A Voice of Their Own

This book investigates the history of the Protestant voting blocs and associations in the Irish border counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan, from 1920 to 2016. While there are many studies on the history of Irish Unionism and Protestantism, there has been a lack of research concerning the political history of the Protestant community in the border counties following partition. Many Protestant Unionists in counties Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan felt betrayed by their six county counterparts breaking the Ulster Covenant in abandoning a nine-county Northern Ireland. However, the Unionist Associations of these counties evolved after the implementation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922 and adapted to their new political environment by becoming ‘Protestant’ Associations. The author seeks to explore how these Associations were established, and how they reacted to political changes during the twentieth century. Arguing that Protestant Associations arose as a Unionist shock response to Ireland’s partition in 1922, the author demonstrates how they aimed to ensure their political representation and the maintaining of Protestant interests. Support for these associations dwindled over time due to demographic change, a decline in membership of the Orange Order, and the gradual erosion of Southern Protestantism as a separate political identity over the course of multiple generations. Shedding light on why these associations lasted until the twenty-first century, and then disbanded, this book examines how former Southern Unionists in the border counties evolved their political identity following partition.

Samuel Beckton is a historian of Modern Irish History. He has studied at Trinity College Dublin, Queen's University Belfast, and Ulster University in the UK, and has taught at the latter.