Irish History Synopsis

Irish Hstory Synopsis: Troubles to Tiger 1990-2007

2007-10-25T08:06:00.002-07:00

Irish History Synopsis: Troubles to Tiger 1990-2007

As the stagnant island passed into the 1990's the north still hotly contesting which malitia controlled its territory ,the south passed from the control of Charles Haughey of FF into the hands pf Albert Reynolds in an FF/Labour coalition with Dick Spring as Taniste by
An agreement brokered by Bertie Ahern than a Dial Eirean member and a Haughey loyalist.

During this historic alliance occuring John Hume began a dialogue with Gerry Adams, one the leader of the constitutional SDLP party and the other now leader of Sinn Fein, on ways to end armed struggle and have peace in the north.
Such notable figures as Gordon Wilson a Senator who had lost his daughter in the 87 Enniskillen bombing worked to achieve some sort of peace in the north meeting with IRA personel to try and get them to stop their campaign.

In the south the new Reynolds government offered a tax amnesty to evadors.
The wealthy were allowed to settle with the government on millions of undeclared or evaded back taxes much to the chagrin of ordinary taxpayers and labour voters.
This corrosive influence annoyed the compliant taxpayers leaving a nasty memory of the amnesty well into the 21st century.

With the coming in the early 90's of low intrest rates coupled with grants from the Brussels EU of sugnificant capital and an increased employment a new economic prosperity began developing in the Republic.
A growth rate of 7% occurred in Ireland increasing in the second half of the 90's to 9%.
Irish consumers arose purchasing some 23 billion in goods and services.
International companies were attracted to Ireland with low tax rates and preferred status providing much needed skilled jobs throughout the Republic.
Over 800 foreing firms were invited into the country employing over 1/2 of the Irish workers.
These firms also exported over 80% of the workers manufacture.
High tech companies have achieved an impressive sucess in Ireland.

In 1990 Ireland had a 50% gap between its living standard and that of other EU countires.
Most of the Irish owned companies had little competative edge over 3rd world contries who could produce the same item at a low labor cost.
However a combination of money availability and available consumer goods led Ireland almost overnight into a progessive updated economic upturn under the auspices of its 1st woman President Mary Robinson of the Labour Party.

Ms Robinson took a modern progressive stance on such social conserns ad contraceptive use, divorce, homosexuality and such national matters as peace, meeting directly on this problem with both Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein and the British Monarch.
Maried to a prodistant she manifested a spirit of tolerance in matters of religeous conscience.

The Reynolds opposition to the X Case of a 14 year old pregnant by rape to abtain an abortion won a barrage of critizim both nationally and internationally which lead to an IIrish Court ruling forbidding the girl exit from Ireland to have her abortion.
[the girl was later reported to have a miscarriage]

In the north meanwhile an effort towards a lasting peace was being envisioned by the 3 leaders Albert Reynolds the Taoiseach of the Republic, John Major the British PM and Bill Clinton the US President.

With efforts by diplomatic servies in all 3 countires and the ever online John Hume a way forward was explored .
Indirect talks were teniously begun between and amogst the sides.
Clinton took a particular open role in promiting a negociated peace in his appaointment of George Michell a the US Senator from Maine as negociator to the all party talks peace effort.

tiger pg 2

On October 1993 the IRA bombed a fish fry shop in the Shankill and the Ulster Freedom Fighters retaliated by shooting 7 dead at the GreySteel Bar in Derry.
During these continious violent outbursts talks were ongoing between parties, between Irish government and republican dissentors, between British and Sinn Fein representatives, between Adams and Hume, all trying to create agreement on a peace process.

On December 15 1993 a joint statement called the Downing Street Declaration was issued by Taoiseach Reynolds and Prime Mininster Major outlining agreed terms of nationalist and republican,unionist and loyalists.

It reaffirmed the British governments lack of any selfish strategy or ecnomic interest in North Ireland.
It affirmed self determination attached to Irish acceptance of consent of significant groups to a constitutional settlement and a pledge to undo the causes of conflict.

On this note and the advise of John Hume and the Irish Republic government Clinton offered Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein a 48 hour visa to the US.

By this time the US National Security Council had become invlolved inthe Irish/American affair for some reason still classified.

London was not happy at this offer.

Adams however was viewed as dependant to the crutial inclusion of Sinn Fein and the IRA to the Peace process, was allowed the visit in mid winter, January 1994.

During the Washinton summit attended by Clinton, his National Security Council Kennedy, Senator for Massachutes.
He was advised of the importance of convincing the Republicans to abandon political violence.
This arm twisting did however produce an IRA ceasefire at midnight 31 August 1994, eight months after the Adams visit.

On October 13 1994 the Combined Loyalist Military Command consisting of the UDA ,UFF, UVF,the Red Hand Commandos called a cease fie.
Out of the cease fire both Briish and Irish governments were able to enter direct talks with Sinn Fein, UDP and PUP ,all 3 having para military links.

The Republic set up a Forum for peace and reconsiliation which held a meeting at Dublin Castle on 28 October 1994.
The unionist boycotted these meetings but the rest of the political parties on the island attended helping the dialog of all.

In September '94 Gerry Adams was issued a permanent US visa allowing him free travl in the US. His central message to the American cousins was to opt for a peaceful solution to the Irish Question.

In the meanwhile in the midst of the unbelievable good times in the economic south the nation was beset by a Church sex scandal.

Eamon Casey ,Bishop of Galway, suddenly resigned his prestigious and comfortable position and fled the country when it became known that he had had an affair with an American woman, Annie Murphy, who had borne him a son and she, as she had not been paid child support, was interviewd on national Irish television in 1992.

A more shocking scandal ensued when Fr Brendan Smyth was interviewed by Belfst police when he was charged with sexual abuse of minors.
Fr, released on bail promptly fled to his Abby in County Cavan in the Republic where he avoided the efforts of north Irish police to extradite him back across the border for 3 years.
In January of '94 Fr Brendan surrendered to northern justice and in June pleaded guilty to 17 counts going back to 1960.

He was given a northern jail sentence and when he compleated this was sent to Dublin for further trial in the Republic where he was also convicted and jailed.
However Fr Smyth died of heart attack in 1997 after one month of this incarceration.

Counterpoint a UTV program kept the case in public view also clarifying the lenth of time RUC extradition warrents hasd taken to be acted upon by Dublin.
This delay of 7 months was brought up when Taoisech Albert Reynolds went to appoint his Attorney General Harry Whelehan [ ofthe X Case] to President of the High Court.

Labour was intent on having Whelehan explain the handling of the Smyth matter.
When Reynolds supported Whelehan anyway without the concurrance of the Labour Ministers and his Taniste Dick Spring they left the coalition cabinate.

In November Spring and his Ministers resigned the government.
No longer having a parliamentary majority Reyonlds resigned as Taoisech and leader of the FF.
Labour entered a new coalition with Fine Gael getting enough Dial votes to elect John Bruton in 1994 known as the Rainbow coaltion.
No general election was held.

Under the rule of FG Bruton regime Ireland continued to enjoy economic prosperity and a high export rate.
It also sustained an assortment of Dial tribunals set up to investigate various corrupt practices.
There was a Beef Tribunal to investigate fraud and illegal acivies in this industry.
The McCracan Tribunal to invesstigate payouts by supermarket millionare Ben Dunne to Charles Haughey.
The Moriaraty Tribunal investigated payments to Charles Haughey and Michael Lowry and off shore Ansbacke dispensations again involving Charles Haughey.
This report however was not made public till July 2002.

Foreigners making a million pound investment in the Rebublic were entitled to apply for an Irish passaport.
Holders of an Irish passport are also citizens of EU which includes them with residenecy rights in any EU country.

Kickback schemes invloving a Minister fromthe Planning Commission were revealed.
Minister Burke resigned as the Flood Tribunal was being established.

tiger pg 3

A committment to human rights was made and a pledge to submit talk results to a referendum both north and south.
Sinn Fein's Adams was again invited to Washington and allowed a fund raising drive in the US.
Clinton invited him to the White House St Patricks Day in 1995.

Out of these friendly visitations Great Britain announced an exploritory dialogue with Sinn Fein.
John Major visited Washington in April and was praised by Clinton for inniciating dialogue with SF.
Clinton also reaffirmed Anglo/American relations.

The British insisted the IRA would need to decomission their weopons to allow Sinn Fein into all party talks.
In May a North Ireland Investment Conference was held in Washington which was attended by most of the N Irish parties.
Both UK and Republic officals as well as 100 buisness people attended.
It was a first high level meeting between Britain and IRA leaders in 75 years.

In November 95 Clinton himself visited Belfast. The first US President to ever do so.
He was warmly welcomed by a crowd of over 100.000 at Belfast City Hall.
A reception for all sides was held at Queens University where everyone came together.
There were no armed soldiers in the streets, Roadblocks were gone along with the barbed wire baracades.

In that same year in the spate of good will Prince Charles, Crown Prince of Great Britain made an official visit to the Republic. The first royal visit since 1922.
David Trimble Unionist Party leader went to Dublin, the first Unionist leader to visit Dublin since 1922.

During the summer of 95 the Orange Order marching season had been menacing.
Portadown in County Armagh became a focal point as Orange marchers confronted catholics residents on the Garvey Road which ran through their housing estate over a traditional prodistant march through that estate.

The Reverand Ian
Paisley and David Trimble marched together with mutual followers down the tense road.

When Goerge Mitchell, US envoy of President Clinton and the Secreatary of State arrived in Belfast he was struck by the 30 ft 'peace line' wall topped with barbed razor wire separating the catholic Falls Road from the prodistant Shankill and remarked that it was one of the most depressing structures he had ever seen.

In 1995 Seamus Heaney Poet won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

George Mitchell was to chair a new Presidential initative Body on Arms.
The British who were nervous of this creation nominated to this body General John de Chastelain of Canada.
The Republic nominated a retired Prime Minister of Finnland Harri Hokeri.
This Body drew up 6 principles called the Mitchell Principles which included the total and verifiable decominssioning of all paramilitary weopons.

At 7:00 PM 9 February 1996 the IRA ended its ceasefire with the Canary Wharf bomb on the loading dock. 100 were injured 2 died.
Great financial damage was inflicted.
The IRA demanded an inclusion in negociation settlements accusing the British of Bad Faith and the Unionist of squandering the unpresidented opportunity to resolve the conflict.

On June 15 1996 a tonand 1/2 bomb distroyed the city center of Manchester ,England.

Garvey Road became a flash point of violence.

In October '96 IRA exploded 2 bombs in a British Army Barracks in N Ireland.

As the Westminster government depended on Unionist votes to hold its majority in the House of Commons the Conservative government procrastinated on North Ireland.

The Mitchell talks continued but no progress was made as Sinn Fein was still excluded.

In May 1997 Labor won the British general election with Tony Blair at its head.
Unionist MP's no longer held the balance of power in Commons.
Mo Mowlan became N Ireland Secretary and laid less stress on decomissioning than did the Conservative government.

In June 1997 the IRA killed two policemen in Lurgan, Armagh.
In 1997 Loyalists killed 13.*
Although no official ending of either sides cease fire had been discaded.

The GarveyRoad parade again became a flash point as N Irish police and the British Army forced Orange marchers threw the hostile resisting catholic native residents.

On July 20 1997 the IRA announced a resumtion of its cease fire.
Sinn Fein was admitted to the peace talks on 9 Sept 1997.

Tony Blair went to Belfast and antagonised much of Unionists mainstream by shaking hands with the resolute Gerry Adams.

In January 1998 the Governments of Dublin and Great Britain, and Belfast and Dublin, and Dublin and London ,and between all parties ,and between Bertie Ahern now Taoisech as of 1997, as part of the Irish negociating team came together with Tony Blair British PM and were able to complete an agreement.

George Mitchell ,The Chair had set a deadline of 9 April 1998 to complete the Agreement.
Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern all the N Ireland Parties and President Clinton were involved.

Seventeen hours after the midnight deadline on April 10, Good Friday, 1998 the parties all agreed to end the 30 years of violence in the north.
The Agreement officially known as the Belfast Agreement was signed.

A referena was held on 22 May 1998 both north and south endorsing the Agreement.
All the island people voted together to decide their future.

The first all Ireland vote since 1918.

* very little figures and records of unionist killing are available nor have their malitia organizations been scrutinized and studies like th IRA has been.

tiger pg 4

In the Republic the voters also voted to amend Articles 2 and 3 of the 1937 de Valera Constitution giving up the Republics natural political right to the north 6 counties.

In the Republic with the fall of John Bruton in the 1997 general election FF came back to power with 77 seats over FG 59.
Forming a governemtn with the Progressive Democratic Party founded by O Malley as an offshot of FF with Mary Harney as TAniste.

Dick Spring resiged the leadership of the Labour Party.
Under the new leader Ruari Quinn the weakened Labour Party merged with theDemocratic Left.

Mary Robinson the popular President of Ireland resigned before her term ended to take a post of UN High Commissioner for Human Rightes on 12 September 1997.

Bertie Ahern persuaded Professor Mary MC Aleese to stand for election for FF.
She won the Presidency and did not overshadow her predicessor.
Mary quickly established her own style.
Mary McAleese being a north Irish girl worked in her first term to build bridges between the 2 communities.
She was reelected to a second term in 2004.

The continuing transformation of the Republic economy from a low producer, high inflation and fiscal irresponsible in the preceeding decades developed rapidly with a polcy of Central Bank reduction of interest rates, an influx of some 7 billion pounds from Brussels EU ,negociated by Albert Reynolds and a favorable investment policy for international investment, bringing in such high employers as Intel, IBM, Dell Computers, Microsoft, Glaxo- Smithkline, Bristol Myers Squibb, call centers and service centers for American and European companies.

Ireland also had developed in the 90's a good trade economy exporting much of its agricultural and manufacture produce giving it a competative status in a global free trade economy.

Some native start up companies such as Ryan Air held their own against larger corporate structues and stae owned companies.

A status symobl of automible ownership among the populous rose steadily during the 90's with puurchase of elite Eurupean neuve riche vehicles such as BMW and Mercedes Benz and such status symbols as 4 wheel drive and jeep appearing in urban streets.

An unprecidented number of jobs became available in Ireland necessitating at a later date govenment issuance of foreign work permits which has caused hostile reaction to Ireland Celtic purity.

The governments exchecker funds grew alowing the Republic to have a budget surplus.
These excess funds were not evenly distributed ,the nations hospitals and health services being one of the major sufferers.

Socially the Irish Republic made great strides in housing.
The traditional white limed thatched cottge disapearing from the landscape in favor of modern ranch style bungaloes with large windows, state of the art kitchens, heavy window drapery replacing the ubiquitous famous lace curtain and modern up to date cars graced the door yard.

Dublin expidited a moderazation program with many of the old slum riden Georgian mansions of the 18th century giving way to new suburban estates north and south of the city.

On November 24 1995 a new referenda on divorce removed the constitutional ban.
The new legislation provided for divorce if the parties had lived appart for 4 years of the previous 5.

Throughout the 90's cultural developments accured such as the Field Day Theater Company project in Derry.
Productions to remaking of the Irish past such as Dancing at Lugnasa.
The Mai and the Stewart of Christendom were produced on stage.

Frank McCourt's Angelas Ashes recalling the stuggles of 1940 Limerick, was written and later made into a dvd.
Samus Deane contunied his critique of Irish life in such books as Reading in the Dark and his Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing exploredthe relationship of modern Independant Irish writers to the colonial past.

tiger pg 5

The Irish Arts Council established the Irish Museum of Modern Art and several Art Centers around the country at regional and county levels.

The Lane Collection at Dublin was enlarged and in 1995 Kathy Prendergast a Dublin girl, won the Premio Demila award at Venice Bienale where Ireland had not exibited for 30 years.

The cooperative efforts of the Art Council of Northern Ireland to bring arts to the Ireland schools throughout the island gave writers and artists opportunity to visit schools to read or show their works and discuss these with the students.
The National College of Art and Design functioned to assist these activities during the 90's

With the revival of the National Film Board with support from the European Script Fund financial assistance, such films as The Last of the High Kings, and Words upon the Window Pane, a Mary McGuckian work among other new women entrants into directing annd writing films were produced.
The most famous film producued was Jordons Michael Collins which recieved accolades in Ireland as well as in the overseas market as did In the Name of the Father.
Most of the Sheridan Hells Kitchen films have been sucessful and the Irish Film Bord continues to produce home grown films and dvds for the general market.

As the university system improved and updated its facalty and curiculum Ireland experienced a new crop of well educated technically proficient workers who could handle the complicated ideas and processes of the marketplace and the word of comuters.
Ireland still lags behind other nations in scientific research and development graduates which leaves it left out of the future participation in these global areas.

Ireland experienced a tourist boom with tourists proceeding into the troubled north as well.
Over 5 million mostly American cousins looking for lost roots within the Republic in an average year with 1 million venturing into the troubled northern 6 counties.

The Good Friday Agreeemnt laid out principles of consent and self determination for the people of the north
as set down in the Downing Street Declaration of 1993.
It provided for a new Assembly ,a north south council and a British Irish Council.
It provided for equality of opportunity and rights and a committment of all parties to work in good faith and influnece to achieve decommissioning of weapons within 2 years.
It provided for normalization of security arrangments, a program to release prisoners and a reveiw provision was provided.

On 28 June 1998 elections for the new Northen Ireland Assembly took place.
The Body met on July 1 .David Trimble was elected 1st Minister with Seamus Mallon of SDLP designate 2nd Minister.

During this year violence contunued.
Loyalist petrol bombed a private home in Balymoney,County Antrim killing 3 children age 8,9,10.
28 were killed in Omagh County Tyrone on a catholic holiday, August 15 ,Assension Day.
The bomb ,a 500 pound was placed by a splinter group called the Real IRA.
Known as the Omagh bombing a later video film was made.

The Assembly was suspended several times during the ensuing years when Unionists could not tolerate Sinn Fein inability to deliver IRA decomissioning.

The Assembly was suspended again on October 14 2002 by the then Secreary for N Ireland John Reid, perhaps prematurly, when Unionist refused to share power with Sinn Fein followig a N Ireland police raid on SF offices at Stormont alledging a spy ring.

DUP and SF the biggest electoral parties inthe north continued to wrangle over IRA decomissining through 2004.

Ahern won the 2002 general election forming a coalition government with Progressive Democrats with Mary Harney as Taniste.

tiger pg 6

Struggles between the forces at hand in the north continued with such incidents as the 2005 Great Northern Bank robbery neting 26 million pounds attributed to the IRA and the explosive McCartney murder in 2005 leading to expultion of SF Gerry Adams from the American White House acceptability by George W Bush and a congressional condemnation of the murder by US Sentors Hilary Clinton, Ted Kennedy and John McCain.

FF Bertie Ahern aslo participated in these shallow elitist internal attacks on these two sensational condemnations of the IRA and Sinn Fein leadership.
No evidence was ever produced to charge either nationalist organizations in each of these much touted accusations.

In the south further Dial Tribunal Inquirys continued now including the HIV Hepatatis C Inquiry of 1999
The Clerical Sexual abuse Lafferty Commission
the DIRT Parliamentary Inquiry of 2000 and 2001
The Donegal Garda corruption scandal Morris Tribunal 2002
The 2002 Barr inquiry into the fatal shooting of John Carthy of Abbylara
The National Irish Bank Financial Services Ltd investigation.
The Ansbacker Cayman Island Affair

In 2004 Ireland took the Presidency of the EU and advanced the adoption of European integration and the European Constitution suceeding in getting the 25 member nation states to prepare a draft Constitution.

Much of the success accredited to the negociating and interpersonal skills of the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

This Constitution however fell to rejection when France and the Netherlands voted to maintain their national soverenty over a united European State in 2005.

George Bush attack with US forces of the country of Iraq in the middle of March 2003 hightened tension between the EU and Washington/London

The war was begun by the Admininstration with out UN Security Council Resolution and without a Declaration of WAr by the US Congress as required by the US Constitution of 1776.

The Congress had only issued a Resolution for the Admininstration to persue intervention in Iraq and Afganistan to defeat what the Admininstration termed a 'terrorist network' responsible for the distruction of the NY City based World Trade Center Buildings in 2001 which resulted in great loss of life as the buildings were struck on a week day when workers where present.

This split the EU between British, Italy and Spain supporting the US , with Gernamy and France leading the inclusive oppostion.

Ireland sought to maintain her neutrality status as had deValera during WW2 but allowed the US airspace and Shannon Airport as a refuling stop.
The Irish people objected to this concession to the US and generally opposed the war.

The FF admininstration made unpopular cut backs in public service funds which cost them the 2004 local elections when FF lost badly.

Fine Gael achieved 5 seats in the European Parliament and FF lost 2 seats.

A referendum was passed in this election removing the automatic right of citizenship to the children born in Ireland of non Irish parentage.
The new provision restricted citizenship to one Irish parent being an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen ,but maintained an ex post facto provision for those born before the new provisions were made in 2004.

In 2004 a general election was held in May returning B Ahern to the Taoisech with 81 seats. The coaltion government with Progressive Democrats continued with Mary Harney retaining her position as Taniste.

A referndum in October 2004 reversed a previous rejection of the EU Nice Treaty and revising Irelands position to accept European Unity of EU's now 27 members as against soverenty and self determination.

At Easter 2006 a commemoration of the 1916 Rebellion was held in dublin 2,500 Irish soldiers marched down O Connell St.

In 2006 Charles Haughey died and was given a state funeral.

In Setember Mary Harney fell as the leader of her party and Michael McDowell replaced her as Taniste.

On October 13 2006 the St Andrews Agreement was reched by Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, DUP ,Ian Paisley and SF Adams to restore the suspended 2002 Assembly .
SF agreed to accept the police service
DUP committed to power sharing
Devolution of police and justice powers are to occur in 2 years of Assembly reactivation
Royal Assent was given on 22 November 2006
Great pomp and cerimoney attended British Parliament and press and American grandstanding for this occation.

tiger pg 7

In the 2007 election FF again won at the polls capturing 78 seats and forming a coaltion government with the new Green Party espousing environmental issues and expecting the enactment of a carbon tax and climate change legislation.
The Green Party is also opposed to Irelands membership in the EU.

Ahern is the first FF polititian since De Valera to survive sucessive elections beginning his 3rd term presently.

Ireland in 2007 sustains a 4.3 unemployment rate. Has a 12.5 corporate tax benefit and a 33% GDP rate.
Its people maintain a prosperous full modern life style that can include travel, savings accounts, full use of modern science and technological development and the benefit of planned families with no fear of excomunication.
Golf has become one of its major sports along with Irish football and revival of the old hurling games.

It still grapples with high inflation ,overly inflated property and land values, lack of natural fuel resourses, the problem of reuniting the island into one nation and its soverignty within the EU state ecomomic complex.

The north must still format its reestablished Assemby into a non secular working Body dedicated to the building of its internal government and peoples.

Dissident forces are still quick to condemn each other for imagined or real differences and to act out old traditional force over reason.
The newly constructed PSNI[ Police Service North Ireland] has an extensive job defining sectarian happenings from ordinary criminal acts as does the Republic Gardai.

The North today is beset with unrest and dispondency among its young people having a high suicide rate, a high drinking rate, and a high disregard for sexual norms among its young people.

Both north and South face shootings , murders and other acts of violence within its communitys which cannot be solved by police action.

The society as a whole has rejected politics for sports and soap operas taking great pride in its teams and team players, stars and financial success over its future state in the world or the political scene.

Tourists flock to the island each year both north and south helping the general economic security and inhancing the return of roots and history as values the Irish and the Diaspora desire.

The internet is full of family history and family roots and family names changed back to Irish spelling from the English phonetc renaming of the Country.

The language suffers throughout the country and raises emotional hackles with the northern prodistants.

All Ireland programs are being tackled in both political jurisdictions regarding areas where the people are benfited.

Several all Ireland useges such as transportation, electrical usage, fishery resourses, water useage, sports events ,goods exchange and protection of the islands cattle and sheep from deseases coming from abroad such as hoof and mouth are in place.

The de population of the west must be addressed in future where the small farm has disapeared and the general economy has been built around Cork, Dublin ,Limerick,Derry and Belfast with a pooosible inclusion of Galway on the Atlantic.

There are still issues in health care and elderly care in both jurisdictions.

The north still tends to its secrtarian stereotypes which will probably not go away until a generation die of old age and a new generation in raised in the spirit of tolerance.

The same clique exists in the Repulblic with viewpoints formulated from 100 years ago separating the unity of the people of the island.

As Ireland grapples with its hard won soverenty under the protective hand of EU surzanity and the 6 Counties grapple with devolved government under the hand of Buckingham Palace and the still present barracked 5000 strong British Army and its still extant umbrella of loyalist malitias, the future sometimes seems repressive and sometimes frustrationally slow.

Its economy is still dependent both north and south on global fortunes and as it goes forward to the year 2016, 100 years since the Rising it slowly faces and emotionaly adresses the problems before it, above and below it, around it, under it in the tradition of St Patrick an island surrounded with its own self intent and a sea of greater more overpowering interests.

The Ahern govenment is considering a Committee for Nothern Ireland parties to send representatives to the Dail.

A joint committe on implimentation of a Parliamentary committe being established which will allow Westminter MPs elected from north Ireland to debate motions in the Dial and sit in on proceedings without a vote or making motions or amendments.
At present the implimentation does not include northern Assemby MLA's.

Currently the north Irish Assembly is considering implimentation of a joint Ministry of Justice to restore confidence in the provincal government to render justice.

The future of Ireland may or may not provide the long term stability it seeks as it had in the days of pagan kings.

It may or may not adhere more and more to the militarizm of the world around it or revert to the ideas of chieftanship with common lands and tribal values
It strives to keep in its memory.
Keeping the name on the land and discarding the English system of fee simple and landlords it so tenaciously fought in the 19 century.

