· Churchill, Castledawson, and the Covenant

This chapter discusses political issues associated with the home rule crisis in Ireland. In April 1912, the Home Rule Bill was introduced in the British House of Commons, but despite this the British government remained formally committed to the principle of Irish unity. A serious affray at Castledawson on June 29 initiated a marked deterioration in the intercommunal relations. Inflamed Protestants regarded this attack on children as an indication of the baseness of nationalist intent.