The Belfast Pogrom

Occasional articles about the political/sectarian conflict in Belfast from 1920-1922

LATEST STORIES

October 31, 2026

Experiences of internment: Part 1

The introduction of internment played a significant role in bringing the Pogrom to an end. Hundreds of Belfast republicans were arrested and interned, while hundreds more fled across the border to avoid the same fate. This post examines its initial phase and how internees responded to it.
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September 26, 2026

Images of Belfast, 1920–1922

This post examines the various ways in which images of the conflict – photographs, drawings and cartoons – were used: to illustrate news reports, to make political commentary and as propaganda.
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August 29, 2026

Joe McKelvey’s final year: Part 2

Having spent the first half of 1922 trying to avert a split in the IRA, Joe McKelvey found himself trapped in the siege of the Four Courts at the end of June. He would spend the rest of his life in Mountjoy Jail, where he began a new political journey.
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July 25, 2026

Joe McKelvey’s final year: Part 1

Joe McKelvey is primarily known for having been O/C of the 3rd Northern Division, so he is inevitably linked with the IRA’s role during the Pogrom. But his final year, most of it spent in Dublin, was overshadowed by the fallout from the signing of the Treaty.
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June 27, 2026

The Map of the Belfast Pogrom (June 2026 update)

The map has been updated to incorporate the amendments noted in The Dead of the Belfast Pogrom (May 2026 update) as well as some additional new details regarding those responsible for particular killings.
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May 30, 2026

The Dead of the Belfast Pogrom (May 2026 update)

This blog post originally appeared in April 2023 and was updated in February 2025. Here, on the basis of additional information, it has been updated again. The total number of dead now stands at 501.
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