Its future will depend on its young and their capacity to continue the new with the old DeValeras 'keep the sheep' in line with the advantages of space technology and applied science, economic soundness and hopeful and respectful consern for each other and the tiny singular green island tethered to the waves of the North Sea.

Judi Donnelly

Copyright 23 October 2007

CRIOCHNAIGH
[TheEnd]

Coming next month:

http://poetryoririshkings.blogspot.com

sourses: Twentieth Century Ireland,DermotKeogh with Andrew McCarthy, Gill & McMillan Ltd., 2005
Ireland a Social and Cultural History, Terrence Brown,Harper Perennial,2004
Writing in the Irish Republic, edited Ray Ryan,McMillan Press Ltd,2000

Irish history Synopsis:1970-1990 the Troubles to th Celtic Tiger

2007-10-20T11:17:00.001-07:00

Irish History Synsopsis: 1970 -1990 The Troubles to the Celtic Tiger

As the north of Ireland decended into communal violence the American Irish had fianaly achieved a degree of acceptance, middle class respectability and conformity to American thought,speech and life styles.
The old ancestrial parish inner city neighborhood had been abandoned for suburban comforts and technology along with a diversified neighborhood rather than the close nit bronx style village life the Irish had known since arrival in Nortt America.

Consumerism vied with traditional - differences for neighbors were supressed.

A Career was an accepted goal. Religious tolerance although not racial tolerance was a watch world of the new and prosperious life.
The consept of church schooling lessened as a necessity where surburban public schools were new, well equiped, well staffed, served a nice lunch, had yearly bus service and charged no fees.
The American Irish thought of themselves as chick and cynical, knowledable rather than as backward and medieval.
They held jobs in politics, civil service, journalism, educated in the traditional professions of doctor and nurse and resting on their Hollywood laurals of such stars as Helen Hayes, Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and the faboulous dancer Eugene Kelly of Pittsburg Pa.
John Ford had already made the award winning 'Quiet Man' with Mareen OHara and John Wayne in Irleand capturing some of the old customs of a rural community.
Spencer Tracy, James Cagney and Hal Roach along with such famous actors as Barbra O Neil who had played Scarlett O Haras mother in the 1939 production 'Gone With the Wind'.

They had acieved university fame in such institutions as Fordam,Villanova, HolyCross and Indiana's Notre Dame.
When pictures on their color TVs came in along with the Viet Nam war shots of black figures running the streets and bludgionings coming out of a place called North Ireland which they had forgotten existed- most being decendants of Famine Irish or unemployement emmigrants from the depressed south-
they had no idea of what theis was all about.
A few old line Bostonian and New Yorkers percieved that the oppression and represssion had finally exploded with a violent hysterical backlash and made arrangements to clue in their diversified contrymena that Ireland had onceagain 'struck for her Freedom'.

As the violence continued in '69 on a daily basis the Lynch government in theSouth made a conscious desion to keep the 26 county Republic free of the northern disruptions.

The Republicof Ireland all through the August crisis were absorbed in themselves.
Interested in their own economic progress and careful of the continuance of their own Free State Republic.
The north had again been forgotten and the government moved to keep it that way.

By August 1969 the new English Labour government sent in troops to quell the street fighting and snipers in the north where barracades had gone up in catholic estates to defend the homes from local prodistant mobs burning them out with the collusion of armed prodistant police form RUC and B Special forces.
Mobs and tanks once more ruled the major towns with the regiments.

The Catholic
Defence Associations at first welcomed the troops to relieve there outright distress but when the regiments began selectively raiding and distroying homes ,frisking people in the streets, shooting the young defenders and generally exibiting favoratism to there fellow prodistant coherts the nationalist catholic people turned on them and the northen command of the old IRA was revived.

This brought out an equal and opposite force in loyalist defence associations with para militarys joining these to defend the prodistant community from a 1641 percieved massacre drilled into their heads for 300 years.

The Lynch FF after a failed attempt by the Mininster for External Affaairs to bring in a UN peace keeping force issued an August 28 1969 statement ruling out force for the sothern government as a solution and calling for a federal Ireland.

Lynch however had stated that the Irish government could no longer stand by and see innocent people injured and perhaps worse.
When Irish refugeees of women children and old burned out of their homes came over the border in late 69 the Lynch government did extend to refugees accomidation by setting up camps at Kilworth ,Cork ,Gormantown in Meath ,Kildare Barracks , Finner in Donegal and Collmoney in Wicklow.

In the north the giant lamberg drums of the Orange Order boomed day and night to inject fear into the enemy, the natives.

70 pg 2

In 1969 an election was called in the south to establish the Lynch government as he had acquired the Taoiseach in the 66 retirement of Sean Lemass from poiitics.
Some Ministers Haughey of Finance and Blaney of Agriculture are accused of improperly and illegally inporting arms with government money at their disposal.
These reports had surfaced at the reports o f Gardai and Army military intelligence.
This information was brought to Lynch's attention by Liam Cosgrave of Fine Gael the party in opposition to Fianna Fail.
The papers had lain in the open on the Minister of Justice O Morain' s desk. He had been ill and was not able to funtion at his job.
The three involved Mininsters were sacked in May of 1970.

Haughey was beaten up by annonymous opponants and had to be hospitalized with a fractured skull, broken eardrum and injured clavicale.

Papers were prepared and Captain James Kelly and a Belgium Albert Luykx were arrested on 27 May 1970.
Next day Blayney and Haughey joined them all charged with a conspiracy to import arms and ammunition into the State.

On July 2nd charges were dropped against Blaney by Dublin District Court and he was hand carried from thecourt on the shoulders of his supporters.

The conspiracy trials went on against the other 4.
This trial was dismissed when the jury was tainted and a new trial took place in October 6 lasting 14 days.
The jury found a not guilty verdict on October 23 causing mayhem in theCourt room.
The supporters sung' We are a Natrion Once Again' at the Four Courts Hotel.

Lynch was not in Ireland at the acquittal but was aappearing before the UN General Assembly on his request that a UN peace keeping force be sent into Northen Ireland.
There were calls for his resignation from his party.
On December 4, 1970 he restored internment in the south.

In the north NICRA continued its street protests for housing and voting rights.
The volitile Peoples Democracy founded at Queens University Belfast by student Bernadette Devlin marched and supported social reforms.

Sinn Fein backed the old physical force reform methods upheld by the IRA which had continued rebuilding its amrs supply and its recruiting.

In June 1970 the Conservative [Tory] Party replaced Harold Wilsons Labour government with Edward Heath at its head.
The new policy was to rely on military might in subduing the north.
Sir Ian Freeland Comanding the British forces.

In 1971 some 17,265 houses were searched by the Army.
Freeland imposed a Belfast curfew.
The policy of harsh law and order had alienated the nationalist population who suffered from it.
In August 71 Internment was reintroduced in the north now making the entire island a virtual police state of phsycial force government.

By January 1972 the First Parachute Regiment had shot 13 unarmed civil rights marchers.
This provoked the Dublin Trade Unions and others to march on the British Embassy in Dublin.
The building was fire bombed by PIRA representatives who directed traffic in their military uniforms and maintained crowd control with the helpless Gardai standing by.

In 1970 the IRA forces split over doctrine and proceedure into the old Official IRA and the smaller more directed PIRA formed from the northern command.

The Official IRA conducted some operations in the north until 1972 when it ordered a cease fire leaving PIRA in complete charge of the war against the British occupation forces.

By this time propaganda had been carefully laid encouraging the fray as a secular hatred between old Elizabethan purists prodistants and the Popery of catholics as being the insane pursuit of medieval values.

An American airline landing in Belfast even managed to announce the planes arrival with
'Welcome to the 16th Century'

70s pg 3

In America NORAD was founded to collect funds allegedly to help catholic displacement.
The US governemtn promptly and probably on behest of the British Intelligence put any Irish person they came across under FBI surveilance as suspected gun runners and terrorist sympathisers creating fear in the American Irish now cut loose from their fomer secure communities.
Many of them refused to admit their religion or their ethnicity as did the Jews of WW2 Europe and as today the Muslim populations and as the US did also as national policy in WW2 against thousands of Japanesse Americans who were intered with out suspicion and held for the duration with no compensation for the loss of property or family.
And so futher Old World tarnish slipped about the Statute of Liberty which called out 'give me your tired your weak your huddled masses'.

The nothern nationalists could expect no help from anyone in their statelessness being a people without a country.
There southern cousins had rejected them in favor of self progress by government and people.
Tthe American kin had no power to help them other than throwing money into the coffers.
The United Nations had rejected them as Britains problem and the Briths Army itself rejected them in the stereotype of the 17th Century plantation.
The settler population regected them and avenged itself by shooting and beating and harrassment and lack of necesssities encouraging them to pack up and leave.

Without PIRA these 1/2 million souls outnumbered and diserted would probably have fallen to the old obliteration ideas of Cromwell.
PIRA protected them as well as disaplining them and extorting them and became heros in this endgame of survival.

In retort to this the prodistant settlers fearing the IRA might suceed this time in distroying the total control mini state' A Prodistant State for a Prodistant People' had reformed the old UVF of Carson days and a new 1971 group called the UDA[Ulster Defence Association] with its malitia the very violent U FF
[UlsterFreedom Fighters] and several sub groups such as the Red Hand Defenders.

These two forces went at it constantly killing at will on both sides 'tit for tat ',civilian as well as malitia members and sometimes its own personell suspected of 'grassing', stealing or doing other activities not ordered by their commanders.

The malitias expressed a young wild enthusiasm for the new political cause.
On one side the upholding of the loyalist elders on the other the campaign to get rid of the colonial British army.

Of the sectarian killings and bombings over 3700 were finally accounted for by the press collaboration book 'Lost Lives',[Kitrick, Kelter, B Feeney, Thornton, Mainstream Press 1999] without pre prejustice of all the reported and documented killings in this mini province of 1 1/2 million souls.

In that book are the facts of this authors Uncle, sprayed at 11 Pm in his night cloths with some 34 bullets along with his wife and two year old son.

For God's sake the child survived.

When the news reached his sister my mother she simply stated:

'They shot my brother"

The eternal 'they'of the annonymous unknown enemy.

70s pg 4

In the early 70s Ireland was hard hit by the international oil crisis.
Companys not being able to operate began laying off workers.
Unelmployment rose.
Economic growth slowed. Demands for welfare assistance rose. There was no money in the state pocket. Public corporations began to stagnate.

In 1969 there was a maintainance strike in the Republic where social Democracy and Labour felt threated by FF's failure to support workers demands and self protection.
They asked for and got a 20% pay riase.

FF in an angry mood again passed a wage ceiling in 1970 under the Prices and Wages Bill.
Inflationw as higher than the 6% and ICTU objected.
The bill was withdrawn after a negociation between ICTU and FF and the employers came to a national Wage Agreement.
This restored the old social partnership idea of the 60's with committees to handle grievances and a monthly meeting of an Employer/Labor Conference to monitor and control wage demands.
The government continued to enact legislation in Dublin to enhance the security and stability of theRepublic.

A Prohibition of Forcable Entry Act was passed in 1971 to remove any labor 'squatting' or sit in take over of factory premisis to achieve demands.
This followed by legislation in allowing detention at the Curragh of rebellion prisoners.
Censorship of television under the Broadcasting Act under Section 31 forbidding any Republican access to the airwaves.
Non jury special courts were established.
The primary effects of these measures were thought to be in defence of the state, the old Free State mentality taking presidence over any other quest.

During the 60s and 70s Ireland continued on its discovery of itself and its conflicting integration of its past with new thought and ways.
Popular books and pamphlets on craftwork, national history, folklore, music and such raised the public awareness of itself and helped to integrate the national attempts to understand the past within the context of modern living conditions.
Ireland now had in addition to a mystic celtic history a half remembered cultural and material collection of contemporary literature and arts in her midst.

By January of 72 John McQuaid Arch Bishop of Dublin for 30 years and confidant of Eamon De Valera retired.
He died on August 29 1975.

In the north 1972 began in a pivoted way with the killing of 13 civilians protestors at Derry by a British Parachute Regiment, all faithfully captured by world press photographers including the pitifal shot of Fr Daly slowly crawling out into he street his white hankerchief afloat to get to a dying man in order to admininster last rites to his soul.

Outrage reigned throughout the entire north and its flames were wifed by atrocity upon atrocity descending the entire reigon into a state of anarchy and fear.
Fear of the British Army.Fear of the prodistant community.Fear of the malitias. Fear of the IRA gunmen and bombers and most distructive fear of itself.
An ailiment it still suffers from today.

During 1972 the old Stormont government in the north was brought down and direct rule was imposed from Westmininster. After 51 years of misrule the unionist total control had been dissamated.

This did not decrease the violence between the 2 opposing political opponents ,nationalism and loyalism Their respective physical force malitias continuing their campaigns against each other and any one esle who got in their way.

The Official IRA continued its campaign against British and Stormont officials killing the Stormont House speaker Ivan Neill in December;
On February 22 1972 bombing the Parachute Regiment responsible for the Bloody Sunday killings headquarters at Aldershot in Hampshire England.
The hard line Unionists MP John Taylor was shot 6 times on February 25 1972 at Armagh but he survived.

The Abercorn Restaurant in Belfast was targeted in March by the PIRA force and a no warning left 136 injured and 2 dead mostly women and children.

By Novemeber of 72 Sean McStiofain[Stephens] of PIRA was arrested and went on hunger strike.
He was convicted in a juryless court of army officer judges but gave up his hunger strike.
In December 72 2 bombs were exploded in Dublin injuring 127 and killing 2.

This provided Fine Gael and Labor who were standing
for elections in introduce an Offences Against the State Amendment bill allowing for conviction of a suspect on testimony of a senior police officer that he believed the suspect was a member of an illegal organization.
'
After the Dublin bombings the Bill was passed next day and signed by President De Valera the same day.

The Official IRA declared a cease fire.

70s pg 5

In 1973 a change of governemnt occured with FG/Labour coallition under Garrett Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald took power after 16 years for FF.
Both Ireland and Great Britain were admitted to theEEC [European Economic Community] supported by all parties but Sinn Fein.
The Long Kesh interneees were opposed.
A referendum had been held in May 72 amist the voilitile activities of that year with a 5-1 vote for entry, over 1 million voting for entry.

At the general election in the south a plebicite was held in the north as to whether they wished to remain part of the UK.
SDLP, a political party formed by John Hume in 1970 encouraged people to stay away from the polls.
In a 60% turnout the remain in the Uk poll won the plebicite.

Throughout 1974 violence continued unabated between the three forces the British Army, now sustaining a presence of over 30,000 soldiers,
the combined militia forces of several UDA and UVF prodistant forces and the PIRA forces of the IRA smattered with new malitia groups such as INLA and the Real IRA.

The people of the north tried to continue their normal daily lives of work, school, shopping and such under the ever present watchful eye of patrolling troops , instant searches and the eternal awareness that a bomb might explode at any time or place or that a gunman might appear in the street shooting down any one out there.
Children wer upset in their natural inclination to be free and to trust.
Most of them needed guarded protection to go to school and school was disrupted in its orderly progession of learning by anxiety and stress in the students mind always present.

In 1975 old Archbishop McQuaid died leaving his post to Fr Ryan, followed by his former pupil Eamon De Valera.

The secrtarian systematic killing in thenorth continued.

The Republic under thecoalition government continued to maintain its policy of detachement from the 'Troubles' arresting and prosecuting with tribunals those who showed up in its territory.

The PIRA forces declared a cease fire in 1975 for a short while but it was not honored by the opponents and soon ended.
The Armalite arrived surepticiously from its Illinios USA shops and beceme a favorite weapon fothe dissident group over the old Thomson sub machine gun.
This along with plastic explosives made the PIRA a formidable force.

The south during this period from 1970 to 2002 had a change in leadership 12 times with thier assorted Mininsters.

Eight Dials were convined.

Jack Lynch 66-73 FF
Liam Cosgrave 73-77 FG
Jack Lynch 77-79 FF Lynch retired in 79 and the Taniste George Colley served as Taoiseach till
Garrett Fiszgerald was reelected June 81-March 82
Charles Haughey served as Taoiseach from March 82- October 82 FF
Garrett Fitzgerald again for Dec 82-March 87 FG
Haughey March 87-July 89 FF
A second term Jan 89-92 FF
Albert Reynolds Jan 93- 94 FF
John Bruton 94-97 FG
The present Premier Bertie Ahern assumed Office in 1997

Under Liam Cosgraves FG/Labor coalition verdicts were brought back from the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg saying 'degrading and inhuman treatment practiced by the British Army interogation proceedures were used at Castlereagh Center in Down.

The suit had been brought by FF under the Lynch government.
Court had ruled that there was a role to play by the US President.
Its determination was not welcomed by London.
The people of Ireland, England or the US paid no attention.

In 1978 PIRA bombed the le Mons restaurant in
Down killing 16.
In November five bombs were detonated in Armagh and 13 other north Irish towns.
Bombing attacks in Belfast ,Armagh ,Dungannon, Enniskillen, Cookstown and Castlederg had been conducted in October 78.

Margaret Thatcher elected as English PM in 1979 had expressed an even stronger security pattern in the north than her predissors taking a typical Brisish stance of aggressive pursuit against percieved enemies.
This motive was never attached to prodistant para military associates whose outrages and attrocities were as great but were not direced at the British Army or theBritish Westminster administered civil structure.

In 1979 INLA[Irish National Liberation Association] killed Aire Neave the North Irish spokesman by placing a bomb under his car which exploded as he drove to the house of Commons.

Its leader Seamus Costello had been killed in September 1977 in Dublin.

70s pg 6

In the north there wes no petrol, no mail, very little affinity to shop for necessities and constant fly bys and patrols by British helicopters and tanks.

In the south when FF was returned to power under Jack Lynch there were 106,000 unemployed.

The Earl Mountbattan , his grandson and Lady Brabourne were killed by an explosion in their pleasure craft in August 1979 off the coast of Sligo.[Lord Louis Mountbatten christened Prince Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicolas Battenberg born in 1900 at Winsor Castle, mother Victoria of Hesse}

PIRA took credit for this killing and the same day killed 18 British soldiers stationed at Narrow Water Castle in County Down.

When Lynch attened the Mountbattan funeral - the Earl being a cousin of the Queen and former Vice Regal of the colony of India at the time of its release from colonial status under Nerhu and Gandi in 1948 - he granted greater cross border security to British forces in 'hot persuit'.

In September Pope JohnPaul II visited Ireland and was attended by a crowd of 2.5 million.
He was unable to attend St Patricks Cathederal in Armagh the Holy See of Irleand for both prodistant and catholic faiths due to death threats but did say Mass at nearby Drogheda where he pleaded on his knees for a return to peace by the north Irish saying:
'further violence will only drag you down to ruin the land you claim to love and the values you claim to cherish.'
The Church customerily excomunicated men who had taken up the gun and served in active service units, denying them the Sacraments.

The general Election of 1979 gave the reigns of government to Charles Haughey who did not change the previous governments military and containment policy towards the systematic never ending violence in the north under the direct rule of Westminster civil government and the presence of 70,000 British troops fully equiped, including the Queens Own Rifles, and Her Scottish Borderers.
Nothing but the best for an Irish cousin after 6 years of occupation.

In 1976 the British government had replaced the old Long Kesh air training camp for WW2 with a brand new state of the art prison with updated electronic equipment at a cost to the British taxpayer of several million pounds.
This facility was known as the Maze housing a special unit for 'terrorists' and locally known as the H block.
Most of the hard core IRA members had been intered there along with several political leaders such as Sinn Fein representatives.
A separate block was maintained for the nationalist prisoners and the loyalist prisoners.

During 1980-81 several prisoners went on a dirty protest refusing to wash or wear prison cloths or to empty their chamber pots.
This caused a rather unsanitary and smelly codition inthe republican H block sections necessitating the guards to periodically empty the cells and power spay wash them down.
But the protest was begun anew amist sanitary surrroundings .

In '81 8 prisoners decided to go on hunger strike.
As this progressed the world stood in shock at Margaret Thatchers absolute refusal to deal with the mundane demands they made of having their own cloths and being considered political prisoners not criminals.
One by one the men died all to no avail
.One being saved by his distraugh mother who committed his body to intravenous feeding after he had become unconsious from lack of nourishment.

Bobby Sands became a world figure when he was elected to the Westmininster Parliament by his south Tyrone constituancy.
When he died his spot was taken by his campaign manager Owen Carron
who in true keeping with republican philosophy refused to take his seat in the British Parliament.

By 1983 the program began by Brisih intelligence of 'grassing had taken its toll in both paramilitary forces.
Grassing meant telling locations and identities of fellow miltia men or their planned operations in exchange for a pardon.
This being similar to the system used by the US Federal police in getting evidence on mob figures and bosses.

Many UVF and IRA personell were picked up.
Internicene kiling dropped by 1/2 from 97 in 1982 to 50 in 1983.
The IRA bombed Harrods
Departmetn Store in London during the Christmas Season of 83 frightening shoppers.

In '84 Brighton Seaside Hotel was struck when Margaret Thather was there with several of the British Mininsters severl of whom weer killed but Margaret, the Iron Lady, was not injured.

The Republic ratified the European Convention of Terrorism providing for extradition of those charged.

Charles Haughey visited US President Ronald Reagan in 1982 but Reagan maintained a strict non involvement in the Irish Question.

On December 14 1982 a new Irish Forum was formed.
The Forum had several meetings of its base the north Ireland nationalists and the souther parties having attended.

In 1883 Fitzgerald had again come to power with Fine Gael/Labour coalition governement.

In 1985 the Anglo Irish Agreement was signed 15 November at Hillsborough Castle by Garret Fitzgerald and Margaret Thatcher providing a structure for London and Dublin on the problem of northern Ireland.

A Secretariat was set up near Belfast at Maryfield with both British and Irish staff altohough hotley opposed by the northen Unionists.

70s pg 7

During the 70's Ireland both north and south suffered economic recession as the World Oil Crisis stagnated many productions.fuels were unavailable and high priced.
Because of the early struggle to maintain the gains it had achieved in the 60s and 50's both political governments of the island had in place social programs, unemployment, welfare programs health programs and family allowances and with these were able to hold their economic heads above water.
Emigration picked up again but this time to England and Europe not to Canada and the US.
the Eu came into both Great Britain and the Republic with grant benefits for both building ,infistructures and farm programs.

In the 80's the earnings of the south remained stagnant while in the north the continual 'Troubles'
prevented any newly motivated companies coming inand those already in leaving the north and reland altogether.
Labor strikes had been contained in theRepublic by FF legilslation to control militant action.

The society began to seiously consider its laws and attitudes towards contraceptives.

A controvercial Bill allowed contraceptives to be sold through a chemist shop[pharmacy] with a doctors presciption for family planning.
The Bill did not define distribution to named couples .
Condoms
were included as a prescription appliance.
The Bill passed in 1979 when Charles Haughey was Mininster of Health under FF government.

the Church Encylical of 1971 had stated that any contraseptive means was immoral and they would decrease the quality of life in theRepublic and encourage promiscuity.

A great deal of emotiona soul and social serching was done to update this technical improvement to sex, in update capacity and in removing the subject from the Ciminal Law Code of 1935.
The Church held a nulity power regarding marriges in Cannon Law and social teching which was accepted by the Irish Courts.
However the proceedure nullified the marriage with no dispensation to remarry. The matter of creating a state divorce law was put to a referendum of the people in 1986 but failed to pass as no provision for property rights, welfare attitutes and provision for childen caught up by divorce were clearly defined.

A referendum on aboortion being submittd in 1983 to remove the question from article 44 of the Irish Constitution.
This amendment was put to referendum and passed in 1986 but the Irish High Court held in ' 88 that it was unlawful to provide counseling or abortion information to Irish women in Britain or elsewhere. [i e US or say Germany]
The Irish Supreme Court in 1989 restricted that phone numbers or and address' of British abortion clinics be given to students.
These major social changes although not brougt in line with thinking and legislative acts of other countries did begin an enlightened discussion of these national issues between Chruch State and People.

As the south tarried on in this 20 year discussion of its self and its relationship to past politics and past culture while integrating with modern Europeanism, the north equally ' carried on' the amost the now accepted systematic almost daily expression of sectarian atrocitys.

Althought groups and efforts continued to find a way forward to peace the bombs and the gunmen ruled the society.
No great effort was made by any world powers to resolve this open wound.
The south Ireland 26 county Republic considered itself a separate nation entirely as it had during the Free State era.

The international Press like hugh hawks scencing a story continued to permiate its editions with proaganda relative to the outrageous hatreds of catholics and prodistants toward each other- thereby enflaming their co religionists elsewhere -to the defence of the faith.

The Church within Ireland ajusted itself to the agitated state.

The Church revived its policy in censorship promoting unintelligent blind peasant faith in a educated middle class society.
It was aware that a new social cultural ethos was developing in the land questioning basic medieval catholic theology and pracice.
It addressed the self interest problem of obtaining new priests and breathern from the dwindling poor. Recruits dwinding between 1966 and 1978 some 8,000.
Rejection of celabicy and the loss of secular comfort and consumerism allianating youth from a religious life.

It was predicted that the religious vocation in Ireland would decresed by 1/3 over 25 years.
This drop in religious orders particulary affected the education system and gave a increase of lay teachers in the Order schools.
A survey of Religious practicioners and belivers found in 1973 that 25,000 singele young men and women 18-30 no longer went to weekly mass.

A Dublin University Study in 76 also indicted that the well educated young were less endowed to faith.
The Church no longer held supernaturalist status to them and they compartmentalazed religion not letting it penetrate the rest of their daily life.

Because the Catholic Church still insisted that mixed marriage children should be raised Catholic many places were left open in prodistant schools which were eagerly taken up by catholic parents,
causing a grass roots school integration inthe south whereas in the volitile north a rigid segregation by force separted not only the fearful school children but also the housing estates ,now ,for safety if nothing else ,being all catholic or all prodistant.

Whole areas of the towns and cities of the north became' no go' areas for the 'other' and in the north whole towns were either catholic towns or prodistant towns.

