From Bullets to Ballots

Civil War politics has defined the Irish political landscape forgenerations. The parties which emerged from the divisions over the Anglo-IrishTreaty of 1921 dominated elections for decades. The war cast a long shadow overparty politics and elections in subsequent years.In Kerry, the Civil War was more divisive, violent andprotracted than in any other county. Political discourse and electioneering inKerry were infused with the divisions and hatreds which the war had created.Elections brought underlying tensions to the surface and were often occasionsof violence fuelled by fiery rhetoric from election platforms.From Bullets to Ballots offers unique insights into the origins andcharacteristics of Civil War politics in Ireland with particular focus onKerry. It is an in-depth examination of how politics developed in thisconstituency in the decade after 1923. It reveals that, despite the underlyingtensions and a profound legacy of suffering and loss, democracy endured and theballot prevailed over the bullet as a means of settling political differences.The results ofelections for the Civil War parties, as well as other parties who were notdefined by the Treaty split, are considered in detail and highlight significantdeviations from national results. Key influences on electoral behaviour areconsidered, including the extent of party organisation, the role of partymembers, the dynamics of election campaigns, how the memory of the Civil Warwas used to persuade voters, and the crucial role of newspapers and theircoverage of elections.Owen O'Shea forensicallyinvestigates Kerry's Civil War politics by presenting the lived experience ofelections for the party member, the candidate, and the voter; how partiesorganised and campaigned; and what influenced the choice of voters at thepolls. Thus, From Bullets to Ballots provides the first ever examinationof politics at the constituency level in this divisive and decisive period in Irishhistory.