Next Monday, January 21st, is the 100th anniversary of two defining events.
That day in 1919, the first shots were fired in the War of Independence when two policemen were killed in an ambush at Soloheadbeg in Co Tipperary.
In Dublin, meanwhile, Dáil Éireann met for the first time. Gathered in the Mansion House for a meeting that drew worldwide attention, members made a declaration of independence and adopted the Democratic Programme, a radical agenda for the republic.
On Monday, The Irish Times will publish "1919 – War and Peace", a 48-page supplement covering the events of that year at home and abroad. From political manoeuvrings in Dublin and London to the aftermath of the first World War, and from the Amritsar massacre in India to the Paris Peace Conference, it covers all the major themes of the period, with special study guides for junior and senior cycle students.
To mark the anniversaries, The Irish Times has produced films by Ronan McGreevy and Enda O'Dowd on Soloheadbeg and the first Dáil.
Among the pledges contained in the Democratic Programme adopted by the first Dáil was that the Irish republic would be judged by its ability to offer dignity and security for its children. On Saturday, The Irish Times will launch "No Child 2020", a nine-month project that looks at how that ambition can be fulfilled 100 years on.
Rolling coverage of the centenary commemorations can be found on irishtimes.com.