In 1983 2 million people were on welfare in Ireland.

70s pg 8

Following the deaths of 10 H Block hunger strikers, Sinn Fein, which had formerly declined electorial participation began standing for electoral positions int he north and winning.

In October 1981 this party Ard Feis held in Dublin abondoned its obstructionist policy saying it would contest local elections and occupy those seats.
Seats in the Dial, Stormont and Westminster would be contested but not occuppied if won.
Their national publicity director Danny Morrison made the now famous remark:
'with the paper ballot in this hand and the armalite in this hand we take power in Ireland.'.

The SDLP , the traditional non violent nationalist party in the north ,would suffer from this decision.

Sinn Fein new desire to participate also invalidated the 50 year old stability of the Republic established between DeValera's FF and Cosgrave's FG coalition.

The general election in the north in June 83 with Sinn Fein standing candidates won 13% of the north natiolaist vote to SDLPs 17.

Gerry Adams won a west Belfast seat.

The new Ireland Forum met in 1983 with FF, FG, Labour, and SDLP participating.
Unionist parties were invited but refused to participate.
Sinn Fein was not invited.

In 11 months the Forum made its report and proposed a Federal State, a Unity State or a Joint Authority but did not deal with Unionist no acceptance of any of these solutions.

The Forum report acknowledged the great suffering and disruption of the people of the north.

Mrs Thatcher in November of '84 however curtly rejected all the recomendations with her 'OUT OUT OUT' speech as unaceptable to the British government again expressing the covoutous attitude Great Britain had always expressed to her sister Island.

Following the Forum
Sinn Fein agreed to take any seat it won in the Dial in 1986.

During the 80s new endevors were made in the north to create a new thinking in Irleand.

A Derry Theater offered a play called 'Transitions' and later Field Day Theater under the direction of Brian Friel.
Seamus Deane continued his critique of society and its culture.
A more modern music sound found its way into the culture through groups like U 2.

In the late 80s Ireland had again secumbed to pockets of grinding poverty.
This time in the urban areas not the countryside.

The national debt stood at 22 billion pounds.
Public works were cut, hospital servics were cut, public servant jobs wer made redundant.

Explotation, political corruption drug addiction and abandoned ideals became fixed in Republic life.

In the north the institutionalised disruption and violence continued unabated with no vision of an ending as though this would contiinue on forever.

Emigration continued.

Judi Donnelly
copyright October 19 2007

sourses: Twentieth Century Ireland, Dermot Keogh with Andrew McCarthy, Gill MacMillan,2005
Fianna Fail and Irish Labour, Kieran Allan,Pluto Press, 1997
Ireland a Social and Cultural History, Terrance Brown,Harper Perennial, 2004
The World Today Series Western Europe,Wayne Thompson,Stryker-Post Publications, Harpers F Ferry WV, 2003
Internet: Google Search Engine, &Yahoo Search Engine

.

Irish History Synopsis: 50's to the Troubles 1969

2007-10-11T18:00:00.001-07:00

Irish History Synopsis: 50's to the Troubles 1969

The Inter Party government met the 50's wit the beginning controversy created by the introduction of a Mother and Child health scheme by Mininster of Health Dr Noel Browne, a member of Clann na Pobhlacta.
Dr Browne proposed legislation that would provide free universal health and pre natal care to all pregnant women and continuing health care for the child until it reached the age of 16 years.

The proposed legislation would provide no means test for applicants.

This proposal met with opposition from the Bishops as being obstructive of the rights of the family and the individual to chose what medical proceedures they wanted without state intervention.

Both the Church and the Irish Medical Association opposed any form of socialized medicine.

The proposed Act also included empowering the state to provide inforamtion and educate women in health care, gynocolgical care-which included information on birth control proceedures-
these, original and far sighted attempts to improve the health of woman and children.
Opposition by the Church Hierarchy caused so much havoc as to bring down the coalition goverenment in 1951, Noel Browne refusing to give in on any aspects of his plan or to resign when asked to do so by his party chief, Sean Mc Bride.

However, Dr Browne in his short tenure did succeed in establihsing a successful TB program,that deadly desease being rampant in Ireland.
Dr Browne found the sanataria used for these patients to be unsanitary with open sewers in the yard, poor roofing, no bathing facilities and freqeuntly no knives and forks to eat with.

He himself suffered from TB, His father mother and sister had all died from it.

Dr Browne, to combat the desease liquidated the Health Dept assets of 20 million pounds morgaging another 10 million expected from his Hospital Sweepstakes and set out to rebuild and restaff the TB sanatoriums going so far as to refuse appointment to headship to unqualified Nuns replacing them with skilled admininstrators and nursing staff.

His program was successful TB death droping from 3100 in 1940 to 580 in 1958 and 460 persons in 1961.

Dr Browne was however ostrasized from appointments after his controversy with the Church.
He joined Fianna Fail for time than founded National Progresive Democratic Party in 1958 which was unsuccessful ,finally joining the Labour Party in 1964.

When the Independents and Dr Browne voted with Fianna Fail thus breaking the interparty coalition at the general election of '51, Fianna FAil was again put in office in the new Republic.

This government under De Valera lasted until 1954 during which time there was 80% unemployment in the country.

There was little increase in national output.
Taxation was high.
Expenditures of the governement exceeded revenues.
The Suez problem created credit restrictions and tighening of bank loans.
Public works programs were discontinued.

Even though Ireland had benefited after the War from the Europeans Recovery Fund and its Bord Failte hardly needed to advertize the tourist potential of Ireland as it has self generation in this field.
Ireland being a respit for the hard knocks world and high prices of the outside world and its remaining air of Bohemian pre war order sustained by its nuetrality sold itself.

50s pg 2

Industrial production was curtailed by Ireland because of inability to pay for raw materials which needed to be imported.

Employment in industy fell with a increase in emigration of over 40,000 persons a year.
Ireland GNP[ Gross National Product] grew only 8% while the post war boom in Europe under the European Economic Cooperative Organization grew 41%

FF confrontation withthe mojor unions and civil service continued.
The Party opposing
equal pay for men and women or other pay benefits, agricultural workers increases, or civil service pay increases.

In the meanwhile the outside world had settled comfortbly into the cold War with mutually assured distruction by the ever increasing supply of Atomic and Hydrogen weapons assembled bewteen the two giant States communist Soviet Russia and capitalistic USA.

In the North the Stormont government continued in its discriminatory and stultifying way as the US troops stationed under Operation Magnet withdrew to their own continent.

The old pattern of sectarian isolation was revived.
The Unionist Party kept absolute control over all govenment activity through gerrymandering districts throughout the 6 counties assuring perpetual Unionist government for the dominant prodistant party.

The nationalists were politically and economically isolated having been disciminated against for housing and jobs available.

The major employers of the north shipbuilding [Harland and Wolfe] Shorts Aircraft refused to hire Catholics even for unskilled work such as janitor.

All industry was located in the major prodistant areas of Antrim, Down and Belfast where a Unioist majority was 25% over that of nationalist populations.

Derry, Armagh reflected a 50/40 ratio in favor of prodistants.
Fernmanagh and Tyrone being the only counties having a nationalist majority both showing 55/40 ratios in favor of the nationalist population.

The city of Belfast contained a nationalist ghettos where poverty, crime and ill health prevailed.
A high birth rate among nationalist Irish did not equalize the divide as emegration took of the difference.
Education was totally segregated to Church oriented schools and most higher level education was denied Catholics ,if not by outright exclusion, by lack of funds for children to continue beyond basic learning.

Only property owners and their tenants held the vote.

Prime Minister Basil Brook, 1st Viscount Brookborough and Baronnet, granduate of Sandhurst and veteran of WW1 a commandant of Ulster Special Constabulary in the fight against the IRA, a Knight of the Garter and totally opposed to relations with the Republic of Ireland, made the famous remark with regard to the catholic native plight that he'would not have one about the place' meaning his demesne of Colebrooke in Fernmanagh.

The National Health Service Act passed by the British Parliament in 1946 had been extended to North Ireland through Agreements with that conservative Unionist government with the Brisih taxpayer picking up the tab.

This cradle to grave legislation helped relieve exteme poverty in the north not yet obliterated in the Republic.

However, housing and voting rights continued to be discriminatoy.

Admininstrarial corporations were allowed up to 6 extra votes and gave the Unionist Party contol as all the corporations were prodistant owned and their Directors Unionist Party members.

Proportional Representation in the north had been discontinued in 1929 leaving the Unionist Party in total control of all government funtions for 50 years of one party rule.

The welfare benefits extended after WW2 helped keep the province peaceful even during the Border Campaign launced by the IRA from 1956-1962.

During this peiod the Orange Order- a private religious club which had mingled and assimilated with the Unionist Party - excluded catholics in genneral even catholic unionists from government participation.

Sinn Fein was banned as a political party and other small nationalist parties simply disbanded and became shells.

Labour was fractured but maintained a party organization.

When the Labour Party gained control of Great Britain in 946 it soon passed the National Health Service Act .
However this British party success did not extend to the Labor Party in Ireland.

Even thought the conservative unionist government under Basil Brook did not countinence the socialistic view of care it accepted the labour legislation.
This Act releived a great deal of suffering and indadequate care for both the nationalist and poor prodistants alike and gave a standard then more beneficial then the Rebublic.

The extension of social legislation had been arrived at under the white paper prepared by Beveridge and the laobur government executed the Beveridge recomendations.

An additional housing program was planned in the north to update degraded locations and to include the ghetto in Belfast.

These housing estates although built, were still not being distributed equitably between the sectarian groups in need causing the formation of the North Ireland Civil Rights Association which the Ullster Volunteer Force physically resisted.

In the south FF's continued confrontational economic and social policys caused a vote of no confidence and an election was held in May 1955.

A new government was formed under Fine Gael and Costello was once again at its head .

FG held 7 cabinit seats this time Finance, Justice,Defence ,Agricluture,Educaation , Local Government and Health.
The Taniste was a member of Labour William Norton who also held the Industry and Commerce portfolio.

This Cabinate however was obstucted when McBride pulled Clann na Poblatchta support and put a vote of no confidence in the governments handling of economics and partition.

50s pg 3

An election was held in March 1957 and FF as reinstated with 78 seats.

In 1956 the IRA Chief of Staff Tom Mangan called a campaign against the north infrastructure and government forces called Operation Harvest.
This operation also known as the Border Campaign was conducted mostly against customs posts and RUC barracks with a goal to bring the British government to a nogociation over partition.

During the Fine Gael government in 1955 Ireland was finaly accepted as a member of the United Nations.
Liam Cosgrave, the Mininsters of External Affairs for Fine Gael was well recieved.

Ireland played a major UN role with the US in condeming the Russian invasion of Hungary in 1956 and the French expedition into Egypt.

A forward agenda was set up for the Irish delagation under the leadership of Frank Aikin when Fianna Fail again took the reigns of Irish government in 1957 under a coalition with the Labour Party.

Aikin from Armagh County in the north was a close associate and comrade of De VAlera.
Such world changing events as the China invasion of Tibet and Chinas admission to the UN body with the Irish delegation voting on the Indian Resolution to discuss Chinas admission.

This topic became a hot issue for several years under Aikins's watch and also invaded the political climate in Ireland as to whether the China Question should be discussed the United States having taken a strong posture against debate to admit communist China to the body.
Ireland stuck to its innicial 1957 vote that the China Question should be discussed in the General Assembly.

In Ireland a White Paper was released by civil servant T Kenneth Whitaker outlining an economic plan for Irleand called Economic Development published in May 1958.

The government immediately adopted this Plan called the Program for Economic Expansion changing government policy from a rigid reliance on gold held by the banks,changing loans for short term investment to long term investments and long term productive investments to suppy new industrys and private enterprise.

James Ryan , De Valera's Mininster of Finance and DeValera himself embrassed this plan wholeheartedly the responsibility for implimentation falling to the old practical control F Sean Lemass.

Lemass went with constructive ideas toward the future rather than recrimination of the past.
He brought in new faces.

In the Election of 1959 Lemass succeeded DeValera who after 30 years in power retired from politics.
Two days later 'Dev' was installed as the 2nd President of the Rebublic suceeding the colorful T P Kelly.

As the nation passed into the 60's both the 26 counties and the 6 counties experienced some economic improvements and social contracts with these governments.
No longer beset with the cares of obtaing wages sufficient to buy food or having to resort to the fields to find shelter Ireland generally began to have her place at the table of World Affairs.

Through her place in the UN and the Aikin Mission the human and liberal attitudes of the nation were put forth.

50s pg 4

On November 22 1960 Irish peace keeper forces killed in the Congo were given a funeral of these ten dead. Irish troops had been sent in July as a Peace Keeping Force by the UN.
This was the first time in Irish history that State troops had been sent abroad although pre Christian era Irish kings had gone with their forces into continental Europe, England and Scotland.

Ireland was also becoming a member of the European Common Market.
Lemass modified the hard policy on NATO membership previously taken by De Valera that NATO membership would not be entertained by Ireland as long as partition existed.

New trade pacts were made with Great Britain in 1960.
Ireland applied to join the EEC [ European Economic Community] on August 1 1961.

In 1963 trade unions were opened in Dublin by Czech and Polish missions.

Ireland traded with the comunist block nations of Czechoslavakia, Russia, Poland and E Germany.

Meanwhile in America John Fitzgerald Kennedy a Bostonian descendant of 2 Famine emigrant grand parents sucessfully campaigned and won the US Presidential election.
The first Irish/American catholic to achieve this accomplishment.

'Jack' campaigned on a program of social improvement at home and diplomacy abroad.
His natural charisma , charm and boyant personality overrode any distain of his politics and wore away the resistance to his liberal ideas.
He won the popular vote against conservative Richard M Nixon hands down but the electoral vote was close.

Kennedy entered the White House and was sworne in on January 20 1961.
Kennedy's inspired inaguration speech that
'the Torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans.Born in this century, tempered by war, disaplined by a hard and bitter peace' enamored his vision to the American people and the world.

Kennedy visited the Republic of Ireland in June 1963 on a 4 day visit.

Five months later he was brutally shot in Dallas Texas on 22 November 1963 ending the euforia in America that it was once again on the joyous road to progress and prosperity and the world fell into 4 days of mourning for this angelic man shot on Thansgiving weekend.

Almost every American remembers exactly where they were when this occurred.
A moment fixed in time.

In 1964 Ireland updated its banking structure with the Central Bank Act of 1964 allowing the Bank to deal in securitys of any international financial institutions.
This change allowed Ireland to purchase shares in the World Bank.

The Bank Board has a Governor appointed by the President by advise of the Irish government.
Eight Directors appointed by the Mininster of Finance.
The Central Bank has 8 associate public banks.

The Irish Social Services allow for compusory pension payments includign non contributory pensions for the blind and the unemployed as well as widows.

A means test allows any one udner 1200 pounds income a reduced rate hospital treatment.

Maternatiy services and care for the babies are applied in 1966, 15 years after the same idea brought down the Inter Party government in 1954.
Social Insurance contributions are made by workers, employers and state.
All parents are entitled to a childrens allowance regardless of income.
The Church still maintains educational and rehabilitative works.

In December 1965 Ireland signed a Freee Trade Agreement with Great Britain abolishing all tariffs between the two countries.
Exports to Britan of butter, sheep, pig meat, cattle and horticultural produce will be increased to 100%.

Social Partnerships arose during the 60's combining organised labor, employers and State cooperation.

Class warfare ended in the 60's Ireland.
New Ireland was appearing less conserned with itself, less antagonistic to the rest of the worlds views, less absorbed in its own problems.

Such publications as Irish Writing, Dublin Magazine and the Bell began printing works of newer more modernistic writers.

Such poets as Thomas Kinsella, Benedict Kiely, James Plunkett and John Montague of the north were published in Poetry Ireland, Irish Writing and Envoy.

This benefit of being able to publish Irish writing in Irish mediums a luxury not seen sicne 1900.

They were able to critique their mentors such older writers as Joyce , Audin and Yeats and express an outward view leaving behind the old antagonisms and bitterness.

Ireland was between provincialism and urbanism.

New media radio and in the 1960's ,TV greatly influenced attitudes, tolerance and national consepts of the language.

No more the old gathering about the fireside to hear the Shanashee tell his memorized tales or the litling soul rendering tunes of ancient Ireland.

Although a revival of these skills might well occur today in the new mediums including computer and video both in Irish and in English.

In 1956 the Irish Association of Civil Liberties organized a petition to the Taoiseach T A Costello of another Inter Party government, to establish a Commission on the Censorship Bord.
A meeting was held at Mansion House Dublin and the Minister of Justice having responsiblity for the Bord put 2 liberal members to it.
A dissent of philosophy followed between the 2 new members and the 3 older ones which became so acute that the 3 older members resigned in 1957.
By this time a new FF government was again in power and this new Minister of Justice appointed 3 new individuals who were 'open minded'.
This new Bord compostition did not see itself waging a war againt cultural and moral contamination but as restrictive of books and movies which were pornographic and without literary merit.

50s pg 5

In 1959 with the coming of Lemass as PM and the retirment of DeValera to the Irish Presidency Ireland took off into the new Economic Development Program of Whitacher put in place by the FF Lemass government.
The gross national product[GNP] under the First Program increased by 15%; production by 28%; imports by 30% personal expenditures by 5% and car registration by 29.5 %

Over 350 foreign owned companies were attracted to Ireland by tax breaks and lack of import export duties.

A peaceful social rebvolution was occuring.

Television was introduced to the nation in 1962 with the opening of a state television station. RTE

Modern Catholisizm was absorbed from abroad following the Second Vatican Council.

A new generation not out of the revolutionary mode appeared in offices in the civil service, in privte business, in farming and in the streets of bohemian pub oriented Dublin.
Ireland assumed enthusiasm for its new social , cultural and economic progressions just tolerating the old traditional Ireland of conservative national ideology.

As Ireland remolded itself economically and governmentaly into an efficient streamlined corporate state where decisiions were made on managerial level, canditions in the north once more came to the fore.
The English Exchecher in its returned and subsidised residual tax payments suppressed the populous with its National Insurance payments, welfare benefits and agricultural subsidies.

Industry was productive.

Personal income in the north was 38% higher than in the Republic.
Secondary school compleation in the north was higher than in the south.
In the north University attendance was greater and more available to the qualified poor student.
unemployment benefits were twice as high as in the south.
Old age pensions were granted in the north at 65 as compared to 70 in the Republic and a higher pound rate was paid.
Childrens allowance rates were higher in the Republic than in the north.
Health benefits were greater in the north than in the south.
The north allowed a burial grant of 25 pounds. In the south none were allowed.

8000 new state assisted houses were built in the Republic and 9000 in the north.
Taxes in the north were much higher than in the Republic.
The north still maintained a Builders taxpayers subsidy applied by Lord Randolf Churchhill in 1888 contributing 100 milion a year towards the support of the political state in the north.
The north through the 50's and 60's continued to suffer from institutionalized discrimination through out its constituancys in education, housing, religious tolerance, job opportunites , government consern and voting privileges with total Unionist control over local affairs.

When Terrance O Neill of the Antrim O Neills ,became Prime Minister of the north in 1963 and moved into the Prime Mininsters residence at Stormont Castle a new attempt was made between north and south to hold discussions.
These talks were being encouraged by both Whitaker in the south and Harold Wilson of London.

As a go between T K Whitaker negociated between the 2 leaders the historic O Neill/Lemass meeting at Stormont in 1965.
Within a month O Neill returned the visit arriving in Dublin on Febrary 9 1965.
By midsummer these inter island visits became so frequent they no longer made headlines.

The North Ireland Border Commission began a review of electoral borders in 1965.

At Dungannon ,County Tyrone agitation was begun in 1963 for a fairer distribution of housing mushrooming into the Campaign for Social Justice.Major General Montgomery and such sages as Goerge O Brien of University College Dublin and the trade unionist Louie Bennett continued its work under the leadership of Dr J Dempsey General Manager of Aer Lingus and Earnest Blythe a southern prodistant former Finance Minister in Cumman na nGaedheal and Director of the Abby Theater.
This group with other individuals both north and south worked to improve relations and understanding of the two geographical regions of the island.

The Belfast Telegraph ran an editorial line favorable to ending the absolute rule of the Unionist political party in the north encouraging its readers to vote labor and encouraging a 'New Departure' in the north from its fastened and bigoted thinking.

The two governments spurred on by the successful Lemas/ O Neill innicative began cooperative ventures in agriculture, veternary medicine, marketing and agrarian development and other joint schemes were approached.

Border crossing 'Checkpoint Charile' routines were removed.
Power useage and common fuel supplies were set for exchange the south running out of peat and the north dependant on imported coal.
A nuclear reactor project was canceled.

50s pg 6

At the 50th aniversary of the Rising, Easter 1966 the south suffered some setback in that credit restrictions and private controls on high prices and sluggish prodiction rates led to cut backs on developmental programs for the poor rural areas giving greater accent to the twilight of rural thatched covered cottage Ireland.

However in the mid 60s English was no longer a given as rural poor flocked not to England or America but to their own urban centers.

A more inclusive attitude had gripped the general public of Ireland reflecting the 4 Ps play, prayer progress and partition.

Ireland young are expressing a new sence of realism ,enlightened in world view ,aware of the world outside and exibiting a sober constructivness as to their own future taking the reigns of this in hand themselves from within the embronic country.

The Church itself began to change as the social status entry of poor country boys to the Brothers or the Fathers was removed
[although I wouldnt be to sure about that on a picture produced by my son in 2007 visit showing a large group of young priests strolling along a street with the Bishop in full regalia.]

During 1965 and 66 several major strikes took place in the Republic which FF characteristicall opposed.
A confrontation began in October '65 when the ITA [Irish Telephonist Association] picketed to gain recognition.
An injunction was put out by the courts but the strikers paid no heed.
Three were jailed which provoked the ITA rank and file to picket the Dial itself.
FF invoked the Offences Against the State Act as Lemas considered the strikers involving themselves in anti state behavior.

The National Busworkers however pleged support for the ITA along with dock workers and the workers of Goulding Fertilizer walked off the job challenging the ITGWU to join them.

The jailed ITA members began a hunger strike provoking a 1500 man march on their behalf threw the streets of Dublin demanding the National Council of Civil Liberties seek the realease of the jailed hunger strikers.
This was accomplished by an agreement between the Attorney General and the strikers that they would not picket the Dial.

In January 1966 The ICU advised its membership to accpt a 1 pound a week wage increase only.

At this time Lemass had resigned from the PM office and politics in 1965 and the acting Prime Mininster was Jack Lynch who won the election and took this office in his own right in January 1966.

Several trade groups like the confectionary workers, enginering crafts and dock workers went on strike.

FF announced a 3% ceiling on wage increases further antagonizing the rank and file union members and escalating the strikers work stoppage.

During that period General Electric Co, an American multi national known for its anti union views was challenged to accept a union shop.
ITGWU was organizign in the Shannon Industrial Estates subsidiary EI but company management refused to negociate with the union.
380 members walked out-mainly female workforce.

Nearby Aer Lingus workers refused o move goods for EI.
When Court issued an injuntion it was ignored.

EI hired strike breakers.

The IRA intervened burning the buses used to bring in the strike breakers.

FF tried neutrality but more or less sided with the Company viewing the strike as an impediment to the industrialization program of the government which gave the tax breaks and outright grants in aid to the incoming multinationals.As well as
the lower wages paid to women workers under the FF program to keep women in the home-part of the Catholic Social Doctrine-.

When ITGWU threatened to call a national work stoppage a hasty arbitration was arranged wherby EI took back the striking workers giving the union recognition and reversing FF's policy of givng grants to any multinational not accepting pre existing unions.

ESB [Electricity Suppy Board] workers went on strike followed by the Day Workers Association.
Hillery, the FF Mininster of Labor immediately invoked the Special Powers Act which provided a 5000 pound fine for the union support in a strke, 100 a day fine for the union and a 25 pound fine for individual strikers.
Some 50 of the strikers were jailed.
A national shutdown of electrical supplies was threatened and FF capitulated beginning negociations to release the jailed strikers.
It was agreed that managment should pay their fines and provide taxis at MountJoy jail to take the strikers to their homes.

Ff continued to find ways to legislate against strikes but the rank and file union members remaned militant forcing the union leaders to weaken suppor for Fianna Fail.

By 1967 NICRA [North Ireland Civil Rights Association] demanded improvements in the provinces living conditions.

A one man one vote was demanded with an end to gerrymandering local voting districts.
A housing points system to fairly distribute housing allotments was stated.

In October the Civil Rights march to Derry was attacked by a mob consising of hysterical hard line unionists and RUC militants smattered with violent B Special forces.

The south Irish labor front backed the NI demands sending a pristegious delagation to the north.

The violence associated with repressing the NI march brought rection from the IRA forces still intact and on cease fire but not disbanded from its 56-62 border campaign in the north against British targets.
The IRA had failed to achieve its objective during those 6 years of bringing Great Britain to the negociating table over partition of the island.
With escalation of the frustrational sectarian rebel violence in the streets of Derry spreading eastward to Belfast and about the countryside the Labor government of Great Britain sent in the British Army in 1969 to quell the rebellion and re establish stability.

This however was not to be the decade ending with the now famous 'You are entering Free Derry' signs appearing in the Bogside Catholic ghetto and Citizens Defence Councils springing up in both Belfast and Derry.
With the IRA reconstuting itself into split factions represeted by the Official IRA based in the south and the Provincial IRA devolved from the northern command.

In America the dispersed Irish Americans assimilated and urbanized- almost vanished- saw television pictures of the north and the batoning but had no understanding or consept of what was happening in the north of Ireland.

In the republic people held their breath not wanting their lives disrupted.

IOn 20 July 1969 Neil Armstrong stepped from his space capsule on the moon sending back the message

'One small step for Man. One giant step for Mankind.

