'The People's Flag is Deepest Red, It Shrouded Oft Our Martyred Dead': Martyrdom and the People's History

This concluding chapter reviews the histories presented in the book and seeks out the commonalities and the contrasts between them. All share features with the sacred martyrdoms of earlier centuries. In each case the state’s response has also demonstrated common features: primarily, each martyrdom represents a failure of the state, either tactically or strategically. In England and Wales the role of a community in creating and sustaining a secular martyrdom has been primary, while in Ireland martyrdoms demonstrate the power of institutions such as the nascent Irish state. Each martyrdom has been not merely a drama but also an historically significant ‘event’, happening at a moment marked by new times and the emergence of new forces. As a result, a general history of secular martyrdom can be written.