Revolutionaries endured a lonely battle with ‘trauma’

A civil war can wreak havoc on family and community for decades

A reflection of crowds is seen in the camera lens of a remotely operated machine gun turret during a ceremony to mark the centenary of the handover of the Curragh Camp in Co Kildare, from British to Irish Forces on May 1. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

THE terminology of “trauma” did not exist in 1920s Ireland, but revolutionaries had their own sophisticated understandings of the psychological implications of war and communal division.

The term “trauma” regularly emerges in public debate and academic discussion of the Irish Civil War. This is certainly understandable given the succession of shocking events that occurred during this short conflict between June 1922 and May 1923.