Judi Donnelly

Copyright October 10 2007

sourses: Ireland a Social and Cultural History, Terrance Bron,Harper Perenial,2004
Fianna Fail and irish Labor, Kieran Allen,Pluto Press,1997
Ireland Since the Rising, T P Coogan, Frederick Praeger Publishing 1966

Irish history Synopsis: Creating the Republic

2007-10-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Irish History Synopsis: Creating the Republic

After the War came to an end the world recovered from its inicial euforia. A realization of the terrible cost of the walking dead, refugees, survivors, soldiers, children, old people, death and starvation stalked the continent.
Fighting continued unabated in the Pacific until the Atom Bombs, Little Boy and Fat Boy brought the Japanese God Hirohito to accept the terms of surrender and sue for peace.

The world, was as Sean O Faolain put it, 'dulled, bewildered deflated'.
Anger, vengance and sadness mingled together in the air.
A sence of callous consern ,mingled with a desire to scream.
But all carried on.

The governments released price controls and prices rose.
The governments released rent controls. Rents rose.
Petrol became available.
Unused vehicles began a slow pace across the unused roads.

The Fiana Fail government applied in 1946 for membership in the United Nations. This was blocked by the Soviet Union and Ireland was not admitted till 1955.

The rural population of Ireland did not return.
An urban idea had been planted in the minds of the young.
They wanted Things, Joy for the Future.

Those who had jobs overseas retained them.
Emigration continued.

The Irish Women Wokers Union called a strike for better hours and a week holiday for laundry workers.
Fiana Fail was intent on backing the employers against these demands.
Lemass refused the strikers permits to go to Great Britain for work.
However, the labor unions backed the strikers and after a long strike the employers finally conceded a fortnight holiday and shorter hours.

Following this settlement. 1000 farm labourers went out asking for a 48 hour week and a 14 shilling wage increase.
They asked farm products be boycotted by shoppers and overturned trucks full of market bound goods. Tyres were punctured.
Finaly the big farmers accepted the worker demand of a 48 hour week and a weeks holiday and a higher wage rate.

In 1946 teachers struck for higher wages.
FF resisted this strike.

Many of the FF TD's had passionate feelings for the teachers especially those representing rural districts where teachers were held in high respect and in high social status and influence.
At the Ard Feis in October resolutions were introduced to arbitrate the strike but the Cabininte held on and the teachers at the urging of Archbishop McQuaid ,returned to work with no gains.

In August of '46, 600 labourers struck, demanding benefits.
The farmers fought back by sending 'flying columns' from other areas brought in to break the stike and save the harvest.
The Garda had to be called out to protect the strike breakers.
The Catholic Standard claimed the strikers were 'Red' and attempting to create class warfare in the countryside.
The laborers however held out creating the FRW [ Federation of Rural Workers] of 17,000 workers by 1947.

Inflation took hold rising some 31%.
FF raised consumer taxes and removed the sur tax on profits.
Strikes became common with some 89% of the unions income spent on these work stoppages.

The Irish worker was angry and discontent.

A flour mill threat of strike in May '47 caused FF and the Cabinet to threaten iniciation of an Emergency under the Special Powers Act of 1926.

The Dial upheld this request and three days later the Cabinet were given powers to prohibit participants in anys strike or lock out, in effect barring strikes.
Defiance was met with a daily fine and prison for 6 months at hard labour for the union officials.Irish Unions] caused the flour mill strik to be called off.

Road and turf workers went on strike against fixed wages imposed by FF at farm labor rates.
Ff seemed to uphold an idyllic view of a rural worker being maintained in his cottage frugally providing for himself by his thrifty use of the plot around his cottage.

These rural workers were not allowed to be employed at a wage higher than the farmers were willing to pay so the farmers could obtain for their use the best men.
This system is exactly the system used in rural life prior to the Famine where tenants lived idylicly in their cottages on the estate providing for their family with the thrifty produce of their plot of land.

The Bog workers continued a sit in against Bord na Mona until a wage increase was won.
Road workers struck.
The insurance workers struck Irish Life.
Dublin wholesale drug trades struck.

In September of '47 the bus workers struck, 2500 strong ,demanding a 40 hour work week and a 30 shilling wage increase.

The new ATGWU [Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union] competed with the old ITGWU for loyalty of the many strike factors.

republic pg 2

ESB [Electrictiy Suppy Board] workers struck.
Irish Railwaymens union wanted a two day general strike against government policies.
the Irish Times printed in 1947 that Irish society was 'drifting toward anarchy'. Farmers and others feared the tide of communism which was seen as being harbored in such organizations.
The Federal Union of Employers denounced Moscow, the World Federation of Free Trade Unions, the United Nations and International Labor organzations as 'fanning the flames of class war'.

By October '47 a by election with candidates from a new party Clann na Poblachta founded by Sean McBride ex IRA chief of Staff, combined a new republican effort with old Fiana Fail Republicanism united with
Coras na Poblacta ,lead by Simon Donnelly and Sean Dowling, a party of old systems republicanizm, which saw FF as a bertrayal of the IRA and Fine Gael as a hated pro treaty faction.
Clann na Poblachta won the Dublin seat at the bi election and continued to win support calling for social reform and old radical republicanism.
The party however did not live up to its social reform rhetoric in practice.

FF had been in power for 15 years. Along with its hostility towards union action for workers scandals were frequent. The party and government members were accused of fraudulantly selling whiskey ,had plans for taking over the Great Southern Railway,was implicated in bacon sales fraud to the army.These scandals weakened FF's position in the eyes of the voters.
An October '47 supplimental budget introducing new taxes further weaked the FF votor perception of its consern for them.
Prices remained high with a ractionary protest mounted by housewives associations.

Emmigration continued.

In the general election of February 1948 FF retained only 68 seats.
The election Act of 1947 had increased constituancies from 34 to 40.
The new vote went to Clann na Poblachta which won 10 seats.

Because of proprtional representation FF could not form an independant government.
A coalition of parties resisted helping de Valera form a new governement.
Fine GAel, Labour, National Labor, Clann na Poblachta, Clann na Talmhan [Farmers Party]
and Independants, united. Their combined parties represented right, center, left and extremist views amalgamated against the constitutinal Sinn Fein radicalism represnted by Fianna Fail.
This amalgamation of parties rather than form a governemnt with FF formed in 1948-49 an Inter Party government which united the right Fine Gael with the left radical Clann na Poblachta and the Labor parties formerly linked to Fianna Fail.
Rank and file were against forming a government with Labour.
The ITGWU threw in with the Interparty coalition forces.

In early autum 1948 legislation was put before the Dial to repeal the 1936 External Affairs Act which had put Ireland in the Commonwealth of Nations and abolished the Crown of England as head of state.

FF opposed the legislation to create Eire[ or as they tendered it the Free State] a Republic on grounds that breaking the commonwealth link would make reintigration of the partitioned 6 counties harder.

During this period the new PM of Erie John Costello traveled to Canada to attend a state dinner and make a speech before the Canadian Bar Association in Ottowa.
On Sept 1 1948 Costello spoke declaring the 1936 External Relations Act as full of inacuracies and infirmities.

A mystery surrounds this announcement out of the blue in a foregin country as to why this announcement was made.

There have been contradictory statements made over the years including FG memiors as to his motivation in making his declaration before the world audience
before the legislation was presented in the Dial.
Some believed his wife had been insulted by the Premier at a state dinner or that he hismself had been angered by a snub by the Premier MacKensie King in offering a toast to the King but none to his guest from Eire.

As the hard core republicans had been advocting a republc for years it is just as sensible to believe that a deal had been made between FG and the Inter Party coalition about to take power to complete the national desire of the 1916 Easter Proclamation.

The new Inter Party Dial met on February 18, 1949 with John A Costello, former Attorney General for Cumman na nGaedheal as Taoiseach with Norton of Labour Taniste;
Sean Mc Bride Clann na Pblachta External Affairs

Five Ministrys were in the control of FG, Finance, Justice, Industry and Commerce, Education and Defence.
When the extrnal relations /reubublic legislation was finaly passed with FF support and the new Republic was proclaimed on April 18 1949, Easter.
De Valera stayed away from the flag raising cerimony at the General Post Office to innagurate the Republic stating his objection to the new state being declared for only 26 counties of the Free State not all Ireland.

As soon as the Republic was offically declared and the new nation taken out of the commonwealth the British Parliament passed its own Ireland Act preserving the right of the north to remain in the UK unless its Parliament of North Ireland consented to join the Republic.

The measure was passed by Parliament in 3 days and recieved the Royal Assent. George VI sent a personal message to the Irish governement wishing the Republic well.

This provision to uphold the unionist Stormont Parliament right to retain partition caused much consern in the new southern Republic which accused the English Labour government of 'maintaining British occupation'.

The Imperial Parliament extended British citizenship to the Irish as a non foreign people. Britsh citizenship was still a right of the Irish nation both north and south.

Sean T O Kelly who had been elected President of Eire in 1945 ,replacing Douglas Hyde who had been elected when the state of Erie was creatd in 1937, became the first President of the new Republic of Ireland and remained so until 1959.
The Presidents resided in the old Vice Regal House in Phoenix Park in the north of Dublin which is still used by government as the offical residence of the President of Ireland called in irish
Aras an Uachtarain.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright October 2 2007

sourses: Fiana Fail and Irish Labor, Kieran Allan, Pluto Press 1997
Ireland Since the Rising, TP Coogan, Frederick Praeger Publishing, 1966
Wikipedia Internet Encyclopdia

Irish History synopsis: The emergency 1940-1945

2007-09-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Irish History Synospsis: The Emergency 1939-1945

In 1939 a series of diruptive bombings started by the IRA against England continued throught the summer, with intent to inspire great Britain to withdraw from the north.
Attempts at German contacts were kept up.
Birmingham, Manchester and London were bombed along with Kings Cross and Victory Station being heavy targets.

Over 127 bombs were exploded since January 6, 1939.

The IRA sent an ultimatime to Lord Halifax,British Foreign Secretary by the IRA Chief of Staff Sean Russell demanding Great Britain withdraw her troops, her civil officials and representatives from all Irleand.
This ultimatum was followed with a boming campaign with Wales and Scotland being excluded.
In order to secure funds for the operation Russell had gone to the US to seek money from the Clan Na Gael when he made world headlines when Roosevelt locked him up in Detroit Michigan for the duration of the visit of King George and Queen Elizabeth.
He was released after they left and after protest by 76 Congressman on his behalf.

When his visa expired in 1940 he was forced to leave the US or be deported.
Not wishing to return to Ireland and be interned at the Curragh arrangments were made through Admiral Canaris to smuggle him to Genoa and than to Germany where he arrived in Berlin on May 3 1940.

While he was out of Ireland, Stephen Hayes was acting Chief of Staff.

On August 24 1939 10 days before WW2 began a bomb placed at Coventry Gardens killed 5 and wounded 70.
This explosion outraged the public as it had been placed ,not with a designated target, but a group of innocnet shoppers.
Two men were charged Barnes and McCormick who hung in February 1940.
The IRA claimed both were innocent and not invlovd in the operation.
One hundred men of Irish decent were sumarily deported from England and sent home.

In June of 1939 the Offenses Against the State Bill was passed by the Dial and put into ooperation. The Curragh internment camp was opened.

On December 23 1939 the Magazine Fort of Phoenix Park ,Dublin housing the arms and amunition of the government of Eire Army was raided by the IRA.
1800 rounds of amuntion was taken.
Most of this was recovered with intense searches by the goverment and IRA personnel were arrested and intered en mass.

The day after Germany attacked Poland on 1 September 1939 the Eire Dial declared nutrality for the duration.
De Valera declared the Irish nation should look to its own interests no matter what individuals felt for the combatant nations.
Neutrality was hightly accepted among the Irish populous.

Churchhill and England did not approve.

Poland,with its antiquated calvery forces,was totally unable to resist the German panzer corps and air war and was subdued within 2 weeks with a September 16 eastern strike by Stalin's Russia the nation was again obliterated from the map.
The Polish government fled to England where it remained a government in exile for the duration of the war as did the governmnet of Norway.

Besides Ireland ,Spain, Portugal,Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Turkey and Paraguay declared Nutrality.
Belgium and Holland attemted nutrality but were overrun by German forces along with France in 1940.

After Dunkirk 50,000 Irishmen volunteered for the British Army.

The North State also declared itself neutral at Stormont in January 1940 and created the Emergency Powers Act with a prison ship in Lock Neagh[ the Maidstone]
100 supporters but not members of the IRA were locked up.

The IR however continued to apply the theory that Englands difficulty was Ireland's opportunity and sporatic outbreaks were carried out every year from 1940-1946.
Shooting , executions, hunger strikes, prison breaks took place.
26 IRA men were killed in this period.
The police were always considered the enemy.

The IRA retained a radio transmitter during the early war years and regularly transmitted its message at tea time.

The worste the IRA organizartion could have expected from either the south government or the north was internemnt for the wars duration, however they continued their operations where possible, having no orders from their headquarters otherwise except to avoid contact with German agents.

In August 1940 German Foreign Mininster Ribbentrop gave his approval to send the 2 Irishmen, Russell of the IRA and Ryan of the former IRA, back to Ireland on the U boat Wilhelmshaven under Admiral Doenitz special mission.
Just 100 miles off the Galway coast Russell died in Frank Ryans arms of a perforated ulcer.The boat returned to Germany with Ryan.
This death placed the IRA command in the hands of Stephen Hayes already acting commander of the force.

pg 2

The Irish countryside began to empty for urban life and jobs in England in the war production plants.
Isolation had begun to be felt along wih shortages.
The government enacted stringent measures rationing petrol, sugar, bread, butter and other daily necessities.
Exports ceased of luxury goods from overseas ports.

Rural life in general was regected as farmers's sons moved on to war work or joined the British Army.
English became the language most sought after as it was needed for jobs or for the military service.
The Gaelteach shrunk once again.
Reading was done in English publications.
O Faolain's Bell periodical was begin in 1940 critical of the governemnts isolationism and encouraging the opening of Irleand to the world.Giving the Irish peasant an incite into the future and the present advancements beyond the clachan family farm.

O Faolain whose works had been banned by the Censorship Bord maintained, with supporters and friends, a criticism of the Irish censorship in editorials and articles.

The Bord however, remained stident in its exclusion of anywork which met with its disaproval.
By 1947 over 1200 books had been banned by its purifacation policy.

The Bord also banned hundreds of films thereby deprivng Ireland of much of the great era of film work being created by actors and directors alike.

The country was held stagnat and decayed.

Catholic social teaching prevailed and the informal talks held between Archbishop Mc Quaid and his former pupil De Valera was upheld by the state.
This strand of vocational organization completely ignored and regected any other creative social organization and overwhelmed this.

Stagnation was the watchworld of this era throughout Ireland.

Wages were frozen and strikes were common against this.
Fianna Fail became opposed to labor through this worker militancy.
De Valera toyed with the idea of labor camps for the unemployed but when 200 were chosen for the Office of Public Works camp at Clonast only 57 showed up and in the first weeks 30 left ;eventually only 9 remained.
De Valera than met with O Brien of the ITUC [Irish Trade Union Congress] in Octobver 1940 to plan a new Construction Camp to recruit 2,500 unemployed classifying them as soldiers.
Labor objected to the plan when it was found that persons were refused unemployment benefits if they refused to'volunteer' for the CC.
Protests wer planned but banned by FF under the Offences Against the State Act and 5 union organizers were arrested.

The trade unions also became militant against wage restrictions.
January 1940 brought out the FF forces on the side of Dublin Corporation vs the Irish Municipal Employees Trade union [IMETU}
Sean McEntree Mininster of Industry and Comerce said that this act would be seen as a revolution if continued.
A local Bishop interfered defusing the confrontational situation and the workers returned to their jobs without an increase in pay.

FF stood firm and in hostility to unions considering them a form of a soviet rule.

But a harsh bill was averted against the unions when the ITGWU conference in June 1940 denounced the pending bill causing the bill to be withdrawn and FF to exchange its hostile tune towards unions.

A collaboration Trade Union Bill was finally arrived at in May 1941.
The Bill required unions to acquire a licence and post a bond with the high court.
The bill established a tribunal, appointed by the Mininster, to have a sole right to organize put on a majority union under the Trade Dispute Act of 1906

These provisions eliminated the dispised ,by both union and party ,British Unions from Irish organization and required disputes be settled and the problem of small trade unions strking overriding this with the licence and bond posted by the major unions of tade for that trade.
The trade union dispute withthe government continued through the duration of the War.

pg 3 emergency

The goods supply continued to dwindle for the general population.
An attempt was made in 1940 by the government to increase tillge to supply needed food.
Bread was rationed as was tea ,fuel and sugar.
Electrical supplys were allowed only certain hours of the day.
There were no coal supplies or petrol.
No private car could be operated and by 1942 the Irish were again transporting themselves by horse and cart.
There were shortages of tobacco.
There were little exports and the economy continued to decline.
Prices for imports were twice as much as that gotten for exports.
There was little industry and employment.
The peasants were urged to grow potatos.
Black markets developed and smuggling between north and south became common along the border.

Because of the drop in exports meat was plentiful in Dublin but brought prices higher than the average frozen wage earner could pay.
The continuing endevor of FF to get along with discontented labor gave an aura of solidarity of the 26 counties as separate from the north which persued its own war plans.

Rationing had begun in the north in 1939.
A civil defence Handbook was published in Belfast in 1940.

An Emergency Powers Act was passed by Stormont establishing a prison ship in Lock Neagh and a policy of interment was persued.

By 1941 30,000 US army troops had arrived in North Ireland, members of Operation Magnet with the command of Major General Chaney consisting of the 1st Armored Division, the 32 34 and 37 th Infantry.
This first wave of V Corps commanded by General Edmond Daly had been trained at Camp Beauregard in Louisiana embarking from the port of NY on the Queen Mary,the Aquitania and the Christobal[ those proverbial 3 ships of north Irish history].

The operational mission of combat under Rainbow 5 was changed to that of logistical support in 1942 being renamed Magnet.

The north had created a Home Guard in 1941 along with a national registry Id card.
A canteen was set up in 1942 and air raid shelters were built and instruction given in building such.

The US Army set up bases in Derry for rebuilding and repair of distroyers and submarines; at Lock Erne for Catalina Flying Boats and at Warrentport for the constuction of landing craft.

The IRA resented the presence of this invasion but could do nothing about it.
Any suspicion of IRA activity caused immediate internment of the members at the Curragh by the FF government or the Stormont government.

A scrap collection program was begun called Wings for Victory.
The arrival of US soldiers in the norht helped alleviate the general island tension that the British army would again occupy the island and place it once more under direct Westminster rule.

With the states assuming command of the ports no need for a British takeover was needed.

The US soldier came well equiped with chocolates and biskets for kids and congregated at such places as Cunninghams Pub in Warrensport where landing craft were being built for the future invasion of continental Europe.

Confiscation of private goods was practiced in the north but compensation was given after.

Smuggling continued with items such as white flour and tobacco and tea being transported under the noses of border customs posts between the two factors of Ireland.

The Merchant Marine created in 1942 when Brith shipping to Irleand was discontinued played a significant role in protecting the Irish water ways and attempted to transport goods to and from the continent. However, 13 of their ships were sent to the bottom of the sea by German U boats.

Many were awarded the Victoria Cross and a memorial to this heroic service was erected on Liffy Quay after the war.

By wars end 70,000 Irishmen were serving in the British Army and the 26 counties had surged from a mere 25,000 men to 1/4 million[250,000,000] serving the defence of Eire.

By 1943 the population was reduced to a ration of 1/2 oz of tea, 1/2 pound of sugar and 6 oz of butter.
The production of wheat had increased from 200,000 acres in 1937 to 662,000 acres in 1945.
A total crop acreage for 86,700 acres in 1939 to 1,680,000 acreas in 45.

The crop quality was poor as no fertilizer was available.
Some of the lands put under the plow were not good being returned to pasture, its natural state, after the war.

In May of 42 Belfast was bombed with the shipyard Harland and Wolfe a target.

Some bombs hit Dublin by mistake but the Irish thought it kindly of the Germans to consider Ireland as a united country.

Dublin sent fire brigades into the north to help extinguish the blazes caused by the bombing and thousands made homeless by the scourge were taken in progratis around the countryside.
Olds long established religions and ethnic annamosites between prodistant and catholic were put aside.

Many units like the Royal Irish Rifles boarded the D Day landing craft singing a soldiers Song ,the national anthem of Eire and the republicans.
Many British army commanders were of Irish descent.
Montgomery, Dill, Alexander, Brooke,O Connor ,The admirals Cunningham and others.
About 1/2 of Churchhills staff were Irish.

The emmigration from the farms for British jobs continued as did the tension between the unions and the governement.

pg 4

The IRA fell into dispute in 1941 with the kidnapping of Chief of Staff Stephen Hayes by dissident north group of the organization.
Hayes being accused of betrayal of the organizations plans to the Free State goverment [theIRA and the nationalist in the north continued calling to the south by this designation].

Under beating, starvation and torture Hayes confessed to having passed IRA plans to the southern government.

Hayes was held and interagated by his captors in 6 different houses.
He finally escaped at Terenue in south Dublin and staggared into a Rathmines police station in chains and asked for protection from his men.
From that time the IRA moral was broken and its men collected steadily into internment with no leader.
This policy of containment and internment lasted for the duration depriving the IRA of any means of ending partition by physical force .

It also produced a national benefit in the end as Britain would surely have reoccupied the island if such an attach on the border had materialized distroying the hard won gains of the pro treaty forces and the bitter conflicts of the Civil War.

The county fell into 6 years of silence according to O Faolain in his Bell.

In 1943 a general election was held with a formation of a new Farmers party organized by big farmers in the west.
Labor was also gaining power in the country with the general disatisfaction of the Fianna Fail cap on wages and its farm policy.

Fine gael had reduced populatiry for its rightists philosphys.
FF seats were reduced to 67 and FG only 32.

However Labor split over old differences between ITGWU secreatry O Brien and the old Connolly/Larkin socialists.

When in 1943 Larkin stood for election and won O Brien withdrew the ITGWU, the biggest most powerful union in Ireland, from the Labor Party in January 1944.
This disrupted the deputies ,4 resigning and becming National Labor leaving only 8 labor deputies in the Dial.

De Valera called a snap election[ dev was fond of elections]

FF gained 9 more seats fromthe Labor split making the seats of FF now 76.

In the north the systematic buildup of Magnet in preparation for the 1944 D Day Overlord continued with great stores and landing craft, ammunition, distroyers submarines and other war material piling about on the docks.

Dublin meanwhile took on an air of international pre war gayity and a touch of Bohemianism in a gray state world.

Peter Kavanagh brother of the poet Pat senced a certain 'international athmosphere'.

In smaller towns library use was up and amateur dramatic efforsts were well preformed and well attended.
All Little Theater and cinama set the mood of the country tastes.

The Church oftimes commended these preformance seeing in them a counter to the vulgaraties of Hollywood fare.
These dramitazations continued to suffice for the citizens and towns ,the ambitions of the poor country peasant taking hold of these ideas in their intent to imporove their status and life.

During the period of isolation in Eire the nations cities continued the cultural absorbtion with itself through talk, drink, sport and local activities stressing its Irishnesss over consern for the outside world. Nationality prevailed.

In the north the provisional inhabitants of the 6 counties enlisted comaradery between separatist and formerly separate catholic nationalists and prodistant settlers.

The north counties became more in commune within themselves separate except by occational smuggling contacts from the southern contingency.

To those who had emmigrated from both colonies a new form was established where the workers returned from Great Britain or the cities flush with money and embued with a new style of trinkets and dress.
No longer the pay packet being sent home but now the brandishing of the sucessful son or daughter demanding good treatment and encouraging others to take the ferry to wealth and riches.

With the sucessful landing at great cost of life on Normandy Beach and the subsequent conquest of France , the allies entering Paris on August 25 1944, and the demise of the German army in the snows of Russia and Stalins forces taking Poland in the east a beaten German army surrendered on 7th May 1945.

Hitler himself committing suicide with his paramour Eva Braun and having his officers burn both bodies in the garden, the Europeans war ended leaving a legacy of displacement ,distruction ,cruelity and holocast behind.

In July of 1945 the 6 years of silence ended for Eire.

the Jewish children at Millisle Farm in Down could go home.

judi Donnelly
copyright September 26 2007

sourses: Ireland Since the Rising, Tom Pat Coogan,1966 , Frederick Praeger
Fianna Fail and Irish Labor,Kieran Allan, 1997, Pluto Press
Ireland a Social and Cultural History, Terrance Brown,2004, Harper Perennial

Internet: Us Army Northern Ireland 1941-1945 Historical Research Branch, US Army Center of Military History, demonstration project, 1996

Ulster Historical Society Northern Ireland online studies project

Irish History Synopsis: The De Valera Era 1932-1939

2007-09-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

Irish History Synopsis: The De Valera Era 1932-1939

On being sworne in to office as President of the Executive Council of the newly elected Dial of 1932 Eamon deValera immediately released all the interenees from the southern prison where they had been held by Cosgraves Emergency Powers at Arbor Hill Barracks.

The draconian Public Safety Bill of 1931 was revoked.

The Oath of Allegiance to the King of England was abolished but met with opposition from the Seanad. Having been introduced on April 20 1932, the bill did not become law until May 1933 a year later.

De Valera dismissed the Kings Govenor General, James Mc Neill in October of 1932.
The Crown appointed Donnall Ua Buachalla who acted only as a rubber stamp and did not live in the Vice Regal Lodge which was vacant until the Republic was formed in 1948 when it was than reopened for the President of Ireland De Valera. The Govornor General salary was reduced by the Executive Council from 28,000 pounds a year to 2000 pounds a year.

Formality was dispensed with in the new government, the Mininsters appearing at state funtions dressed casually.

Tarrifs were imposed by England when de Valera refused to pay the land anuities in July 1932 when Ireland defalted.

