Partitioning Ireland: transnational responses to the partition of Ireland in Australia and Canada, 1919-22

Typically understood within an Anglo-Irish framework, this thesis aims to explore how the Irish diaspora within Australia and Canada engaged with the partition process and how they felt about the separation of their ancestral homeland. Amongst Irish nationalists and other sympathisers, transnational activists helped organise grassroots movements such as the Self-Determination for Ireland Leagues which aimed to support the Irish request for independence, whilst also championing the territorial integrity of the island.

In contrast, Irish unionists in the diaspora, who at first were sceptical or opposed to partition, would later rally to maintain the six-counties of Northern Ireland separate from the jurisdiction of the Irish Free State, and within the United Kingdom. Whilst their objectives differed, unionists would also utilise transnational networks to support and reinforce the partition line in Ireland. Throughout this process, there is evidence of a distinct shift in the fabric and nature of the Irish diaspora in these two dominions.