The following pamphlets are now available to
be downloaded in the Rich Text Format (RTF) and PDF format:
My kind of nonviolence
(INNATE, 2012)
'My kind of nonviolence' contains the thoughts of fifteen people around Ireland on what nonviolence means to them. While very varied in their involvements, this shows a certain commonality of direction and orientation but no 'party line'. The fiften people are from varying parts of Ireland and some originally from elsewhere. They speak for themselves; Attracta Walsh, Edward Horgan, Iain Atack, Julitta Clancy, Kevin Cassidy, Máire Ní Bheaglaoich, Mairead Maguire, Miriam Turley, Mark Chapman, Peter Emerson, Rob Fairmichael, Roberta Bacic, Sean English,Serge vanden Berghe and Sylvia Thompson.
"Nonviolence in
Irish History"
(Dawn, 1978)
Violence has obviously played a large role in Irish history
but so has nonviolence; this pamphlet, with individual articles
written by different people, takes a look at a number of different
aspects of this latter experience. Daniel O’Connell,
the Quakers, the first Boycott, Michael Davitt and the Land
League, the ‘other’ (westward moving) Irish in
the USA, non-violent political action and Irish politics in
the early twentieth century, and peace groups from the 1930s
(to 1978) are all covered. Originally 24 pages, A4. Also available
from INNATE as a photocopy. See also "Nonviolence –
the Irish experience" quiz on this website.
"The Nuclear Syndrome
– Victory for the Irish Anti-Nuclear Power Movement"
by Simon Dalby (Dawn Train, 1984)
While it might seem scarcely credible now, nuclear power was
a very real option for Ireland in the 1970s with the ESB (Electricity
Supply Board in the Republic) and the minister responsible
for energy both pushing hard for a nuclear plant at Carnsore
Point in County Wexford. This pamphlet looks in detail at
those years, the forces at work, and the evolution and structure/structurelessness
of the opposition. Basic questions about how to organise a
mass movement were being dealt with in the context of an urgent
political campaign. This pamphlet is an edited version of
a 1982 thesis by Simon Dalby. Originally 24 pages, A4. Also
available from INNATE as a paper copy.
"The Peace People
Experience"
by Rob Fairmichael (Dawn Train, 1987)
The Peace People began in 1976 in Belfast and became the largest
upsurge against political violence on the island of Ireland
- and they continue as an organisation today. This detailed
study of the Peace People from 1976-1987 looks at the history
of this controversial organisation (two of whose leaders were
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977) from a number of different
angles, including exploding myths about the amount of money
they had, providing details on 26 local groups, and also interviews
with key figures. Originally 50 pages, A4. Also available
from INNATE as a paper copy.
Christian nonviolence – A study pack
Produced by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (Northern Ireland) and Pax Christi Ireland (Belfast branch) in 1993, this 26-page, A4, publication covers a variety of aspects on the topic; starting off looking at the issue, bible studies (Cain and Abel, the Beatitudes, Jesus and his teaching), personal nonviolence, Christians and war, resources (now somewhat dated, e.g. there is no longer a Fellowship of Reconciliation organisation in Ireland), and a liturgy. It is suitable for group or personal use.
Michael Davitt, Land War and Non-violence
Michael Davitt was an important figure in 19th century Ireland and in the transformation of land ownership patterns which began then, and in various socio-political movements. This short, 8-page pamphlet from ‘Dawn’ magazine No. 50 (1979) looks at Davitt and the Land War, Davitt and Non-violence, and Davitt and Penal Reform.
In the Co Down countryside, beside Bishopscourt Radar Base, there was a peace camp from 1983-1986 and this short 4-page broadsheet (which appeared in ‘Dawn Train’ No. 6, 1988) reflected on its work. As Bishopscourt Radar Base became technologically outdated and unnecessary from the point of view of the British war machine, it subsequently closed, but the peace camp experience was a fascinating one in terms of organising in opposition to nuclear weapons and for peace.