The anuity payments arose when the Land Acts of 1891-1909 allowed the British state to buy out landowners and the properties so acquired distributed to the Irish peasant tenants.
These new owners paid what were termed land annuities collected by the British for interest charges on government stock issued to the landlords at 3% interest.

Under Cosgrave's Cumman these land annuities had been paid to the British National Department by terms of the British and Irish Financial Agreements of February 1923.

These agreements had not be submitted or ratified by any of the Dials but acted as a private agreement between the Executive Council, Cosgrave and the British Government Comissioners.

Within a fortnight of these withholdings of money by the Irish government under Fianna Fail, Britain imposed a 20% tarrif on all trade and agricultural exports to which de Valera, who relished a self sufficient rural independant republic parried with his own high tarriff on British manufacture.

De Valera stated his policy was to abolish free trade.

He tried, somwhat sucessfully in the end, to create a native industry in Ireland.
Private investment however was not to be found.
The State was therfore forced to create and contunue the State corporations begun with the Shannon Project under the Cumman na n Gaedheal.

House building, provision of services, fuel preparation air services all came under the state corporate creation.

The Housing Act of 1932 brought central government into local athorities policies amounting to a public works project policy.

The Bord of Mona was created.
Aer lingus was created as a state corporation which it remains today.
An Irish Sugar Company was created.

With the Emergency Importation Duty Act of 1932, 2000 goods were covered by some import or export duty.

De Valera planned to build a native capital system by creating Irish business and clearing the Irish market of all foreign goods.

To do this a Control of Manufacture Act was passed in 1932 and an ensuing one in 1934.
These acts established licencing by the state to prevent foreign companies from establishing in Ireland to avoid the duty impostion.

Foreign capital was to be only 50% and company directors had to be Irish.

A Finacial Act f 1932 gave a preference rate of tax to Irish business and an indirect tax to reduce industry tax.

An Industrial Credit Corporation was forned for native capitalists.
Cement was createdt his way to become an Irish monopoly.

In 1932 there were 160 Irish companies up from 115 in 1926, a hight being reached in 1935 of 247 with native capital investments over 1 million pounds.

Some of the major company products developed were in manufacturing of boots and shoes, hoisery, leather, sugar ,linin collars , hemp, paper making and clothing.
All of these items of manufacture were nationally deficient in the average Irish houselhold.
The particular notablity of shoelessness among workers soldiers and children alike in pre- rising days, along with suits of clothing for men being outgrown and ladies worn frocks were colorless.
Coats were hardly known; the populous photographed under shawls and blankets.

De Valera himself rode about the streets on a white horse with a black cloak ,with his spare frame and sharp stark features appearing the devil himself.

During 1932 Cumman na n Gaedheal suffered somewaht from FF vendetta Actions because of the Cosgrave government executions and internment of friends, relatives and comrades of the anti treaty forces.

Political meetings were broken up by dissidents on the new side when de Valera refused to purge the 'Staters' from the army, police and civil service.
This created a reactionaly force of the Army Comrade Association in August '32 by Liam O Higgins brother of Kevin.
The IRA considered the organization fascist and the ACA considered the IRA comministic.

These two compeating philosofic views from the left and the right clashed repeatdly.

One instance by the December '32 dumping of a truck[lorry] load of Bass Engish ale.
The ale was poured in the street and the barrels burned by some dissident IRA to support the economic policy of Fiana Fail government.
The peope however looked with disfavor on this waste of drink.
The importers appealed to the ACA for protection ,which was a malitia of 30,000 men on the right.

De Valera fired General Eoin O Duffy from his Commissioner of Dublin police for incompetence on February 22 1933.
Cumman na Gaedheal decided to reorganize the ACA and appointed O Duffy its leader in April 1933.
With this event the ACA became the National Guard and adopted a Blue Shirt as an identity badge at the suggestion of Ned Cronin who had married Michael Collins fiance Kitty Kiernan.

In 1933 the appeal right of Irish law to the British Privy Council was abolished.

pg 2 de Valera 32

In September 1933 Cumman na n Gaedheal and the new Center Party merged and were now called United Ireland Party or Fine Gael (tribe of the Gael)
Cosgrave became its leader.
Dillon and MacDermot of the Center Party his assistants.
The national leadership of the new party was given over to General Eoin O Duffy.
He was well known in Ireland as a military leader ,a sports organizer and bycyclist.

Fine Gael professed the voluntary reunion of all Ireland without giving up Irish sovereignty or Commonwelath status.
They were opposed to proportional representation and were for agricultural and industrial corporations.

When O Duffy made a show of streanth on August 13 1934 that he would hold a National Guard march to government buildings for a wreath laying in memory of Griffith,Collins and O Higgins, the Fianna Fail government, distrusting his motives, and aware how Mussolini had become Il Duce, revived the 1931 Public Safety Act and set up an S Division[an armed band of Garda composed of former IRA anti treaty personnel] also called the Broy Harriers.

The government revived the Military Tribunal and banned the parade.
The IRA backed the action and the parade was not held.

The National Guard then changed its name to Young Ireland which was banned.
It than became the League of Youth after a clash with the IRA.
Both organizations than split by internal disputes relieving the potential threat to the State by violence.

De Valera had after 10 months in office, held a snap election to uphold his repressive actions and give him a mandate from the people.

In 1933 an Unemployment Insurance Act was passed ,mostly putting men to work building houses.
Some automobiles were now being used in the country some 4,000 being licenced.

But the crowning improvement in Irish life in 1933 was the inseption of radio.

De Valera, like Roosevelt was highly aware of the political power of radio.

The Athlone high powered station brought radio transmission to the whole island in 1933.

By 1937 100,000 licence for the wireless sevice had been purchased through the Post Office.
However 25,000 were found to have pirated the signal.
The major useage of radio remained in urban areas such as Dublin very little in rural areas and on small farms.

De Valera persued his vision of the small farm representing the purity of life, the Gaelic way of life, with the country comprised of frugal God fearing county folk.

Immigration remained high 6 out of 1000 persons leaving Ireland to work in England or the US.
Many went to England as the US established quotas in the 30's in responce to its own depression joblessness.

In the process of creating a people who valued material welth only on the basis of right living, the FF government accepted and followed the Catholic social teaching as laid out by Pope Pius XI in his Quadragesino Anno of May 1931 which expressed the upholding of the family as thebasic unit of society and the Catholic education of youth.

As most of the government leaders had been excommunicated by the Church for their membership in the IRA and defiance of authority through physical force and their participation in the Civil War they were anxious to reestablish both personal relations and governmental workings with the Church.

The doctrine proported by Musssolini in Italy of the exclusive right of the State and the Coorporation was not entirely encorporated into Irish thought.

The Fianna Fail members were more ameniable to socialist doctrine of Connolly and Liam Mellows visioning not only a 32 county Republic but a socialist state.

An Phoblact their newspaper ,voiced a demand that the banks be taken over by the state and the large ranch farms be broken up.

This was part of the struggle in Ireland to abolish imperial capitalism and a reflection of the general Europeand style on mass conditions of life.
Arguements were being made for corporatism, socialism, fascism, imperialism, captalism and the general political rights of Man.
The Blue Shirt members themselves upheld thr right of free speech and the end of lassez faire economics.

As the FFgovernment had difficulty collecting the land annuities from the individual land owners theybegan a program of cattle seizing from defaulting farmers.

FF held that these collectionswere for use by the Irish governmentand were not making the 6 months payments to England.
The Blue Shirts oppossed this catttle confiscation and raided auction yards such as Marshes in Cork to run of the cattle preventing their conversion to cash.
This physical force cattle preying by both the sitting government and the loyal opposition caused much exitement in the country side.

On August 1 1934 a pension was offered for Irregular veterans who has fought on the anti treaty side.
This helped amorilate the IR battalions.-

A split occurred in the general Irregulars in 1934 between those adhearing to the 1st Dial of 1919and those adherants to a socialist republic.
These forced the founding of Republican Congress Party formed by Pedar O Donnell and George Gilmore in April 1933.
This new Irish socialist workers party however lasted only 2 years splitting after only 6 months of its formation.
The Congress was expelled from the IRA and expressed anti fascism, anti imperialism, anti
Fiana Fail, anti Cosgrave.
Some of its foundign membrs were also members of the Cosgrave era breakway Saor Erie Executive such as the Price girls, McGuinnes, Marie Lavery, George Gilmore and Pedar O Donnell.
The Congress was upheld by the ITGWU [ Irish Transport and General Workers Union] under thevice presidency of Willian Mc Mullen
Saor Eire had been formed during the Cosgrave era with intent to Free Ireland which was suppressed by the Public Safetly Act of 1931 after been declared a communist organization by the Hierarachy.

The Fiana Fail was able to get along with the Labor Party however buildiing a successful group of beneficial Acts in relation to creating Ireland a self sufficient independant state.
Encorporating such progressive ideas as state subsidys for social needs such as public works projects, public housing, farm subsidies, unemployment benefits such as were also being implimented in the US under the Roosevelt Administration's New Deal.

Fianna Fail absorbed the old Cosgrave programs of standardization and regulation of export products and the idea of State Corporations were created in the Bord of Electrictiy Shannon Project,Aer Lingus sugar beets and other national needs.
It was able to produce some Irish capitalism and achieve a standard although not yet sustainable wage for workers.

The big labor unions in Ireland such as the old pre -rising ITGWU were in geneneral good relations with the ruling party government.

FF was able to extend the Trade Bord industies covered by minimum wages and allowed the Irish /Congress of Trade unions to represent non union workers in the trades.

FF established Joint Industrial Councils under Department of Labor where union and employee representatives hashed out differences and came to agreement as to wages and woking conditions.

The Irish Womens Workers Union under Helen Molloy however critisized the Joint Council for setting low wage rates for womena and juvenile workers sweeping these workers into a 'slave labor class' while the 'patriot' elite of labor claimed more profit off them.
A condition of the Employment Act was passed by the Dail in 1935 which limited working hours to 48 for adults and 40 for juveniles.
It also provided registration with the state of agreements arrived at by collective bargaining.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry Sean Lemass argued the new act was compensaion to the trades by the state to improve working conditions
.
Relations between the FF and its civil service however were not as cooperative as the party felt civil servants had a duty to make 'sacrfices' and that no union or outside force could influence the relationsip beteenn mininster and his servants.

FF also begrudges relief worker payments to be paid the same rates as their contempory workers deaming a rate below that of agricultural workers sufficient no matter how skilled the worker or the job.

pg 3 de valera

In 1935 the ITGWU struck the dublin trams breaking the friend of unions relationship between FF and he Union.
The workers demanded a higher wage.

Lemass denounced the strike and the Irish Cabininte and Mininster decided to send in the Irish Army.
The IRA intervened.
47 Republicans were arrested by Fianna Fail and sent to the Currah Military Detention Center as internees.
Detectives at the government broke into union hall strike meetings disperced the strikers and searched the premisis.

The ITGWU reported tht they were fighing the combined forces of the company, the Mininsters and the apparatus of the state.
Solidarity was the result with 10,000 trade unionists marching in support of the tram strikers.
In mid May a small wage increase was meeted out and the strike peetered out.
Strikes however continued with 1937 being a peak year 26,000 workers on strike and 1,750,000 work days lost.

The Censorship Act and its industrious board continued its purifying work throughout the 30's.
The national writers such as Frank O Connor, Liam O Flaherty, Mary Lavin and Sean O Faolain all veterans in the fight for independance found their works banned in Ireland by the censors.

O Faolain, an avid spokeman for the release of Ireland from her torturerous mediocrity discribed the country as shrouded in snow ' under the white shroud covering the whole of Ireland, life was lying broken and hardly breathing.'

James Joyce had left Dublin to write his Finnagans Wake in Paris and in 1938 W B Yeats left his native Ireland for the last time after his play Purgatory had produced a flurry.
Denis Devlin, Brian Coffey, Samuel Beckett, Thomas Mac Greevy all gathered in pre war Paris disallusioned and unloved by their own Irish society.

At this same juncture with the suppression of Irish literary creativity, Irish traditional music was elevated to affluent appreciation.
It rated in acceptance only below the Gaelic language. The folk music expressed the Irish mind.

Irish folklore was accepted and an Irish Folklore Commission Cumman le Bealoideas Eireann recieved a government grant to create the Irish Folklore Institute.
The Commission ,in the mid and early 30's and at the last moment before change overtook the country side, gathered vast stores of folklore, folktales held by the people in memory.

The Irish Manuscript Commission established under Cosgrave in 1928, located ,preserved and published these writings in a periodical, Analecta Hibernica.
With the coming of the Irish Historical Studies Periodical in 1938. a focus in disaplined academic research of Ireland history took hold.
Although some 1200 books were banned in Ireland between 1930 and 1939 some light resistance was mounted by such agents as the Irish Times.
Eamon de Valera abhored the Cinema as well which had so strongly influenced American thought and culture.

The Headmaster of Blackrock College, Charles McQuaid had fixed a highly Catholic conservative viewpoint with FF leader de Valera.
McQuaid had been Headmaster of the Dublin secondary school Blackrock College attended by Eamon and also his sons in coming years.
McQuaid was a key intercediary between deValera's government and the ideas requested by the Catholic Hierirchy.
The Church was dutifly left in contro of the pre established Westmininster mode and Cumman na n Gaedheal wherby denominational education was not secularly funded by the state nor were any secular education provided for.

The Church still controlled in its vice like grip the formative years of a childs learning process.

The bishops often requested of the governement measures which were not denied these, such as setting up a teaching hospital for medical students at University College as the prodistant hospital already had.
The National Maternity hospital was so accomidated to be run on strickly Catholic lines.

When the National Broadcasting director was appointed McQuaid requested a discussion informaly.
The question of authority between Church and State was arrived at in these informal secretive sessions where the Church was involved in the decision making of the State, creating an ethos of a' Catholic State for Catholic People 'countered by the words of PM Craig of the Norhtern state of ' Prodistant State for a Prodistant People.'

Fianna Fail however, in return for its Church teaching concessions .demanded the Hierarchy uphold the Republican State and weaken its previous ties with Cumman na n Gaedheal's rightist conservative corporate views.

FF encouraged the Church to uphold respect for law and authority, the Church and
State holding a shared responsibility for disapline of both temporal and spiritual authority.
This endevor was ultimately incorporated in 1937 into the revised new Irish Constitution in allowing a special position to the Catholic Church and embedding Catholic Social teaching into the basic law of the land such as the 1935 outlaw of useage, sale or teching the use of, contraceptives on the request of the Bishops.

pg 4 de valera

In the northern 6 counties now completely detached in culture and economic association, removed in the firm repressive grip of the all powerful Unionist Party under James Craig who was Prime Mininster from 1921 - 1940.
Native Irish[the catholics] were systematically excluded from political office or parliament.
They were systematically dnied housing and employment.
In the north hevy industry in Belfast provided jobs for prodistants allowing them power over the 40% catholic population.
Livestock, dairy, potatoes and cereal crops were all exported to the sister island Great Britain.
Shipbuilding and linen trades with paper making and furniture making confirmed a healthy economy for the 2/3 prodistant majority.
1/3 were the Church of Ireland and 1/3 Presbyterian dissentors.
The last 1/3 being native catholics outcast in their own country.
The border customs and general disruption of roads and transport faclilities created border violence.
There were ethnic and political confrontations in many places, mostly in Belfast.

The unionist governement passed acts to keep order ,maintained an abnormally large police force in the RUC with a B Special auxiliary force and a complete regiment of soldiers known as the Ulster Regiment attached to the British Army. All soldiers being prodistant and most police.
Catholics who dared to join the RUC were often drummed out or if they did not leave from abuse were never promoted and treated with indignities.

The schools were systematically segregated by the two churches inculcating the formative mind with denominational righteousness and doing nothing to alliviate fear and hostility or separateness of these young children.

Although higher education was readily available for prodistant children , such facilities as Queens University in Belfast established in 1845 by the Victorian Lord Lieutenant of Ireland beforePartition was an issue.
Catholic children were not admitted leaving generations of youth poorly and secularly educated without any hope for future sucess in their own land.

Emmigration centered mostly now to England where they were already considered citizens the Free State government having neglected to include the countryless Irish of the north as Irish People.

The Unionist Party continued to shape the north exclusivly in its own image.
The north was an autonomous state with a federal relationship to the United Kingdom.
There was no cooperative effort on any Island funtions such as energy, fisherys, railways or trade even thought the Free State and Erie claimed the territory.
Both the Free State and the British were willing to let sleeping dogs lie as far as the 6 counties were conserned.

Violence was a way of life in the north. In resisting home rule before partition, during the Great War and after with periodic sectarian outbreks between the native and settler factions or the IRA and RUC forces.

The Catholic 40% of the new state never accepted partition, boycotting the new parliament where they were not welcome anyway.

That parliament assembled in its new model Stormont Castle Bldg ,east of Belfast City, maintained its self interest with over dependence on Westmininster finances in which rates were collected in the new state, forwarded to the Exchecher in England and than returned to Stormont with additional supplimental funds supplied by the British Treasury to maintain government services.

The traditional industries shipbuilding and linen ,were deteriorating and the governemnt was dominated by intrests of the large landed farmers, all prodistant estate holders and conservative business interests ,again all prodistants.
All these governemnt members and conservative persons were members of the Orange Order which was a private society formed in 1895 out of the Diamond confrontation by a Wilson of Armagh. to uphold the prodistant religion over papist views and expressing deep dispise ofthe native peoples.

This smothering one sided ,narrow structure keeping the native Irish poverty riddeen, uneducated, deprived and excluded required conformity with no objection by either the creator.,the British Parliament or the new Free State in the south.
The world in general forgot about the Irish of the north who were not even taught their own Ulster history in their catholic schools but British history, British literature and British culture.
Their ancient family structure was set array by emmigration to find survival work, fear of reprisals for being Irish.
They were thought of by the more prosperous unionist prodistant neighbors as untrustworthy, stupid ,lazy often drunk and ditry. Of the dirtyness arising from worn and patched or used clothes and shoelessness.

Nor were the cabin/cottage houses and farms neatly sculptured and well kept as the prodistant homestead-all work there having been done by the Irish help- and therefore this north native was considered less industrious than his settler counterpart in the keeping of this now owned small property or livestock.

The native was never included in festivities of the town and settlements of the unionist but expected to provide his own superstitious and primative entertainments ,which he well did at local fairs and pubs,
creating a body of ballads and stories passed about at these occations from community to community.
The pub, as in the south became the gathering place of people seeking human companionship and conducting local business.
The Pub was not only a general store of what goods could be store bought but a place to hear and transmit the news of the community, the church, the world and the nation.
The publican also being a person having a little cash from the business was a provider of small loans and credit to the native who might need financing for some farm project or to emegrate a grown son to England to look for work.

There were frequent skirmishes along the 1400 mile border between customs agents and smugglers of such items as butter and fuel, cigarettes and wiskey.

The northern division of the IRA maintained its presence and civilain loyalty.

Thecustomary letter to America for the realtive begain with 'we are all keping well here and so and so died just this past winter'
None of these missives seem to have survived for some reason.
My own mothers letters to my grandmother alledgedly burned by her daughter after the old womans death.
Those in America having 'disapeared'.

Through this period of the Free State under the Cumman na nGaedh or de Valera's Fianna Fail no effort was made to connect with the Irish people of the north.
If an effort was made it was through the existing IRA structure.
The matter of the reunification of the island was dead in the water throughout the public spectrum both north and south.

Bigotry and notions of superiority and inferiority were encouraged by both the school systems and such societys as the Orange Order.
Courts were unjust in rulings for native causes nor were any chosen as judges.
Civil rights were decidedly one sided favoring the prodistant individual.

Any sign of disrespectful or defiant behavior was immediately quelshed and punished.

This long term supression of humanity finally exploded en mass in 1969 when the north erupted in defiance of these Stormont/Orange masters a condition which lasted some 30 years, its root cause lost onthe world and its own emmigree peoples.

The history and lore of this 30's period in the north is not readlily available, if available at all in such major fact finding standard sources as Britanica, Facts on File ,even google which has everything has subhumed these pre world war 2 trials of this people to the more exiting 70-2000 period.

page 5 de valera

Un 1936 the Irish Senate was abolished by deValera when it obsructed a Fiana Fail reform package.

In June 1936 the country was outrages by the IRA killing of a former member John Egan at Dungavan , a young man who allegedly had refused to participate in the Somerville killing. Admiral Someville of Cork was shot for advising anyone who asked about joining the British Army.

The IRA was declared an lnlawful organization and its chief of Staff, Maurince Twomey arrested and sent to prison.

This was closely followed by the Spanish Civil War in which 200 repbulicans took part on the Republican side while 700 of Duffys men went to defend Francos fascists and the Catholic church.

The IRA contingent fought at the battle of Lopera at which ony 60 survived out of a company of 120 men.
They went into battle singing the volunteer song 'Off to Dublin in the Morning 'and shouting 'Up the Republic' ,as discribed by one of the suvivors, Frank Edwards.
These men on both sides of the Irish contingent were unpaid Volunteers fighting for what they believed in.

FrankRyan head of the IRA Republicans was captured by Mussolinis soldiers at the battle of Ebro Valley in 1938.
The Italians had hoped to exchange him for one of their own officers but negociations broke down.
Ryan was sentanced by Spanish Nationalist Troops to death for mass murder and arson.
He remained in a condemed cell for 9 months during which each day 9 prisoners were taken out and shot and 9 more were put in the death cell.
When an American reporter who had been allowed to talk to the prisoners mentioned in his report a former Irish editor was being held de Valera and his friends realized this must be Frank Ryan and the 'Chief' sent Franco a telegram asking for Ryans life.

When theSpanish Civil War ended in 1938, a sister of Michael Price with the Red Cross found Ryan alive.
De Valera engaged a Spanish lawyer to plead for his life and release.
The death sentance was commuted to life imprisonment but one of Franks German friends from student days, Captain Hoven ,suggested to the German Abwehr[secret service] that Ryans release would be good propaganda.
Admiral Cannaris approved and it was arranged between Canarris , de Valera and the Spanish Secret Police.
Ryan however ,was not notified that he was expected to escape in transport and he caulmly rode on to his new prison.
He was finally carried over the French frontier in 1940 where he was installed a the elegant Tours d Argent Hotel in Paris.
Hoever Ryans health was broken and his hearing had failed in prison.
He later died a guest of Hitlers Germany an honored Marxist ,guest of the Nazis ,at Dresden on June 16 1944 of plurisy and pneumonia ,in pain lonely and broken hearted.
An exemplary illistration of the proverbial Irish Luck.

In Devember 1936 The Porince of Wales Edward VIII abdicated the thone of England for his love the American divorce Wallis Simpson and his brother George VI father of the current Queen Elizabeth II, was installed as King.

In 1937 Eamon De Valera drafted himself a new constitution for the State replacing the old 1922 Constitution derived from the Anglo Irish Treaty partitioning the country.
This old Constitution had been amended in areas such as the Oath of Allegiance, Privy Coucil appeals and elimination of the Govornor General.

When the Prince of Wales, Edward VIII abdicated motivation was found to replace what was percieved as the Britsh emposed Constitution with a native document.

The document was drafted in both English and Irish consecutivly causing some confusion of interpretation, but it was decided the Irish Gaelic interpretation would prevail over the English.

It was prepared in clear consise language order and structure and contained 50 Articles in 16 sections covering the nation the State the Courts and the Parliament.
Articles 41-- covered social legislation and recognized the family as the basic unit of society.

Its Preamble acknowledged God as the Supreme authority and Jesus Christ as Divine Lord.

It acknowledges the freedom of the individual and aspired to achieve social order, unity of the country and accord with other nations.

Article 2 established the right of Irish born persons with one Irish parent to be a guarantee of citizenship if born on the island.
Article 1 garantees the Irish People the right of Self determination and Article 5 declared the State sovereign and independent.

Articles 8 delared the Irish language the first officaial language and English the second official language.

The Constitution established the government as a parliamentary system;
a directly elected president as head of State;
a Taoisech [Prime Minister];
an Oireachtas [Parlieament]
a lower house the Dial Eireann directly elected;
and an upper house the Seanad Eireann part appointed and part indicrectly elected.

TheState was given sweeping powers during time of war or armed rebellion under Article 28 known as the National Emergency.
This article was invoced twice, in 1940 during WW 2 and again in 1976 by threat to national security posed by the provincial IRA in the north.

Article 40- deal with individual rights covering subjects as involuability of the home, freedom of speech and assembly, education, freedom of worship, abortion, habeus corpus, equality under the law and prohibits confering any titles of nobility by the state or acceptance of without government permission this ending the old Gaelic claim of cheiftanships confering legal power.

It is not clear if Article 40.1 prohibits the King of England to be King of Ireland as did George VI till 1949.

The originals Constitution provided 13 transition provisions 51-63 providing for an orderly transition for pre existing Constitution and Institutions.

It delclared the Holy Catholic Apostolic andRoman Church guardian of the faith in Article 44 and claimed the whole island of Ireland as its national territory under Articles 2 and 3.

The document was to be adopted by both houses the ,Dial and the Seanad, submitted to the people for referendum and signed by the President of Ireland.

Bunreacht na Eireann was passed by the Dial on June 14 1937; the Seanad having been abolished by deValera in 1936.

It was submitted by referendum to the people on 1 July, was narrowly approved and became law coming into force on Dec 29 1937.
Your humbel author having come into this world along with the Constitution of Eire ,preceeding its acceptance by 10 months.

Hence the Soarstat passed into history and the new Eire came into being, Eire being thee Gaelic word for the English Ireland.

Eire the wife and the Queen of the last Celtic king of Ireland ,Greine of Ceatur[the 4th tower or the lesson tower]
daughter of Dealbaoth and sister to Fodla and Bamba who asked the conquering Melisian to keep her naem on the island.

in 1938 the economic war with Britian was ended with the 3 London Agreememts signed on April 25 1938.

