Jack is standing in the rain, holding the ticket in his hands. Perhaps you are wondering why Jack would use the ticket. Why would he even want to leave Ireland? In order to understand his decision you have to find out about the circumstances Jack lived in. Take a look at the following links to see how people lived in Limerick in Jack's childhood, in the 1930s and 1940s.

Task

Your task is to browse the links below and any other sources you might find. Based on the information you find, please choose three of the most important historical events, in your opinion, which contributed to the atmosphere in Ireland in the 1930s and 1940s and even before, and present your choices in a five-paragraph essay. You should explain your reasons for choosing each event and thus show that you have familiarized yourself with the historical facts with the help of the sources given to you. What made Ireland the place it was in the 1930s and 1940s? How did Jack and those like him live their everyday lives in Limerick and why? The purpose of the task is to get an overview of the historical era and to create a background for the upcoming tasks. In addition to political events, you can include ordinary people's opinions and general atmosphere in your answer. Try to show relationships between and consequences of different events. Prepare your answer with word processor and post it to the course workspace in Moodle as an attachment file. Please note that you should not copy-paste but paraphrase the most important points in your own words. Remember to indicate the sources you used!

Links
Writing an academic essay

- General advice on academic essay writing
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/general/general-advice

- An example of an academic essay
http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CiLL/eap/2001/egacademicessay.htm

- Advice on academic writing (please click on "General Writing" and then "The Writing Process" and "Academic Writing" for more specific tips on, for example, creating a thesis statement and paragraphing)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

- An example and an outline of a five-paragraph essay
http://aaweb.gallaudet.edu/CLAST/Tutorial_and_Instructional_Programs/English_Works/Writing/Essays/5-Paragraph_Essay_and_Outline_The_Hazards_of_Moviegoing.html

Ireland in the 1930s and 1940s
- Different stages in the history of Ireland. Look at the summaries on 1914-1919, 1919-1921, 1921-1925, 1925-1932, 1932-1945, 1945-1963 and other summaries for a broader picture
http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/history/index.htm

- Ireland in the 1930s - 1940s: information about the political climate, agriculture, home and family life, social life, photos
http://www.muckross-house.ie/library_files/ireland_in_the_30s.htm

- Timeline, a chronology of key events in the history of Ireland http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1038669.stm

- "What price protection?" Information on the Irish economy in the 1930s by The Centre for Economic Policy Research
http://www.cepr.org/pubs/Bulletin/dps/dp117.htm

- Additional resources