Conversely, Sinn Féin won 73 seats in 1918, with Unionists taking 26, mostly in the northeast (though the unionist candidate also won Rathmines in Dublin). The 1918 election may have been a post-war event but in Ireland it was decisively shaped by anti-war sentiment. The remnants of the socialist Citizen Army had been swept up into Sinn Féin – and Labour’s decision to stand aside and give Sinn Féin a clear run was a crucial contributor to its victory. Unresolved contradictionsAnd yet, for all these unresolved contradictions and all their consequences of violence, sectarian division and patriarchal oppression, the 1918 election is still an amazing moment. For more on the 1918 election get The Irish Times Vote 100 supplement and commemorative poster on Monday December 10th

Source: The Irish Times December 08, 2018 06:00 UTC