A reciprocal trade pact was agreed to duty free to both countries.
The treaty ports were returned to Eire and Eire paid 10 million in final settlement of the land annuities.

In June de Valera again went to the people and was reelected with Fianna Fail with a majority of 77 seats giving it independence from Labor.

In the summer of 1938 Hitler invaded and demanded the Sudetenland part of Czechoslovokia and The PM of Great Btitain gave in to his demands under the polciy of appeassement.

In January 1939 the IRA began a bombing campaign in England.
A treason Bill and Offences against the State Bill went into effect in Eire.

On September 1 1939 Nazi Germany attched Poland bringing World War II to frutation.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright September 22 2007

sources: Ireland Since the rising,Coogan, fredrick Praeger, 1966
Ireland A Social and Cultural History,Harper Perennial 2004
Fianna Fail and irish Labor,pluto Press ,1997
Internet via google, Wikipedia: Northern Ireland

Irish history Synopsis: The Free State 1923-1932

2007-09-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Irish History Synopsis: the Free State 1923-1932

With the demise of the War of Independance 1st Dial under Griffith's Sinn Fein on May 10 1921 it voted its powers to be transfered to its President than Eamon de Valera who had been voted to the job with he resignation of Cathal Brugha on April 1 1919.
It was decided that the President would distribute the powers when a new government was formed.

A 2nd Dial was formed under the Better Government of Ireland Act of 1921 whereby the country was partitioned into two political jurisdictions known formerly as the Free State[Soarstat] covering the 26 southern counties and Norhtern Ireland coveing 6 of the original counties of the province of Ulster.

This parliament sat in the Free State capital Dublin from August 16 1921 till June 8 1922 when it was ajourned and was subsequently prorouged by a force of 15 prominent pro treaty officials including Collins, Cosgrave, Griffith, Blythe and others who formed the 3rd Dail which sat from Sept 9 1922 to Aug 9 1923 with blindrs on considering none of the great disruptive chaotic forces and conditions before Ireland and Her people.
Discussing instedd various petty economic measures in country rural areas.
The country was virtually under Free Staate Army martial law and in an anarchistic state.
Over 18,000 anti treaty stong personel were interened as the IRA Irregulars disputed with the pro treaty IRA Free State forces.
None of the issues of partition under Lloyd George's Better Government of Ireland Act or the insuing bitter division and cruel Civil War that division enjoined,including the violent deaths of many Irish leaders nor the abuses of minority factions without a country in the 6 north eastern counties.

A general election was held in 1922 under a pact between Collins and deValera to try and create a unity government. This election produced a Free State government in the south with P T Cosgrave as Presidnet of the Executive Council [PM] giving him the ability to form a government which he sucessfully did forming the 4th Dial.

A strong conservative Cabinate was formed with Kevin O Higgins, his lieutenant ,as Taniste [Vice Presidient] and Mininster of Home Affairs.
Mininster Patrick Hogan of Clare Agriculture,
Mulcahy Mininster of Defence and Blythe as Mininster of Finance, all conservative military officers and free trade lassez faire believers.

The condition throughout Ireland at the convenining of the 4th Dial and ligitimatly elected PM ,TP Cosgrave ,began its reign by interning most of the anti treaty strong opponents and imposing through legislative acts, harsh public saftey measures.
The Taioseach was given emergency powers to this effect.

The anti treaty forces were instructed to dump arms in late 1923 by the Chief of Staff Frank Aiken as the Iregular IRA Chief Eamon de Valera and their executive council had determined not to physically contest the election of Cumman na n Gaelheal.
This restored a semblance of peace in the country. However the Free State continued to hold over 12,000 men in internment camps.

In May of 1923 agrarian workers revolted in the west against a governemnt mandated wage reduction distroying crops, spiking cattle meadows and ambushing Free State troops on the roads.

In October 23 Noel Lammas brother of Liam was killed.

De Valera who had been arrested shortly after the 1922 Pact elections was released from internment in July 1924.

The rest of the internees were released in segments over a two year period.

One of the first acts of the new Free State governemnt were to begin sugar beet production in programs and apply standards to all butter and egg production.
The govenrment also demanded the cremeries be clean and standardised for milk products and provided subsidies to assist these projects to help the rural economys recover.
These programs were done under the able leadership of Pat Hogan Mininster of Agricluture.

A Butter Standards Act was passed in 1924 along with a Land Purchase Act helping farmers purchase farm land and developing farm credit.
A Egg Act was passed in 1925 standardising all egg exports for test grade and preservation.
All egg producing premisis were standardised for cleanliness and standard grades were regularly inspected and registered.
Fines were imposed for violations ,10 lbs for first offence, 20 lbs for second and prison for 6 months for further offences or negligence.
A Dairy Production Act was passed in 1924 requiring registry and packaging standards for all butter and milk products.
A Bull Act was passed requiring licencing and inspection of all bulls for their suitablity for breeding. some 18,000 bulls were inspected with 4000 being regected as undesirable sire.
This act applied to pigs horses and rams as well.

Much of agricultural production had ceased during the two wars period from 1919 to 1923.
If Irish farm families had suceeded in remaining on the land there rate of procution was primative at best.
Turf was still dug with a spade, laborors for hire roamed the roads with their spade, cycle , scythe and flail.
Grain was still beaten in a stone quern or bron.
Hiring fairs were still used to seek help or employment for the season from May to November.
The roads were frequently impassalbe and bridges blown up by the conflicting armies. However few cars existed and tansport was mostly by cart and donkey or sledge.

Women still carried bundles on their heads in the asian or african mode.

Housing was particlularly bad.
Most cabins having three rooms containing a central kitchen with open hearth, one bedroom and a sacrosaant parlor.
A More prosperous farmer might live in a one story cottage with thatched roof and containing loft bedrooms.
The farm fertility rate was high families often having 7 to 10 children in these small shelters and extended relatives or old persons, grandparents and great aunts and uncles to old to funtion by themselves.

In these rural clachans folk legend and folk fests still prevailed.Seanachais still operated in the communities telling balllad legends and local saints days were still observed.

These cottages contained usually a dresser in the kitchen area for china pieces, a milk churn which was carefully passed down from generation to generation, settle beds put up in the day and laid out by the warm hearth a night.
Wicker work baskets were wtill used for storage and usuallly made at the homestead. Ropes were still twisted from bogwood, horse hair,straw or rushes.
Rush lites were still used in many of these dwelling and life stock brought into the cabin for protection at night.

Usually the floor was simply packed clay a status symbol being a laid flagsone floor beyond the hearth.
So the Irish lived from day to day in 1923 having , if lucky ,a few sheep or a cow, a few hens for eggs and perhaps a patch of potato.

In these stagnant curcumstances the towns being no better being usually a one street affair consisting of an upper living quarters and a shop on the sreet. There were no sidewalks.
Some planned 18 century towns laid out by a demesne lords had a town square and some of the capital towns had a Court House.
These larger twons also usually contained a workhouse, a market, a national school , hospital, a military barracks and churches representing the local denomination, prodistant or catholic.

The smaller towns were usually about 10 miles apart- a distance which could be traversed by cart in a day- usually containing around 3000 persons.
The county towns were approximatly 30 miles apart from each other and containing around 10,000 persons.Dublin, Derry, Drogehda, Cork and Galway were usually a 60 miles apart.
However by 1923 all were economically stagnant and dilapidated by loss of a vibrant trade economy and displacement.
Dublin contained slums equitalbe to those of todays Mexico city cardboard dwellings rampant with raw sweage, desease, dispair and hunger.

Most of the 1920's towns were anglised the population speaking and thinking in English, wearing English dress and applying English law.
The Cosgrave govenment set out to change all that.

In 1923 the old English Poor Law was abolished replacing the massive central controlled workhouse system with county Boards of Health plans replacing poor persons need to go to the workhouse for in house relief with home assistance and home relief payments.
The old were immidiately affected in that they could now reamin in their homes rather than go to the work house or county home.

Relief was paid directly to parents allowing children to reamin in thir homes rather than being placed in foster care.
The program was funded with 1,700 million in Irish script.

A farm subsidy program was put through with the higly competent Minister of Agriculture Pat Hogan making grants to farms to retrieve their self sufficency.

An education reform was implimented making education compulsory till age 16 and revamping the primary schools by coordinating the curriculum making history and geography of Ireland and languages of Ireland compusory for graduation to secondarylevel school.'
A rural science prgram was added along with music and needlework.

The primary schools were previously in the vice like control of denominations but the government grant now made them free and nominally secular in curriculum.
The secondary schools were not free and threfore open only to students whose family had money to send them there.

In September 1923 the Soar State applied for admissin to the League of Nations at Geneva and established Consulates in Washington DC ,Paris, Berlin, Brussels and London and began issuing passports and visas.

free state page 2

At this time the Lacarno Treaty was argued and it was accepted that Commonwealth Nations were not obliged to go to war if Great Britain did.
This doctrine was abily argued on behalf of the Free State by O Higgins.

In 1923 the Imperial Conference was held in which co equality of Dominions was firmly established.

The Irish Delegation of Mr O Higgins, Mr Fitzgerald took an active role in the Conference ,which was not expected by the more suave members of the Empire.

The Prime Mininsters of other countries such as New Zeland arrived in sleek cars with their nations flags flying in the breeze, than posing for the enmassed press for photographs.

Indian delagates arrived with turbans and silk frocks accompainied by footmen and chauffers.

The crowd pressed in to see the Irish Delegations first visit to Downing St since the Treaty signing.

Eventually two old taxis arrived at the Prime Mininster's door. Unknown figures in soft hats or bowler hats hurried into the house refusing to be photographed.
They were cheered when the crowd became aware of who they were.

General Smuts of South Africa, the Conference Chair, greeted them warmly and greeted them in his opening speech.

Kevin O Higgins became an able and accepted star and co equal among equals.

The Boundry Commission, which was founded by Article 7 of the 1921 Anglo Irish Treaty, was to consist of 3 representatives, 1 for the Free State, 1 for the North and a chair for Great Britain.
Judge Feetham from South Africa was appointed by the British government as their representative. Eoin O Neill for the Free Stat. But the north refused to appoint one for themselves.
The British thereupon appointed a representative for them ,RJ Fisher a staunch Unionist and Orangeman, Editor of the Northern Whig.

In March 1924 the Army Mutiny arose in the Free State Army when officers refused to accept the government demobilization and decommissioning in the army until the government created a Republic.
The government had mandated demobilization of 1900 officers by March 7 '24 and reducing the troop streanth from 55,000 men to 18,000.

The Army on behalf of the IRA pro treaty forces sent an ultimatum to the Dial advising they could not continue to accept the Treaty without the creation of a Republic citing their slain leader Michael Collins commitment to a Republic.
They advised the Saorstat government that they had concluded the government had no such intention to secure complete independance or a Republican form of government for the nation.
They demanded a conference rgarding demobilization and the removal of the Army Council demanding a responce by 10 March 1924.
Signed by Liam Tobin Major General and president of the Army Executive Council.

The government provided a conference appointing the chief of the new Guarda police, Eoin Duffy as negociator.

At the inquiry an agreement was reached to replace the Army Council. ASU men were to be given jobs. No reprisals or victimization was to occur to men who had rebelled or deserted.
However on March 16 a pub called Devlins was surrouned by government troops.
Within were a group of prominent mutiners.
Ten of them were arrested by the Cosgrave government with McGrath of the Dial as go between.
The prime leaders however were not found as the government had hoped, several of them having been members of Collins 'Squad'.
Of the outcome the Mininster of Defence Mulcahy resigned.
All told 2 Ministers and 8 Deputies resigned along with the removal of 3 senior Army Council officers.

On March 21 some British soldiers stationed at Spike Island ,a Treaty fort at Cobh, were gunned down Chicago mob style with machine guns by 4 men in Free State uniforms who also killed an 18 year old private in the barrage and wounded 24 civilians.
These were never apprehended.

The favorable outcome of the settlement with the mutiny affair was that the Free State government established itself as civilian control of the IRA and the Army de politized itself to a position of nutrality under control of the existing state where it remains to this day.

free state page 3

Following closely on the resolution of the dispute over forming a Republic the Free State was presented with the Boundry Commission refusal to ajust the boundry allowing the dissatisfied Irish population of the north to join the Free State as had been stipulated in theTreaty which states:
'the boundry should align in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants.'
At this time this would have included Tyrone, Fernmanagh, 2/3s of Down, Armagh and Derry Irish/Catholic areas.

James Craig, North Irish PM stated emphatically that he was ready to fight as in 1914 'to fight in the open against our enemies who would take away the loved soil of Ulster from any of the loyalists who wanted to remain there.'

A border agreeement was signed by the Baldwin government, by his CAbinate Lords Churchhill, Hicks Amery, and Birkenhead.
Cosgrave , O Higgins and Blyte signed for the Free State
Craig and Blackhouse for North Irleand.
This agreement set the borders as it remains today the open wound of Ireland on an island festering.

The Agreement also provided the Free State should be required to contribute to the UK public debt and to pay pensions to the old RIC.

The anti treaty forces were livid and considered the Agreement a betrayal.
De Valera recorded himself againt the Agreement stating it was 'enshrining partition of our country'.
Cosgrave stated the bitterness between the forces must be allowed to subside over partition and the Civil War before reunion could be discussed.
Cosgrave and Higgins refused to discuss reunification as to much suspition and mistrust existed as well as no stability in the Free State as yet.

Since the inception of the North Iriish State in 1921 the Irish erupted in sporatic violence and were repressed with extreme supression and reprisals.
Belfast was particularly prone o internicene street warfare which often resulted in the death of persons of rival religious sects.The religious deliniation gave to the Irish/Nationalist were catholics and th Loyalist/Unionists prodistant.

The now North Irish government under Craig createda military style police the RUC with the B specials and also a Ulster Defence Regiment all prodistant.
The government also passed supressive legislation in Special Powers Acts to repress the natives within the State.

Trade ws curtailed by the customs border duties adn the linen trade suffered creating hardship and unemployment.
Housing was deplorable among the working poor both nationalist and unionist.

Education of both nationalist and unionists young was completely controlled by the church groups.
Emigration continued to be the main means of earning a living and families were distroyed by it- often losing communication for years or forever.

The US held out a shinning light beneith her statue of Liberty.
In America the Roaring twenties were at hand. probition[the Volstead Act] had created bootlegging and smuggling trades.

While Cosgrave's government tried to curtail women by creating legilation prohibiting them to serve on Jurys or teach school the American 'Flapper' rolled away all tabus.

The Jazz Age flapper danced, drank, smoked, wore make up, cut her hair and 'petted'.
replacing the Gay 90's Gibson Girl immage of women.

They had been the work force during WW I when a whole generation had died as cannon fodder to the Imperialist Cause.

Women in America recieved the Vote with the 19th Amendment of 1920 and used it. They were femininst and 'new women'.
They wore no corsets, lightened their hair, wore dresses with waist at the hip and wore silk stockings.

Speakeasys were 'the thing' run by the Mob and such gangsters as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Owney Madden of Liverpool birth.
There hit men such as Mad Dog Coll a catholic Irish reform school pruduct who was hit by the Mob because of killing 5 kids in a drive by shootingand being dubbed the 'Baby Killer'
A contract for 25,000 was put out by Dutch Schults and Madden and Mad Dog was shot in a phone booth on Febrauary 23, 1932 while talking to Madden, a personal friend of Lucky Lucinao .

The Irish Americans by than were generally economically sucessful and politically connected creating such machines as Tammany Hall in NY and the Chicago Daley machine with men like Ed Flyn boss of the Bronx and McManus family in Manhattan Hells Kitchen.
F Scott Fitgeral a decendant of Francis Scott Key wou wrote the Star Spangled Banner and a child of Mary McQuillan and Ed Fitgerald of Maryland wrote the period novel The Great Gatsby in 1925 ,This side of paradise in 1920 ,and Tender is the Night in 1934
Walt Disney and Helen Hayes were beginning their careers.

Eugene O Neill wrote Beyond the Horizon and Anna Christe. Both plays recived rage reviews from a thriving bright lights Broadway of the Zigfield Follies and other graeat plays and stars,

The motor car was taking over America. Its alabaster cities were prosperous and thriving.
The farm communites, as in Ireland were depressed and beset with falling prices from the lassez faire free trade policies of the Republican Adninistration.

free State pg 4

During this period although there was much travl betwen the new and old world the sucessful Irish went to Paris or Berlin not the slums of Dublin or the old sod cabin. Connections were lost, brother and sister lost contact, children were born and old grandparents died never knowing one another.
Political connections maintained since the Famine and Land League days were lost as old leaders died and no new ones came to replace them.
The Church was a very powerful influence in American Irish life where parish and precint life gave a sence of place, security and success.

Most of the gangland bosses were strong backers of the local parish Church/School complex.

One of the most famous criminal gang massacres was provoked when George'Bugs' Moran, an Irish Catholic boss of the north side refused to allow his territory to harbor whore houses of
Capone's flesh peddlers.
This led Bugs men to machine gun the Hawthorne Inn in Cicero, a Chicago suburb with 1000 rounds killing Capones lieutenant ,Johnie Torrio ,on February 14, 1929, the famous St Valentines Day Massacre.
Bugs was not present he 'overslept' and lived for 30 years more dying of cancer in Levenworth Kansas prison forgotten and poor.

Deanie O Banion of north Chicago was killed in 1924 being, in addition to being a street punk, a chior boy at Holy Name parish. He started out as a singer in various dives, graduated to a street mugger, robber , bootlegger and fixer.
He refused to cooperate with Capone and was gunned down in his florist shop across the street from his Church by hit men from New York.

The Irish having been regected on arrival in America took what they wanted and then, through the dispair of the home country sent thier legal and ill gotten gains home to support and keep alive family and organizations trying to survive in a hostile environment in addition to supporting their church and family in America.

By 1925 the Free State had gained control of the often violent and distructive disruptions burdening the nation in the south.

In 1923 the tax deficit in the FreeState was 1,750 million. By 1925 this deficit was reduced to 950,000 and the FreeState was able to borrow money albeit to develope the Shannon scheme as a State Corporation.

Inniciated by an engineer, Dr T A McLauglin ,who returned from his Berlin job with Siemens and Schuchert to harnass the Shannon for electricity production.

Some counties had no electricity at all.
Such electric power that existed came from private generating stations.
Opposition to the plan presented to the Dial by experts from Sweden, Norway and Switzerland were cost of 5 million for a new fangled idea, that the scheme was german plot, and that Ireland could never use so much electrcity.
The project however, was approved and took 4 years to construct marked by a strike and IRS interference.

4000 men were employed.
The Electricicity Supply Board became law in 1927 and electricity began to flow on October 29 1929 [Black Tuesday}

In 1925 the Abby Theater was given a government subsidy but in 1926 a Censorship Board was created to repress writing of controversial morality.

In addition to Land Purchase Act and Local Government Act, the Dial passed a Coinage Act, A Currency Bill ,and created the idea of a national museum and art gallery hosting such national treasures as the Ardah Chalice.

free state pg 5

Standards were set for all exports. Irish butter and eggs, Irish milk products.
Creameries were put under state control and standards for cleanliness were set by the government with inspections.

The fishing industry and salmon production were standardized and controlled.

Secondary school reform began in 1926 with a state subsidy overriding both the church controlled curiculum and the priveleged only useage.

A general education was offered consisting of English or Irish, Math, History, Georgraphy , Science and Latin or Greek with a leaving Cetificate granted after 4 years on a standardized test.
Formerly schools were granted aid on anual exam results for the individual school making students good at passing exams a priority over general learning.
[this is the same consept behind no child left behind now prevelant in US schools]

The grants of the Free State government were now distributed equally to all schools giving them a regular income not dependant on competitive test results.
Scholarships replaced te 40 pound exams to enter secondary schools.

Religious monopoly of secondary schools was broken by state payment for teachers and requiring teachers to be registered with choice of non sectarian non religious posts.
The State established a seniority program for teachers and because the state paid a higher wage than the churches many good teachers enterd the system as state registered teachers.

Sinn Fein and British Courts were abolished and a two tier Irish Court consisting of District Court and a Superior Court was estblished.

Local government Acts were passed giving over central control of lunatic asylums, reformatories, industrial schools, roads and bridges.

Old Rural District councils were abolished in 1925.

A Mininster and Secretaries Act was passed in 1924.

The Dial finally took on the Dublin Corporation with a Greater Dublin Commission Inquiry.
Appointing 4 young Commissioners for 3 years.
These young men rid the city of its corrupt patronage local authorities and its dirty streets and vast slums which were owned by elected corporation members with a profit motive.

The new Commissioners reduced rates
put wages to sliding scale in accordance with needs of the workers
reduced paper waste and sick pay to city employees
reduced department size
and made money renting out the Mansion House for public funtions and giving leases from the city.
The Irish Auto Club was installed in the old Mansion House stable and yard.
Useless propertys such as the Clontarf Town Hall were sold
grafetti was erased and dirt was cleaned from the streets that had acumulated for 100 years.
A French company from Paris brought in to clean the streets.

Grants were made for road repair and the unemployed were set to work on them before the American CCC was even thought of.
Unemployment benefit was paid this way rather than a direct benefit.
The roads were repaved with a new asphalt replacing cobblestone and water macadam.

This was done through contractors with equipment rather than dirctly hiring the workers.
The contract was given by the government and the contractor hired the workers.

In 1924 the poor were huddled in tenements made out of former Georgian mansions of 18 century lords all with oak panneling and ceilings.
They had been condemed but were still lived in as there was nothing else.
Croyden Park of 90 acres was purchased by the government to build houses as in Drumcondra.
Housing Acts had been passed in 1924, 1925 and 1926 making funds availabe for subsidised housing and to the Building Societys to encourage private construction.

The grand canal was repaired
markets rebuilt
Tech education developed

All this was done in Dublin in 10 months by the new young Commisssioners.

These reforms were imitated in Cork and in rural Ireland as well.

A 1923 Bill created an unarmed Free States police force called the Garda Sionchana.

Along with these progressive acts the FS government maintained a repressive Public Saftey Act and emergency Executive powers.

On July 10 1927 Kevin O Higgins was shot on the way to Church which threw the country into into a more repressive mode.
A new Public Safty Bill from the 6th Dial than sitting gave the power to raid homes to Cosgrave for 5 years.
The Executive could desolve an association advocating violence or holding unlawful meetings.
Membership became a criminal offence,
or having documents relating to these organizations was declared a criminal offence and implied membership.
Persons educated to violence under 16 years of age were to be detained for one year.
Parents were to be held responsible for the chilrens violence.
PUblishing of association offencive material was unlawful and printers were to be held liable, forfieting printing equipment.
Newspapers and periodicals were suppressed on a court order.
No importation of'dangerous' newspapers from abroad were allowed.
'Dangerous' persons were to be expelled.
Detention pending an investigation was made legal.
Refusing to reconize Court was a crime.
The Treasonable Offences Act and the Public Saftey Act violation made a party ineligibe for employment anywhere- not just by government- or receipt of a pension.
The death penalty was approved for treason, a murder or unlawful possession of a fire arm.

A special Court was convened

In addition to these added repressive acts of 1927.

free state pg 6

Fianna Fail under de Valera was forced by these measures to enter the Dial in 1927.

Ireland was economically struck again by the Great Depression of October 29 1929.
With agricultural products piling up exports fell by half.
Butter, Bacon and Egg prices fell.
The price of sheep plunged. Cattle prices dropped. 117 factories closed.

21,000 were unemployed in April 1929
31,000 by April 1932.

The Free Stae government applied more emergency measures.
Pay reductions for police and teachers were ordered.
Hostility exited against Free State government and intensified when the government proscuted the Irish Press of Fianna Fail for publishing police complaints.
The case was tried by a military tribunal.
A vote of no confidence was issued by the Dial which desolved and called for an election.

An election date was set for 16 February 1932 because that year was also the anniversary of St Patricks coming to Ireland 1500 years previously and the Eucharistic Congress were to be cleebrated in June 1932.

Fiana Fail won the election over the Cummann na n Gaelheal, 72 seats to 57.

On March 9 deVAlera with labour support founded a government and was elected President of the Executive Council by the 7th Dial.

He took the department of External Affairs as his.
T O Kelly became Taniste and Mininster for Local government.
Frank Aikin ,later an ambassador to the UN, took the Defence portfolio.
James Geoghegan Mininster of Justice
Sean Lemass Industry and Commerce.

As such the Free State passed into the control of the Ireglular anti partition personnel and the De Valera Era began in Ireland to last through 1948.

* the Irish Oireachtas was formed by the Free State Constitution into two bodies the Dial and the Seanad the first being the body creating the countrys legislation and appropriating funds, and the second being a body of advise and consent having limited powers.
The Seanad was fixed at 60 members. 30 were nominated by the Executive Council and 30 elected by the Dial members. These Senators were chosen for their already honored positions of respect in the country and had achieved success and respect in fields of society.
The Seanad could suggest Bills and inniciate bills but the Dial retained the power to vote on them. The Seanad members were elected for 3 years on a staggered system 1/4 at a time.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright September 12 2007

sourses: Ireland Since the Rising ,Tim P Coogan Fredrick PraegerPblsr , 1966
The Irish Free State, Denis Gwynn, MacMillan and Co Ltd, 1928
The Irish in America, Michael Coffey ,Terry Golway,Hyperion, 1997
Internet: Republic of Ireland Offical Website 2000

Irish History Synopsis: The War Years 1917-1923

2007-09-01T13:09:00.001-07:00

Irish History Synopsis: The War Years

By 1917 Sinn Fein as a political party had recoverd enough to run a candidate ,George Plunkett , father of the rebel Joseph Plunkett, for the vacant seat for Rosscommon on the death of the Fenian incumbant James Kelly .George had been one of the internees being arrested for being the father of his rebel son. He was not in good health.
Count George won the election which had backing from both Michael Collins physical force malitia and Grifiths more pacific political resistance and separate Parliament under the Crown.

