit Kilmainham Gaol Museum, Inchicore Road, Dublin 8. It runs until 26 February, 2012:

In pictures: Revolutionary Ireland 1913-1923

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GPO, Dublin, 1916
The clock at the General Post Office showing the time it stopped during the 1916 Rising. Image: Mercier Archives
Makeshift armoured car, Dublin, 1916
An improvised armoured car built by the British Army during the 1916 Rising - this one was made by bolting together four boilers from the Guinness Brewery and mounting on a flatbed truck. Image: Mercier Archives.
Jim Larkin arrest, Dublin, 1913
The RIC and Dublin Metropolitan Police arresting trade union organiser James Larkin during the 1913 Dublin Lockout. Larkin had disguised himself with a beard and tried to address a meeting in Sackville (now O'Connell) St from a hotel window but was arrested. Image: Mercier Archives.
Irish postal strike, 1922
Carrier pigeons being used to carry messages during the Irish postal strike in September 1922 - the strike was caused by the removal of workers' 'cost of living' bonus by the Free State government. Image: Mercier Archives.
Thomas Ashe funeral, 1917
Michael Collins delivered the funeral oration after Thomas Ashe died after being force-fed by authorities while on hunger strike in Mountjoy Prison in September 1917. Image: Mercier Archives
Easter Rising, Dublin, 1916
Children in Dublin with wood scavenged from the ruins of Sackville (now O'Connell) Street in the 1916 Rising. Image: Mercier Archives
Burning of Cork, 1920
Cork city centre was ravaged by fire after the Black and Tans, the RIC and British soldiers went on a rampage to avenge the killing of an Auxiliary soldier by the IRA at Dillon's Cross on 11 December 1920. Image: Mercier Archives
Dublin, 1921
A British Soldier stands by the body of a man killed during the burning of the Custom House in Dublin on 2 May 1921 during the War of Independence. Image: Mercier Archives
Burning of the Custom House, 1921
A clerk examines a ledger amid the ruins of the Custom House where records and documentation were destroyed when it burned in May 1921. Image: Mercier Archives
Civil War, Dublin, 1923
Free State soldiers pose for the camera as fighting ends in Dublin during the Civil War. Image: Mercier Archives
British soldier and civilian, undated
An Irish civilian adopts a defiant stance as a British soldier searches him on the street in the run-up to the War of Independence. Image: Kilmainham Gaol Museum

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GPO, Dublin, 1916

Makeshift armoured car, Dublin, 1916

Jim Larkin arrest, Dublin, 1913

Irish postal strike, 1922

Thomas Ashe funeral, 1917

Easter Rising, Dublin, 1916

Burning of Cork, 1920

Dublin, 1921

Burning of the Custom House, 1921

Civil War, Dublin, 1923

British soldier and civilian, undated

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A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.