In March 1923 the anti-Treaty IRA, in response to the ongoing execution of their prisoners, anti-Treaty IRA Chief of Staff Liam Lynch declared a ban on public entertainments including sports, theatre and cinema during a period of 'national mourning'. This resulted in a concerted campaign which involved stopping sports and burning theatres and cinemas, only ended by the close of the Civil War.

John Dorney is an independent historian, editor of The Irish Story website and author of 'Peace After the Final Battle the Story of the Irish Revolution' (2014) and 'The Civil War in Dublin, the Fight for the Irish Capital' (2017).  

This talk is supported by the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-23 initiative.