A Soldiers Song became a popular ballad at these election rallies.
In May of 1917 Joe McGuiness won a seat in Commons.
Collins and Griffith worked together again to arrive at political victory.

An Amnesty was issued in June 1917 releasing the remaining Easter Rebellion prisoners and sent home among these Eamon de Valera, who unlike Collins 6 months previously was welcomed and had no trouble finding people to shake his hand.
On July 11, 1917 he was elected to Parliament for County Clare with Sinn Fein support and a defeat for the former Parliamentary Pary under Redmond who had fought so willingly for the British cause in WW I.

Eamon than 35 and father of 4, having married Seanad Flanagan who had been his Gaelic Irish teacher, was elected President of the Irish Volunteers who had returned after the incarceration of their leader Eoin O Neill.
This created a unification between the physical force nationalist and the political agitation represented by Sinn Fein.

Eamon had earned his bacheoors degree in mathamatics from Blackrock College and set out as a teacher.
He participated in the Howth gun collectiona and the Rising Commanding a contingenet at Bolands Mills.
He was a tall austere Catholic and had been reprived of death to criminal imprisonment during the dark days of exemplary executions folling the Rising.

The war in Europe drug on and at last in April 1918 conscription stalked the doors of Ireland.
Lloyd Goerge submitting the implimentation of another Home Rule Bill for its acceptance, but a diluted form not being the already passed Bill of 1914 with its Bill of Suspention.

This proposed Bill limited the Irish Parliament's control of domestic affairs, taxing, police, post office and so forth. It reserved 40% of the seats for Unionists.
Lloyd Goerge submitted his new proposal as expected the young men of Ireland when brought to the fighing line would feel they were fighting for a 'principle' abroad denied to them at home, that being the 'principle' of self determination for small nations.

Ireland had at this time already contributed over 100,00 of its precious sons and in 1917 another 14,000 had volunteered.

The Irish Conscription Bill passed the Commons on April 16, 1917.The Irish Parliamentary Party walked out.

HR failed to win popular support and the British government announced a plot that Sinn Fein had conspired with Germany to launch a 2nd rebellion in Ireland.

The German Plot caused the arrest of Eamon de Valera, Arthur Griffieth, Kathleen Clarke,Countess Markievicz and 70 other persons including old Count Plunkett.

The British than tried to convince the Americans of the enormity of this Plot and to connect American Irish sympathisers like Devoy to it.

They had no proof.

Wilson however even though pro Briish declined to participate in the smear fearing backlash from the well established Irish Americans.

On June 18 1918 Arthur Griffith a prisoner in the German Plot was elected to Parliament from Cavan by discusted Irish votors .

At the end of WW I ,at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Sinn Fein leaders were still in custody of internment without trial and unconvicted of any cime or treason.

the war years pg 2

Lloyd George instead of implimenting Home Rule as passed in 1914 by the British Parliament announced that Irleland would continue to be held by military force from theCastle and HR was postphoned indefinately.
The English Parliament was dissolved at Wars end.
A general election was called for December 1918.

Collins with his allies organized a massive campaign to tranform the election to a referendum for Ireland's claim to independance.
The bulk of Sinn Fein leadership still being held in internment were stood for election. 48 of them.
The Party made clear to the electorate that these candidates stood for Ireland's independance.

To Sinn Feins advantageat this election was the new franchise extending the vote to 800,000 women over 30 and the elimination of the property qualification now extending the vote to 2 million over 21 males.

Sinn Fien in addition to the calling for a vote for independence followed a progrrm of economic and social relief for the poor and small farmers thus insuring the vote of these left out peoples.
At election Sinn Fein won 73 of Irelands 105 English Parliamentary seats leaving the Parliamentray Party with just 6 seats from its former 80.

The Sinn Fein candidates were committed to Irish Independance and individual respect in Ireland.
The representatives not in prison, 27 of them, gathered in Dublin Mansion House on January 21 1919 and Declared an Irish Parliament to be known as the Dial Eireann.
They than issued a Declaration of Independance and declared the nation a soveriegn state.
These rights extending to all its men and women and all its natural possesssions.
It called for the evacuation of English forces from Ireland.

On this same day three Volunteer force men Breen, Treacy and Hogan attacked 2 constables McDonnell and O Connell both catholics wearing the police unifrom of the Royal Irish Contabulary who were transporting gelignite explosive to a quarry at Solenhead inTipperary.
Thus begain the War of Independence.

On January 17, 1919 the military authority for Ireland had telegraphed the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir Henry Wilson requesting tanks machine guns and ammunition to put down thepeaceful opending take over by the newly elected Sinn Fein .

On January 20 1919 the Paris Peace Conference opened at Versailles Palace.
SinnFein hoped to be invited to this conference to achieve self determination and recognition for Ireland.
Sean O Kelly was sent toi Paris to try and achieve these ends.
Kelly worked hard from his Grand Hotel suite to obtain a hearing from the Peace Conference ,all to no avail ,even with mobilization efforts from Americas 25,000 Irish by Pat McCartain.

Kelly even applied directly to President Woodrow Wilson but was not recieved.

On 22 Febrary 1919 an Irish Race Council held at Philadelphia demanded 'Irish Freedom' and the US House of Representatatives passed a Resolution asking the Paris Peace Conference to consider Irelands petition for self determination.

The conference in the end sided with the Lloyd George/Unionist party and considered Ireland an internal British affair, the same position taken in the occupation of Ulster from 1969 to 2004.

Wilson did not want a break with its ally Great Britain and would not countenance diplomacy to achieve either recongnition or self determination status for Ireland.

pg 3 war years

When the 1919 Dial took office 1/2 of the delegates were in English jails off the island, including deValera Where they were elected to the respecitive positions by the Dial members who were still free and conviened at the Mansion House in Dublin by the elusive Michael Collins and his lieutenant Harry Boland with Cathal Bruga.
Arthur Griffith Mininster of Home Affairs; Count Plunkett, Mininster of Foreign Affairs; John Mac Neill to Industry; Cathal Bruga to Defence; Countess Markievicz Mininster of Labor ;William Cosgrave Mininster of Local Government and Michael Collins Mininster of Finance.

Michael also at about this time became President of the secret IRB [Irish Republican Brotherhood] and was on the military counsil of the Irish Volunteers as organizer.
Cathal Brugha then being Chief of Staff to the Irish Volunteers, his position was filled by Richard Mulcahy when Cathal became a mininster of the government.

Most of the Dial representatives, in addition to being Sinn Fein politically elected representatives, were also members of the Irish Volunteers and the secret IRB.
A state of War was declared by the Dial as the British Army occupied the whole of Ireland in 1919.

Cathal Brugha issued a directive to the Irish Volunteers through their An t Oglach[ The Soldier] a secret journal authorizing the Volunteers to kill enemys of the state as represented by the Dial Eireann.
Identifying these enemys of the state as British soldiers and policemen of the British governemnt civil structure in Ireland.
Neither Dial Eireann nor Sinn Fein issued cooberating statemenets upholding the moral and legal authority designated to the Army of Ireland forces.

To augment its demand for release of the German Plot prisoners ,over half the elected representatives of the Dial Government, Sinn Fein in early 1919 banned hunting in Ireland.This arroused ire among local folk who did not abide with the decree.

Britain continued to ignore the elected body and its demands for self determination or to relaese even those prisoners elected to office in the general election of 1918.

Collins and Boland went to England and 'sprung' de Valera from Lincoln jail by having him make a key, with impressions of candle wax , to the inner prison doors which he was able to obtain as a devote catholic by helping the prison chaplan say Mass within the prison.

On the 4th try a key was sent in which worked.

They than spirited 'Dev' away in a motor car to safe house in England.
Shortly after this dramatic escape the British governement released all the German Plot prisoneers.

They took their places in the new Irish governement by April 1919.

DeValera left for the US in an attempt to win recognition for the still unrecognised Free State governement and to acquire American money.
He was helped by Collins and stowed away on ship bound for NY, Manhattan where he arrived on June 11, 1919.
He visited his remarried American mother in Rochester NY and than was wisked away in a motorcade to the Waldof Astoria Hotel where he addressed reporters with his Irish cause and attended a reception where he met John Devoy who declared him as best leader Ireland has had in a century.

He spent the next 18 months in NY not returning to Ireland till December 1920.
During this time he argued with established American Irish leaders over revolutionary matters with great factionalism in the American ideas.

In the end John Devoy was ousted as leader after 5 decades of revolutionary ajutation.

Neither of the Presidential candidates of 1920 would commit a statement to the idea of Ireland self determination or its Republic.
Nor would the Democratic Party platform include a Resolution favorable to Irish ideals.

pg 4 war years

Meanwhile in Ireland Michael Collins prepared for physical force resistance for the Volunteers became in addition to Finance Minister, Director of Intelligence.
As part of the Supreme Council of the IRB ,which considered itself the government of Ireland in accordance with its Constitution .

The Volunteers of about 5000 strong were carrying out systematic attacks on the Royal IrishConstabulary throughout 1919.
Collins targeted detectives with his control of intelligence agents eventually forming a group known as 'The Squad' which penetrated the British police, military and theCastle with its own spys.

These targeted British intelligence personnel were killed one by one usually in their own homes as they left church or other frequents. They were targeted and killed for waht they knew.

Collins by de Valera's absence was both military and political leader of the Irish rebellion as well as, being chief organizer of the Irish Volunteers and President of the IRB, four vital posts or leadership.

In September 1919, after an attack by the Cork Brigade on stationed Brisish troops, the British authorities at the Castle suppressed the Dial, SinnFein, Cumman na mBan.

Military rule was stepped up with regular raids of homes by soldiers, 20,000 between September 1919 and March 1920. This involved closing of fairs, markets, road checks, traffic delays and pat down searches.The military search patterns repeated itself throughout 1919-1920 and again in Ulster from 1970-1994.

Some 4000 Irish were arrested and taken to British prisons.
Soldiers with fixed bayonets patroled the streets of Dublin

.Lloyd Goerge in England included a 4th or 5th Home Rule Bill ,setting up two separate Parliaments in Ireland, one in Dublin for the 26 counties and a separate one in Belfast controlling the 6 counties of Ulsters 9 counties.
This Bill called the Better Government of Ireland bill of 1920.

The Bill was critizised as war like and divisive by the Irish
prodistant asendancy voice ,the Irish Times

Attacks were stepped up against the Castle forces by the Volunteers which brought out retalaliation to the Irish civilain populatio who were viewed as conspirators to the rebels and their support base.

The rebel forces had no uniforms but where known as the IRA.
TheBritish government did not recognize them as distint from the civil populations.

pg 5 war years

In July 1920, due to increasing attacks on RIC barracks of by the guerilla forces and believing the civilian population supported these rebels, the British government organized , in addition to its already large regular Army presence in Ireland ,a force ofAuxiliaries which were formed of veterans from WW I.
These forces were sent into Ireland and were ruthless in the suppression of both civil and Volunteer Irish people causing mayhem and mockery within the country.
At one point burining down an entire Cork town.

The British government considered the Irish Volunteers, and indeed the Irish People ,as criminals and their resistance as criminal offences.
The Auxiliaries to the RIC concluded that the Guerrillas could not operate without the support of the citizens and retaliated against these citizens by murding and torturing them and by distroying homes and economic resourses.
Famlies were so afraid of Tan raids they often went into the fields to sleep at night fearing torture ,or summary execution on the spot by these mauraders.

In June 1920 the famous Flying Columns struck regularly at contingents of British troops and police Barracks, of which there were over 2000 in Ireland.Capturing arms and killing as many as could not escape.
These columns were critisized by local citizens as late sleepers, hanging around the pub and eating local food.
They were usually roaming bands of men 'on the run' from police , provincial ,with full time training camps in the mountains.
A major operative need of all the Irish forces was that of obtaining weopons.
Some of these were captured from the barrack raids and some were supplied to them by British soldiers willing to suppliment their low pay by selling their weopons to the Irish.

These Active Service units of about 35 men were organized into an offensive weapon against both the regular RIC and the terrorist Black and Tan mobile Auxiliaries numbering over 10,000 men.

Although the entire IRA force numbered around 112,000 strong, the Columns were no more than 3000 personnel on active service at one time.
The raids against government forces was indiscriminate where as many native Irish wearing a British police or military uniform or serving a British establisment were killedas the occupying forces. They represntated the occupation.

Between 1919 and the signing of a truce in July 1921 over 150 systematic, well orchestrated attacks were carried out all over Ireland by these Active Service Units indicating a planned ,objective oriented operation to rid Ireland of British civil and military control.
The attacks being orchestrated by the central command structure under Collins and Mulcahy. [Cronology of Irish War for Independance: Wikipedia]

After the July 1921 truce ,attacks continued until the signing of the Anglo Irish Treaty in December 1921, along with serious rioting in Belfast after and before King George V opened the partition Parliament there on June 22 1921.
The Beter Governemnt of Ireland Act having been given the Royal Assent on December 23, 1920.
The attacks continued systematically by IRA Active Service units in both north [now separate]and south[ the 26 counties] throughout 1922.

After the truce was declared there were 50 attacks during the 6 monthsbefore the Treaty ws signed.
The attacks subsided in the 6 counties with the outbrak of Civil War in Dublin between the anti treaty forces of the IRA and the pro treaty forces of the IRA.

In early May 1922 my grandfather, a small farmer , stood on a lonley dock watching 2 of his daughters one 16 and one 10 being sent to the US to stay with relatives.
He never saw either of them again and out of his 10 children born in Tyrone ,7 of them migrated leaving only 3 at home ,one of whom was shot in 1973 during the 'Troubles'

After the implimentation of the Better Governemnt of Ireland Act partitioning the island ,Michael Collins met with de Valera and the two organized an election platform for a unity government to be elected to the next parliament.
Griffith President of the Free State opposed this election and SinnFein backed the pro treaty side against he anti treaty side.
36 anti treaty seats were taken out of 128 seats.

This split the anti treaty forces againO Connor taking his forces to Dublin to resist and continue war with the British.
The rest remained neutral
.When the O Connor anti treaty forces occupied the Four Courts in Dublin and created a separate administration from the provisional Free State government under Griffith and his protreaty Sinn Fein the British governmetn demanded the Courts be cleared and provided artillery to do so.

On June 22 1922 Sir Henry Wilson was killed and the British government felt the Four Courts holders were responsible.

After a week of steady artillery fire and fighting allied by the pro treaty Free State, the Four Courts surrendered on June 30 1922.

The now so called 'Irregulars' retired under the command of de Valera and Liam Lynch to Cork and Limerick which were captured by Irish Regular Army of the Free State pro treaty force by August.

From July 1 1922 to July 3 1923 fighting continued between pro and anti treaty forces in Dublin and the countyside.

On July 3rd the Free state provisional government authorised a provision for 20,000 men from the pro treaty army to serve for 6 months.

On July 4 ,Frank AikenO/C 4th northern divison of IRA forces declared nutrality calling for an end to the civil fighting.

On July 5 anti treaty men surrendered led by Cathal Brugha.
When he refused to surrender he was shot.

The Four Courts were distroyed after 8 days of fighting.

On July 13 1922 a provisional government war council arrainged with Michael Collins ,Commander inChief and Mulcahy Mininster of Defence in setting up 5 command areas.

Emmet Dalton the Eastern Comand composed of the old 4th and 5th Northern Division and the old 1st and 2nd eastern division of Carlow and WexfordBrigades.

Sean Mac Eoin the WesternCommand, the old 2,3 and 4 Western Divisions and the Midlands.

TP Proust was given charge of the South eastern Divisions Kilkenny, Waterford and south and middle Tipperary.

The south western divison going to O Duffy, Clare Limerick and Cork

J J O Connell the 5th division the Currah old 3rd south division.

TP Cosgave made Chairman of the Provisional govenrment and ,Minister of finance.

On 13 July Frank Boland ,on the run in the mountains of Dublin ,wrote to McGarrity in Philiadelphia that in his belief the provisional government cannot defeat the anti treaty forces even if they garrisoned every town in Ireland.

pg 6 war years

On Auust 10,1922 Griffith died of a stroke.

On August 22 1922 while driving to his native Bealnamblath in Cork Michael Collins auto train was attacked.
He resisted for about 30 minutes but was finally shot in the back of the head by the attackers who got away clean and have never been identified to this day.

In October the Irregular forces were condemned by the Catholic Church.
In October the Dial passed a Public Safety Bill allowing military trials and the death penalty for having a weapon.
Erskine Childers a prodistant Republican was picked up carrying a small pistol given him by Michael Collins as a momento,and was killed for it on November 10 1922.

Four other men were seacretly shot in Dublin within a week of this summary execution by Order of the Provincial Governemt. Later being identified as Liam Mellows, Rory O Connor, Joe McKelvey and Richard Barrett.

The pro treaty army was around 15,000 men strong.

The skirmishes continued with deadly earnest beteen these countrymen often achieving a more war like tenacity than had been shown fighting the British in the War of Independance.

33 summary executions were conducted by the Provincals in January 1923.

On April 10 1923 Liam Lynch died in a shoot out inthe Tipperary mountains refusing to surrender.

Tthe Civl War ended ignomoniously with the Cease Fire Order to the Irregular forces
leaving a residue of bitterness and reprisals for decades .
After a cease fire order was issued to anti treaty troops by Frank Aiken to dump arms and installed by the out of control 'government in exile' ,the anti treaty governed by an Executive Council headed by Eamon de Valera.
The cease fire order and dump arms order were published by Aiken on 24 May 1923 ending the Irish Civil War.

In June 1923 the Provisional government passed a Public Order Bill with powers to inter, seize land and stock.
Arrests and reprisal killings by the Provincial governement under Cosgrave the Chairman ,continued. through August, when de Valera came out of hiding and general election was held.

Cumman n Gaelheal ,Cosgraves party ,won 63 seats Sinn Fein 44.

On September 10 1923 Saorstat Eirean was admitted to the League of Nations.

In October a hunger strike began among the 8000 anti treaty forced interred at Mount joy prison.

In November ,7 pro treaty officers are court marshaled for refusing to sign de mobilization papers until the governmetnt guaranteed Ireland would become a Republic.

Dinny Byrne at Newbride and Andrew Sullivan at Mountjoy die of hunger strike.

On November 23 the strike ends and women prisoners are released but men still kept in interment and only realased in incriments until the summer of 1924.

On December 29 two more anti treaty men were exucuted but a date is in dispute of they were shot in 1922 or 1923.

Records for the Civil War remain skeachy in the public sphere to this day but the resentments and fears and repirsals do not.

The Courts of Justice Act of 1924 abolished both the British and Sinn Fein Republican Courts creating a District And Circuit Criminal Court and High Superior Court.

The Army Mutiny was put down by the Free State in 1924 as the demobilizing continued towards peace time, officers demanding a guarntee that the Republic would be established.
A compromise was reached with these and Eion O Duffy which established the army as a non political servant of theFree State.

The Free State economy was based on large farms , wealthy anglo irish holdings and agriculture.
The Electricity Supply Board was founded.
New jobs were created and free trade upheld again.

The Diplomatic Service was established .
A facimily of peace and order returned to the tense land under PT Cosgrave ,under his Cumman na nGaelhed Party and its Ministers Blythe, Higgins.and Mulcahy which expressed consistancy and a repressive military hand.

The partys major members were prominent business holders, large farmers ,cattle traders and professionals.

It styled itself the Party of law and order.

It did not believe in State programs to assist the poor urban or rural.

This rule prevailed for the next 10 years of Irish history until it was succeded by Fianna Fail and de Valera in the genral election of 1932.

And thus the 7 years of terror and rebellion ended in Ireland calling to silence and rest the banshee cries throughout the land.
Aoihill, Cliodna, Aine, Una, Grian,Eiblinn and perhaps one mssing representing the 7 sons of Oilill Olam of long centures past the common ancestor their moan to be hard no more for 40 years.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright 1 Septembe 2007

sourses: The Green Flag, Robert Kee, Penguin Books 1972
For the Cause of Liberty, Terry golway, Simon and Schuster, 2000
Everything Irish, Ruckenstein and O Malley, Ballantine Books, 2003

Danta Aodhagain ui Rathaille, Translation Rev Patrick S Dinneen, MA, Irish Text Society, 1900,
[Poems Egan Rahilly] Introduction pg liv-lv

Irish History Synopsis: Six Days to Frongoch

2007-08-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

Irish history Synopsis Six Days to Frongoch

On returning from the Fairyhouse Races the British commander General W.H.M Lowe declared Martial Law on
24, April 1916.

A cordon was thrown about the central city by commander General W. H. M Lowe and artillery fire begun day and night. 2000 trops already being in Dublin 6500 were brought in from other parts of Ireland and from England itself.
A position was taken up in the Shelburne hotel over looking St Stephens Green where the entrenched rebel troop under Mallon and Mareivicz were dug in. This required them to evacuate to the Royal College of Surgeons
The post office equally was put under continious heavy fire from posts on the roof of Trinity College.
By Wensday the gunboat Helga was called in and from the Liffy river shelling the entire central city area including Liberty Hall The entire area was set afire..
The rebels where shot while trying to evacuate the on fire post office.
Among those defenders at this General Post Office redoubt was a young Michael Collins who admired the leadership and effective resistance of Connolly.
By Thursday ,Dublin being aflame, an order to evacuate was given by Pearce.
The country in deference to the O Neill announcement reciding the rising plan had not risen .

On Friday on a second attempt, Connoly having been shot on the first attempt, managed to evacuate the untenable and burning post office.

On Saturday April 29 Pearce ordered a surrender.

The rebellion leaders were all taken into custody and courts martials begun immidiately.

Of the rebels 64 were found dead with 300 civilian casulaties
130 British soldiers wer killed.
Hundreds had been wounded and central Dublin had been distroyed.
3000 were immediately arested in Dublin.

At the end of Easter week Brigidier General Sir John Maxwell arrived in Ireland with full comander in chief powers. He considered the rebellion as having been planned and inspired by theGerman enemy.

With typical British military arrogance he ordered executions before firing squad of the most prominent leaders in his custody.
This policy was thought disasterous by MP Dillon who urged Asquith to recind it. Asquith sent a consilatory letter to
General Maxwell asking him to use restraint in creating Irish martyrs.
However the General proceeded with military precison to carry out the executions in a systematic way.

On May 3 soom three days after he took charge of the military forces in Ireland Padriag Pearce, Tom Clarke and Tom McDonagh were shot their bodies limed and put in a pit in the yard of Kilmainham jail in the middle of Dublin.
On May 4 Will iam Pearce the brother of Padraig was shot and disposed of in the same manner
along with the rebels Joseph Plunkett, Edward Daly and Michale O Hanrahan
On May 5 John MacBride, husband of Maude Gonne was shot limed and buried in the jailhouse yard

On May 6 18 exection were commuted ,one being Constance Markievicz
On May 8 Colbert, Ceanet, Mallon and Heuston were shot
Eamon de Valera was commuted this day

On May 12 John Connelly was transported to the jail from the Castle and shot sitting in a chair as he cound not stand from his wound. Sean Mac Dermott was also killed this day.

After these the killing stopped until August 3 when Roger Casement was hung at Pentonville Prison after a trial with an attorney going on in which he was prosecuted by F.E Smith and convicted of treason on June 29 1916 the only conpiritor given a civil trial or for that matter any trial at all. Casement was defended by Serjeant Sullivan who refused to enter a lunacy plea for him as the government wanted.

Of the 100 rebels sheduled to be shot only these 15 were dispached the rest having their sentances comuted to life in prison incuding among them Eamon de Valera and Eion ONeill who has been arested even though he had worked to avert the rebellion and had not participted in it.

Of the 100 detained without charge most were sent off to Frongoch camp in Wales. Some to the criminal prison system all under interment held withoutrial or charges as enemy combatants.

Of those sent to Frongoch Michael Collins was released with Arthur Griffith of Sinn Fein with 600 other in a Chrismas release from the 1867 intered persons. De Valera was held in various prisons.
On Collins release when he retuned to his home in Cork he ws unwelcome and no one would shake his hand.
He left for Dublin and was warmly welcomed by Kathleen Daly Clarke Toms wife who gave him a job as secretary to her Irish Volunteers ` Dependants Fund. Kathleen held the lists of members of the IRB and the republicans which she held from her brother and husband.

Before Roger Casement died he mused as to what Ireland would be like 100 years in the future which would be 2016.
Little could he visualize todays computer literate society, WW 2 ,or the Celtic Tiger ,the Troubles in the north ,electricity and running water , television and automobiles,indoor pluming and bungalos replacing the white thatched roof cottage.
The treasured language still clinging to life, just bearly, economic English worldwide and dominant in America obliterating not only Gaelic but most European languages ,African languages and in the 21 Century Asian.

A quietude fell over the country for the rest of 1916 as they recovered from these military abuses .

Judi Donnelly
copyright Aug 26 2007

sourses: The Green Flag ,Robert Kee, Penquin Books ,1972
For the Cause of Liberty, Terry Golway, Simon and Schuster, 2000

Irish History Synopsis: 1900 to Easter rising part 2[ pages 5-6]

2007-08-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

1900 to easter pge 5

When war began on August 4 1914 Ulster contributed several regiments to the British effort in addition to 2 regiments from Leinster Fusiliers, the Connaght Rangers,The Dublin Fusieliers, Munster Fusilielers and the Royal Irish Regiments.

These three regiments, the Royal Irish Rifles of Belfast
Royal Irish Fusiliers of Armagh
Innishkillen Fusiliers of Omagh.
were directly from Ulster.
There were also 8 regiments in the Regular British Army drawn from Irishmen.

Meanwhile in America the IRB had already determined that a rising would occur sometime during the period of the Word War. How they knew the war would continue from 1914 to 1916 reamins an unexplored mystery.

Again, with the split between the Irish Volunteer physical force men and Redmonds National Volunteers over Redmonds decision to consede 6 Ulster counties to the unionist secession demands the unity of cause among the Irish forces was weakened.

