This video, ‘When the Irish pen was mightier than the sword‘, tells the captivating story of the extraordinary resistance of Ireland to the imposition of what was seen as an inferior coinage known as by the British, known as ‘Wood’s halfpence’. Swift wrote the ‘Drapier’s Letters’ as a series of seven pamphlets between 1724 and 1725, to arouse public opinion in Ireland against the copper coinage.

The video recounts the high drama, twists and turns of the tale, and extraordinary impact of the letters in mobilising resistance across all levels of Irish society. Listen to the end to see what happened!