An Irish monarchy and IRA [closed]

Question

I need a change in history so in the year 2020, Ireland is ruled by a Constitutional Monarchy. It is still a catholic nation (not celtic), has a democratically elected parliament and leaders, and the monarchy is respected by the Irish citizens... at least most of them.

Every other nation, along with their political relationships, should be as close to the present as possible. This also applies to the Irish Republican Army. It still exists as an armed organization. However, I want this organization to only use political means (not bombing or gun violence) to achieve the aim to turning Ireland into a republic. There would be some connection (unofficial channel of sorts) between the monarchy and the IRA. And the portion that is in North Ireland will have the same fate as its real life counterpart: fight, lose, and then truce alongside demilitarisation.

Answer 1

The british army reformed early, and won WW1 faster.

When Britain had a war with Tibet in 1904, they incorrectly believed Russia was supplying Tibet with arms. In this alternate universe, Russia was supplying Tibet with arms. It was a brutal slog, which only succeeded when Britain learned to use indirect artillery fire and heavy machine gun fire. This led to army reforms. In WW1, a more effective British army defeated the Germans in 1917, before the USA got involved.

The Irish war of independence failed.

In 1919 to 1921, Ireland fought and won a war of independence against a war weary Britain worried about American influence and unwilling to be extremely brutal. In this timeline, America stayed independent and the British public was much less war weary. The rebellion was brutally crushed, and most of the war eager rebels murdered.

King Edward VIII fell in love with an Irish woman.

He was a very famously short lived king who fell in love with an American woman irl. In this world, he fell in love with an Irish woman. With the money of Britain increasingly depleted in the great depression, Britain decided on a compromise to stop the increasing chaos and expense of Ireland. A partitioned Ireland, with Edward VIII as king alongside his Irish wife.

This Irish woman was a member of the IRA. Forever more, the IRA and the monarchy would be entangled in a confusing mess of alliances and relationships.

Answer 2

The British Monarchy becomes the Irish Monarchy.

Ireland has not had its own monarchy for about a thousand years. The quickest way to get an Irish monarchy is to move the British Monarchy to Ireland.

Ireland never established its independence from Britain. Due to better treatment than in the real world, following the Act of Union there was no War of Independence.

Ireland remained an exclave of the British Empire. They worship the British Monarch.

Then one day England gets conquered. Perhaps during WW1 or WW2. The monarchy flees to Ireland. They become the kings and queens of Ireland and nowhere else.

Edit: Britain losing WW1 or WW2 is because they were stretched by pouring funds into Ireland to improve the quality of life for the locals, rather than enlisting their sons for a pittance to fight and die in their wars overseas. This is the same reason Ireland is happy to remain in the union. Because the locals see the benefits of staying in the Union.

I leave to your imagination what happens after the war. Perhaps Britain becomes a German speaking nation and is otherwise similar but more efficient than real Britain. Perhaps the Allies retake Britain but culturally the monarchy never recovers. They are resented for fleeing and abandoning their people. Perhaps Ireland then becomes independent and keeps its monarchy.

Answer 3

The monarchy came about during the Civil War

This is tricky, because you'd need to establish an Irish monarchy after the formation of the IRA. I can't see there being much room between the British and the IRA for an Irish monarchist faction before or during or immediately after the War of Independence.

The best loophole is the Civil War, where Ireland is basically independent but the IRA is fractured.

Insert a monarchist faction that beats both of the real history factions (de Valera gets assassinated on the same day as Michael Collins, as do his cabinet members), or have de Valera or some near equivalent gain total control and declare themself king, followed by a transition to constitutional monarchy after he dies. With EdV as an absolute monarch, the Catholicism goes to the next level. Sinn Fein outlasts the IRA's military wing just like in real life.

Depending on the king's ancestry and politics, you have just made Ulster into Westeros; the Troubles now have royal families leading both sides. Dolores O'Riordan's biggest hit ends up having even more historically inspired emotional turmoil driving it. She still dies young.

Edit: The IRA doesn't attack the Irish monarchy with arms in very much the same way Islamist groups don't attack Saudi Arabia. They would like to on paper, but the monarchy/army is ruthless and very good at quelling internal terrorism, while not giving a brass razzoo about what they do to the North.

Answer 4

Scotland setup / schemer Prince

Ireland remains in the UK with a status similar to Scotland and North Ireland in our world. Maybe other parts of the Empire (Canada, Australia) are also still part of the UK.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy

The United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms are all constitutional monarchies in the Westminster system of constitutional governance.

The NRA in your world wants Irish home rule and independence and as you have taken away the historic violent aspects, functions like our world's Scottish Home Rule movement. Other commonwealth members each have their own home rule movement; especially the Isle of Man which thinks it can become Grand Cayman.

The popular prince has considerable personal wealth and is a political actor to a greater degree than Prince Charles in our time. He supports the home rule movement in all Commonwealth members, "devolved parliaments" and political independence for Ireland, Scotland and other commonwealth members except the Isle of Man. This support is both public to the degree his public role tolerates and to a greater degree private. If the NRA and prince get their way the role of the monarchy would not change; only the parliamentary aspects of the government would change.

Answer 5

"This also applies to the Irish Republican Army. It still exists as an armed organization. However, I want this organization to only use political means (not bombing or gun violence)"

This I think answers the question. The IRA never promotes armed revolution so never Becomes popular enough to rebel against Britain.

Instead monarchist faction that Advocates for armed revolution becomes popular among the people. Then it just takes the place of the Ira in are time line.

Meanwhile the original Ira Continues to use activism And political means only After the revolution they use it Against the Irish monarchy instead of the English monarchy.

Answer 6

No Norman Invasion!

It seems hard to believe that the Irish independence movement from starting with 1798 rebellion could bring about an Irish monarchy as they were strongly republican, as were most movements since then.

However, if you go back in time to the Norman invasion, Ireland had a number of kings, including a high king. The king of Leinster was ousted from power after he kidnapping the wife of the king of Breifne, so he ran off to look for help from the Normans to get his land back, which is what triggered the Norman invasion of Ireland.

Take that away and you've now got a completely different Irish history, but with kings and queens.

So there are still a number of things to explain, but history being so different, you can now make up what you like, for example:

A strong king came to power from the O'Brien family in Munster and became the high king, and managed to mostly unite Ireland as a single and strong entity, helped by being descended from Brian Boru. They had strong enough personality and were diplomatically skilled enough to somehow or another ensure that England didn't invade anyway in the following centuries.

However, the McLoughlins and O'Neills of Ulster never really warmed to this dynasty from the South, and eventually, after the time of Henry VIII started making deals with Protestant English rulers in exchange for help resisting the O'Briens.

So the North began filling up with Protestants loyal to Britain as it did in real life, and that is why we still have the strife now. But by the time this happened the people who came over weren't as motivated as Strongbow and Ireland was more united which is why there wasn't a large invasion like the Normans did IRL.