Evil literature and indecent dancing: Why 1926 was a pivotal year in Irish cultural history

In advance of a public symposium at UCC on Ireland in 1926, Dr Donal Ó Drisceoil sets the scene of newly-independent nation where some of its most conservative forces are beginning to hold sway 

A female piper at a feis in the Mardyke, Cork, in 1926. Unfortunately, Church-inspired legislation in the era would tighten the State's grip on culture and women's rights. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive

The release of the 1926 Census records has cast a welcome spotlight on a pivotal year in Irish political and cultural history. 

A century ago this month, Fianna Fáil was founded as a republican party destined to engage with Free State politics just three years after the ending of the civil war.