Germany sold arms to this small force bringing force in the Asgard with 900 rifles and 25,000 rounds of munitions being delivered at Howth.
800 o f the Irish Volunteers showing up to gather these weopons.
The Kings Own Scotish Borderes tried to stop this gun running in the county Wicklow but were unsucessful. As the troop marched back to Dublin they were jeered by a crowd at Bachelors Walk.
This provoked a shot followed by a volley in which 3 civilians were killed and two dozen wounded.
Two sets of rules, one for the Loyalist ,and one for the natives,'the Irish enemy of the King' prevailed in Irleand.

Pearce responded gleefully
'the whole movement, the whole country has been re-baptised by bloodshed.'

As September 14,1914 dawned the Home Rule Bill became law without the exclusion bill.
On September 21 John Redmond triumphantly pledged the Irish National Volunteers of 188,000 men to the British Army regulars for European battlefields. 200,000 volunteered.

The Irish Volunteers split 13,000 dissenters lead by Pearce and the IRB infiltrators formed them on nationalism and they named themsleves the Irish Volunteers.

The Parliament although passing the HR Bill passed a Suspention Bill for a year or the duration of the War.

In the US Roger Casement, an English Peer ,along with the Fenian John Devoy worked with the German Counsulate to bring about a rebellion in Ireland along with judge Cohalen of the NY Supreme Court and Joe McGarriety of Philidelphia they worked from within nutral America to provide money ,arms and contacts with Germany.
Casement was also a knight and served in the British Foreign Service gaining an applalling horror of human rights abuses by the colonial government while serving in the Belgian Congo, and the treatment of Peruvian and Columbian Indian slaves on the colonial rubber plantations.

He had been born in Antrim ,the heart of Ulster prodistantism of an Anglican Assendant family. He became enamourd with Irish nationalism in 1904 through his friendship with DouglasHyde, the Gaelic League founder.
He was also inspired to assist the nationalist cause by his exposure to his fellow Ulstermen resistance tactics.This converted him to militant nationalism.
He helped found the Irish Volunteers and was an organizer of the Howth gun running expidition.

In meeting with Devoy and McGarrity in Philidelphia he outlined his plan to Ireland..
They met with German diplomats at NY who agreed to the plan.
Casement enlisted as his aid a Norwegian sailor Alder Christensen who was suspect by Devoy who had Christensen watched
he found Cristiansen often in the Tenderloin district meeting suspicious charaters in disreputable hotels. This led Devoy, a prudish bachelor to believe both Casement and Christensen were homosexuals and therefore a security risk.

Contacts with Ireland were made by courier as the IRB in Ireland distrusted the mails.
These messages were forwarded by Devoy to the German Consulate in NY.

Devoy and McGarrity raised great sums of American money transmitting these to thier IRB contacts in Ireland in sums of $5000 and $10,000 dollars by courier.

When Jeremaiah O Donovan died on June 28, 1915 at Staten Island at 84, not able to recognise his daughter and shouting Irish commands to unseen comrades ,a telegram sent to Tom Clarke in Ireland asking for instructions.
The body was dutifully shipped to Ireland for burial with a great show made by the IRB.
The smallest detail to the arrangments being applied throught out the countryside.
A graveside speech to be made by Padraig Pearce to summon a new generation to the spirit of revolution.

On August 1 1915 under rainy skys thousands gathered to watch the dead body brought to resting place at Glasnevin Cemetary.
The National Volunteers in splendid uniforms with rifles along with Connollys Irish Citizens Army and the Irish Boy Scouts, Fianna Na h Eireann founded by Countess Markievicz marched.

Pearce dressed in the National Volunterrs uniform deliverd his speech saying:
'life springs from death and from the graves of partiot men and women spring living nations.'---'but the fools the fools they have left us our Fenian dead and while Ireland holds these graves Ireland unfree will never be at peace.'

page 6 easter

Socialist throughout Europe were awaiting a world wide revolution of the proletariat against imperialists as the war dragged on.

Connolly founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party in 1898 and leader of the Irish Transport Workers from Liberty Hall in Dublin and the Citizens Army the armed nationalist maintained a pragmatic approach to the romantic cultural revolutionary represented by Pearce.

In January 1916 the IRB military council brought
Connolly into their plans to begin a rebellion on Easter Sunday April 23, 1916.
An assault on Dublin by 5000 troops with a similtanious rising in the countryside with assistance from Germany being arranged in NYC.
After three days of discussions James Connoly was sworn into the IRB and became a member of its military council joining labor and nationalism.
A courier was dispached to NY announcing the planned date of revolution asking arms and munitions be in Limerick between Good Friday and Easter Saturday 1916.
Devoy raised and sent on $100,00 to the IRB to buy weopons.
He asked the Germans for 100,00 rifles ,artillery and German officers to lead the rebellion.
The Germans announced they would supply 20,000 rifles and 10 machine guns in time for the rebellion.

At that time Roger Casement was in a German Sanatorium being both in poor mental and physical health, his brigade plan of Irish prisoners having failed.

Devoy asked the Germans to keep Casement in the dark as to the looming plans.
The plan called for the seizing if several Dublin strong points such as the general post office Boland mills and the St Stephens green.

The military council in the meanwhile changed the date of the rising ,9 days before the set date,
to Easter Monday ,April 24 sending a message to Devoy to change the date of delivery for German arms no earlier than Easter Sunday night.

The Aud had already left Germany and was at sea with no radio contact.

On April 18 the US Secret Service raided the German Consulate picking up the scattered communiques and documents of Devoys communications with Berlin lying about on the desks

British Intelligence however had already cracked the German code and knew the rebels intentions.

Eoin O Neill chairmen of the Irish volunters confronted Pearce at St Ednas on Holy Thursday getting conformation of the rising plans.

O Neill was furious and said he would cancel the rising but recinded next day and agreed to do nothing to stop the impending rebellion.

When the Aud arrived on schedule and recieved no on shore response they waited patiently. It was subsequently spotted by the British navy and ordered to Queens[Colb] in copunty Cork.
While sailing into that port the German captain skuttled the Aud sending arms and amunition to the bottom of the Irish Sea.
Casment meanwhile was landed from a German submarine on Banna Strand
in company with two friends and arrested by police within hours.
When macNeill heard of thses dissaters on Easter Saturday he recinded his pledge of support and placed an announcement in the Sunday Independant newspaper cancelling the Sunday manuver.
the military counci; rebels gathered on Easter Sunday at Liberty Hall.

Pearce believing they shoudl flee to the west.
Connolly disagreed that the fight should be in the Dublin Streets.
Clarke argued the planed rebellion should go forward.
The council decided a postphonement of one day.

They knew the government had been alerted and that if they did not act they woiuld be arrested anyway.
The Castle was preparing a list of suspects as traitors that had contacts with the German enemy.
They fixed the rebellion for Easter Monday
In Liberty Hall printers produced a copy of Pearces Proclaimation propclaiming an Irish republic.

The rebels assembled at Liberty Hall on the morn of Easter Monday, a national holiday.
Padraig Pearce the Commander in Chief of the Army of the Republic and President of the Provisional goverment [Poblacht na Eireann] arrived on his bycycle in the green Irish Volunteer uniform with slouched hat.

1000 of the planed 5000 showed up.
Pearce Connoly Clarke and the rest of headquarters marched to the GPO.
Connoly ordered the charge and a column of 100 men burst into the building.
Telegraph cables were cut ,windows smashed and the building cleared of civilians.
Pearce stepped out to read his famous Proclaimation.

'In the name of God and the dead generations Ireland summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom-'

The petitiion was signed by the 7 council members
Tom Clarke
Sean mac Dairmada
Padraig Pearce
James Connolly
Tom mac Donagh
Eamon Ceannet
Joseph Plunkett

The rebels raised 2 flags over the post office. A tri color of green white and orange.
The other homemade banner with the gold Irish harp on a green background bearing the gold hand painted words Irish Republic.

Judi Donnelly
copyright August 24 2007

sourses:
History of Ulster , Ramsey Colles, Vol IV, Gresham Publishing Coy Ltd 1919
For the Cause of Liberty, Terry Golway, Simon and Schuster, 2000
Modern Ireland, R F Foster, Penguin Books 1989

Irish istory snopsis: 1900 to Easter Rising Part 1[page 1-4]

2007-08-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Irish History Synopsis 1900 to Easter Rising

On January 22 1901 Queen Victoria died at 6:30 PM. She was given a military State Funeral at her own wish with bands and marches fully armed and the streets lined with her much reduced ignorant and poor subjects. Her coffin in which her small frame was placed was lined with her fvorite bobbles and posesssions. The gun carriage bearing the body was followed by her son King Edward VII, Kaizer Wilhelm II, King Georges I of the Hellenes, King Carlos of Portugal. In the procession the Crown Princes of Rumania, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Sweeden and Siam.
The Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovith, The Tzar of Russia, ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand Emperor of Austria all in uniform and feathered hats presiding over countries even more repressive and poverty sticken than Victorian England ; these lived under totalitarian, autocratic regimes who were also cruel coloniaal masters in Africa and Asia.

In her last days the Queen ate from gold plate including a gold plated egg cup. The Boar War between The British Army and the Dutch Boer settlers went on with no advance by the great Imperial British force over the teanatious Dutch settlers.
Edward VII the eldest child of Victoria took office as King of England.
By 1902 the Boer war was brought to a close under Edward who was known as the Peacemaker with dimunition of British power in South Africa.

By 1901 56 % of the Irish tenant farmers were living in adequate housing with 5 or more rooms.
In 1903 the Wyndham Bill provided for land purchase by tenants, a realization of peasant ownership.
Poverty in Ireland shifted from the mud cabin in the countryside to urban ghettos.
Dublin than was one of the most appalling slums in Europe Lacking water ,heat or plumbing. Where workers were poorly paid and cruely treated.
100,000 of the city's 300,000 lived in one room apartments.Desease was rampant.
Each acre of the city contained 38.5 persons. Malnutrition a constant companion.
The city's governement in the hands of industrial barons and land lords believed, in true Calvanistic tradition, that these downtrodden people were sent their condition by the Almighty as punishment of their sin.

While in the countryside impowered as tenant farmers my grandfather among them, were able to acquire purchase of their holdings on easy terms.

At the same time culture and literary works were being discovered and revived, ironically by the Anglo Irish prodistant elite.
This rediscovery of Irish folklore ,history and language which had been scorned as backward and barbaric since the 12 century and Henry II became a rage and vogue not only in Ireland but as well in the cultural ethos of England and the US.

Material was gathered from Workhouses and rural farms and presented by the Asendancy on the stages of NY and London.
The ancient legends of heros such as Cuculainn were translated and Lady Greagory with William Yeates wrote Cathleen ni Houlihan in 1902 ,a play in which Maude Gonne stared to rave reviews.

When she recited the closing lines;

They shallbe rememberd forever
They shall be alive forever
They shall be speaking forever
The people shall hear them forever

the audince rose to its feet cheering and broke into the Thomas David's young ireland ballad

Let Ireland long a provence
Be a nation once again.

Arthur Griffith in that audience was inspired and being a follower of Charles Stewart Parnell he formed a political consept and party called Sinn Fein[ourselves] that professed self governement for Ireland and self sufficiency without help from the outside world. But an Ireland within the sphere of the Monarchy and a Commonwealth.

In 1904 he wrote a pamphlet published in his United Irishmen newpaper on the history of Hungary discribing the passive resistance of Francis Deak leading to the rescue of Hungary from the Austo HUngarian Empire.
This pamphlet became a best seller and was a favorite amongst Young Irish who had been schooled in the Irish cultural revival. However the main Irish party was the Irish Parlimentary Party was under John Redmond.
Well financed with Irish American Money from the United Irish League and slogginga long with 82 members of the London Parliament to achieve Home Rule.

1900 to easter pg 2
Augustine Burrell was President of the Board of Education in 1906, Chief Secreatry of Irleand in 1907 when he introduced the Irish Council Bill to establish local elections and councils in Ireland.
In 1908 he established the National University of Ireland and Queens University in Belfast.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians flourished all over Ireland after the clerical ban against it was lifted and it became a powerful catholic political force.

By 1905 clubs were forming to consider and encourage Irish nationality and republicanism called the Dungannon Clubs.
One of the founders Bulmar Hobson of Antrim and a close friend of Roger Casement started a new paper called The Republic.
These people in close conjuntion with John McBride's IRB and John Devoys Clan N GAel in America worked tirelessly on behalf of national republicanism.

In America the emigrant Irish continued to struggle in tenament conditions shunned and dispised by older more established America as stupid, deceatful, drunk, filty, and barbarous.
Desease was rampant among them with an infant mortality of over 27%.
It was an era of streets filled with horse manure. uncollected garbage, communal outhouses overflowing with excretment and hordes of filthy unkempt children runing amuck.

When a case of typhoid appeared in upper class Oster Bay Long Island it was traced to a cook in the household named Mary Mallon an emigree of deprivation and hunger from Tyrone County Ireland.
This fiesty lady refused cooperation with public health authorities but was eventually captured by them , tested and found to be a carrier of the deadly bacillius.
She was confined to an East River island at Riverside hopital against her will bcoming know in the press as 'Typhoid Mary'.
By 1909 Mary was again associate with an outbreak of Typhoid at Sloan Medical Center in NYC where she had again been employed as a cook. This lead to her reincarceration at Riverside where she remained the rest of her life dying on November 11, 1938 at age 69.
She had been involuntarily incarcerated for 32 years of her life by the NYC Department of Public Health having only one
petition brought for her by an attorny Goerge O Neill.
Judge Erlandger found for the Public Health even though typhoid was known not to be contagious except by the carrier handling food.
NY city subsequently passed legislation requiring typhoid testing as a pre requisite for all food handlers but allowed thousands of carriers freedom to live and work in other professions.
Mary was chosen as an example and a scapegoat.Whether because of her Irish fiestiness or of her beginning in Hells Kitchen will never be known.
The city of NY as did all Amercian cities remained a sespool of filth, desease, extreme poverty and outrageous slums with the rich and sucessful entrenched in outer suburbia in mansion style homes acquired by exploitation of Americas immigrants and its natural resourses.

Social Injustice in this society was the norm.

In 1908 Lord Asquith becme Prime Mininster with Winston Churchhill Secretary of the Board of Trade.
They were free traders.

An Old Age Pension Bill was passed by the house of Lords and became law allowing a British subject of 70 years and a resident for 12 years to recieve a pension of 31 pounds.

On May 7 1910 Edward VII died after being King only 9 years.
He was suceeded by George V ,the second son of the dead king Edward and grandson of Victoria. Goerge was elected King because his older Brother Albert had did in 1892.

1900 TO EASTER PG 3

In 1912 a 3rd Home Rule Bill was introduced in the House of Commons.The veto of the house of Lords had been voted out of power under the rulership of Edward VII, who had implimented the Parliamentary Reform Bill the year before.

The Liberal Party being dependant on the Redmond Irish support of all their measures inspired the new HR Bill for the Irish support in the critical elections and the Budget Bills of 1910.

In Ireland a new threat to diehard Unionists expressed by the Orange Lodges had come into being amongst Unionists in the idea of devolution inspired by the Irish Reform Association was spurned by the Earl of DunRaven. This Movement so frightened the Ulster Unionists as to revive the Defence Associations and Ulster Unionist Council with an amrament fund.
The Unionist Council selected their leader a Dublin University Solicitor Conservative Sir Edward Carson. At 55 Carson a desendant of Ulster prodistant settlers from 1690 was a devoted Irishman as equally dedicated to the country and union with Great Britain.
He was an orderly and disaplined man who believed in firm government.
Educated at Trinity College Dublin he was elected as a Parliamentary representative for Trinity as a Liberal Unionist. He blieved in woman sufferage and catholic education. He was anti Home Rule believing it was not in the best interests of Ireland to separate from Great Britain.
He desired sacrafice and force to resist Home Rule writing to a fellow Parliamentary member James Craig a wiskey millionaires son and founder of the Belfast Stock Exchange.
Craig had served and been wounded in the Boer war and was an Empire Loyalist. He organized Ulsters determination against Home Rule at Craigavon, 2 miles from Belfast in 1911; two months before the bill was even entered before the Commons.
50 thousand Orangemen and Unionists assembled.
Carson spoke to hold their districts and create a government of Ulster. The Orange had marched to Craigavon in formation four abrest, disaplined and drilled.

These authorizations to drill had been obtained from local Justivce of Peaces to help maintain rights and liberties of the UK constitution.

By April 1912 before the home Rule Bill had been introduced a definate miltary flavor had been added to its opposers.
100,000 men marched below a large Union Jack on a 90 foot pole at Balmoral, a Belfast suburb.
Bonar Law the conservative seat of Ulster announced
'there will not be wanting of help from across the Channel when the hour of Battle comes.'
The cause of Ulster he invisioned was the cause of the Empire.

The spirit of war and rebellion was in the air.
The conservatives od England and the Liberal Unionists of Ulster stood united against Home Rule and the already implimented Local Government Act.
On September 28 1912 Ulster Unionist gathered to sign a Solomn League and Covenant,some 250,000 people. Some signed there name in blood.
The Ulster Unionist Council completed its development of the Ulster Volunteer Force [UVF] for January 1913 and with support from high Army officers in Britain a provisional government for Ulster was organized and a coup plan secretely organized among them.

Carson was opting for the exclusion of the 9 Ulster counties under devolved separate government. The idea of excusion of 4 of the Ulster counties had been proposed on February 12 when Churchhill and Lloyd Goerge formerly submitted to the Britsh Cabinite the proposal of Partition of 6 of the 9 counties which were not exclusively catholic.
The Nationalists under Redmond felt the Unionist of Ulster were bluffing however in the end Redmond aquised to a 6 year opt out of Home Rule by the north on an individual county basis.

On January 16 1913 the HR Bill passed Commons by a vote of 367-257.
On January 30 it was regected by Lords 326-69.

Carson claimed a moral right to do anyting necessary even using force to remain a citizen of the Imperial Parliament and indicated that the North east of Ireland would accept a foreign government over a nationalist Parliament in Dublin.

1900 to easter page 4

Eoin MacNeill fearing pograms against the NE catholic minority by the UVF force organized a south National Vounteer Force to resist the building paramilitary force in Ulster so addamantly opposed to HR.
The National force was promptly taken up by Redmond.The volunteers were upheld and taken over by the Irish Parliametary Party.
This usurpation was opposed vorciferously by Sinn Fein in the Irish Freedom newspaer.
An additional Union/Labor malita force was created by Jamesn Connoly called the Citizens Army.

In May 1914 the HR Bill was finally passed with out the amendment allowing a county opt out for 6 years only.
The planed Ulster Rebellion did not materialise because on August 4 1914 World War I began putting HR on ice.

Redmond pleged the National Volunteers to the cause of Great Britain in September 1914.
The Volunteer ranks split in two those following Redmonds commitment around 150,000 and those opposed to fighting for Englands wars around 10,000 now forming the Irish Vpolunteers and represnting the IRB element with a central executive of O Neill, Hobson Rahilly, McDonagh and Joe Plunkett.
These anti war Irish Volunteers flourished while the National force declined through enlistment in the English Army.
It became alligned with Sinn Fein and was pro German.
They stood against conscription and war taxes and were almost exclusively sons of farmers.

At the same time, Dublin was aroused by a strike called by its much oppressed workers putting in a 70 hour week for 22 shillings or sometimes 10 shillings leaving them in dire poverty.
James Larkin from Liverpool had founded th Irish Tansport and General Workers Union in 1913 asking for better working conditions and better wages.
Employers being unsucessful in breaking the union imposed a general 'lockout' of the workforce throwing some 25,000 people out of work.
Confrontations with police who were sided with the employers caused the founding of a union malitia called the Citizens Army.

This general 'lockout' brought the plight of the working poor to the attention of the cultural nationalist movement, bringing in such luminaries as Maude Gonne, and Countess Gore-Booth Markievicz who became a lieutenant in the Citizens army and served at her post during the Easter Rising.
She was spared hanging because she was a woman.
A New light in British Army policy as none of famine/eviction females had been spared the collection by the grim reaper.

Padraig Pearce a follower of Gaelic League's Douglas Hyde's revival of the gaelic speech declared a time had come for physical force tactics and the use of arms to create a new Ireland.He viewed bloodshed as a clensing santifying process.
This mystic conspept became an idea of a group of republicans assocated with Tom Clarkes toabacco shop in downtown Dublin and the IRB in Ireland , consiting of about 2000 which was infiltrated in the Natiolnal Volinteers toward its dream of revolution.

Unionist Churchhill in 1914, First Lord of the Admiralty charged Carson and his Ulstermen with a treasonable conspiracy provoking the government to create a garrison in Ulster to act against the UVF force and enforce Home Rule.

When an order to do so was sent to the Curragh commander Brigadier General Gough ,he and 60 of his officers resigned rather than move agains their fellow adherents in Ulster.
The government backed down to the Currah Mutiny.

A month later in April the UVF brought 25,000 rifles and 3 million rounds of amunition purchased in secret from Germany and delivered to Larne harbor where they unloaded and secured this hoard within 24 hours as it continued its trek towards civil war.

Irish Hijstory synopsis sourses for 1850-

2007-08-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

sourses: History of Ulster, Ramsey Colles Vol IV ,Gresham Publishing Coy Ltd, 1919
For the Cause of Liberty, Terry Golway, Simon and Schuster ,2000
Everthing Irish ,edited by Ruckstein and O Malley, 2003 Ballantine Books

Sourses for 1850 to death of Queen victorai will not post with article The computer only likes Ramsey for some reason???

Irish History Synopsis: 1850 to death of Queen Victoria

2007-08-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Irish History Synopsis: 1850 to death of Queen Victoria pg 1

Although the government had smothered the Gaelic culture beneith its dark hand of death, dispair and dispondancy, by 1851 a subdued spirit of renewal arose among the survivors both on the island itself and in its lands of diaspora.

During 1849 the Navigation Act which had so impeeded the importation of food to the island was repealed by the English Parliament.
A Tenants Rights Association was formed in Ireland to fight the continuing evictions by landlords creating a temporaty unity between south and north. The Irish Tenant Rights League was established.

By 1850 Parliament passed a Rate In Aid Act imposing on Ireland not the rest of England the disbursement of the costs of the Famine. This required the costs of the Famine and its relief being charged to the Irish not the English.
Many of the class of strong farmers, those having leases of 20 acres or more, had prosecuted there fellow Irish for stealing food such as turnips from the fields. Most of these cases were refused by the assize justices which created a great howl of injustice from the farmers bringing the charges.
This adament desire for justice, however, may have contained a seed of sympathy in that if the starving person were either sent to jail or transported they would escape the death sentance that had been imposed upon them.

In 1850 Parliament passed the Franchise Act changing the qualification for voters to enable an occupational class with a valuation of 12 pounds for the county vote and 8 pounds for the burough vote.This assured voting rights for property owners and excluded the poor whe were formerly qualified to vote.

Shopkeepers began to prosper as did the farmers having 20-30 acres.
Prices rose and prospertiy was restored to these middle Irish people by 1855 who were no longer outnumbered by a laborer/cottier class.
APost-Famine class of retailers ,urbanization ,church, social and politicly active class of influence arose.
The street ballad became prominent being what cultural artist there was available to the common people.

A National School was founded in Ireland in 1850.

Young Ireland and the Irish Republican Brotherhood were formed within Ireland to advocate for national independance though both were met with apathy amonst the population.
The landlord class remained in control of the country both economically and politically prefering as before profit over investment. This system was much added by the Encumbered Estates Act which was provisional of banqrupsy protection for indebeted holders which allowed them to sell the estate and not have to pay their creditors. Many of the famine landlords did sell there improved holdings to absentee investors who had no intention of living on or improving the estates other than taking out yearly profits from the labor of the remaining tenants.

Lord John Russell, Lord Palmerston and Gladstone formed a new English govermentt in 1852 professing the Whig policy of Free Trade which had never really given way during or after the Irish Famine years.

The Crimes and Outrages Bill passed in 1848 was renewed from year to year as was the Peace Preservation Act.

2/3ds of the Parliamentary MP's were owener landed gentry.
The Electorate was dominated by strong farmers and landlords who maintained a form of social triablalism with the tenants providing a guarantee of the estate tenants to vote the way his lordship wanted them to vote tThrough maintaining hunting rights awarding tenants marriage feis and maintaining for themselves Dublin Clubs the landlords maintained their supremacy on their estates.

There were 400,000 acres of wheat, flax, root crops and greens in production and 2 million acres of hay and medow. Dairy production was prosperous.
There were 90,000 farms above 50 acres and feed lot farmers exclusively to fatten cattle.

Evictions continued if the teant could not pay his required excaction of rent to the landlord. If a tenant had subleted acreages to other familiies these too suffered removal for the leaseholders negligence and were cleared from the land. Whole families being thrown out to the road with out any sustanance such as the 1861 Derry Veigh eviction which put over 200 persons adrift including old and women and children.

The Average landlord desmensne wasout 2000 acres with rents usualy 25/40% of the tenant income.
Some 800 landlords owned 1/2 of Irleand.
13% of them absentee investors seeking only profit and return.
However as prices rose some 78 % from 1850-1870 and the need to let land in conacre to the landless cottier/laborer class having disapeared the larger tenant farmers benefited economically from the improvement.

In America the Diaspora resolved to become revolutionaries forming an organization called the Fenians after the ancient pre-christian Fianna soldiers of Ireland.
A sence of anger and rebellion against the abuses they had sufferend prevailed and a spirit of desire to apply phsycial force to restore Erin to the control of the native Irish.
Where in Ireland James Stephens tromped the lanes and byways to gain support for the IRB resistance movement he recieved little support and hardly any entusiasm.
These two groups one advocating miltary attacks in America and the other constitutional adjugation united in the mid 50's after a revolt at Ballingarry had failed and all were arrested ,hung or forced to flee.
Stephens IRB organization was united with Mohoney's Fenians Brotherhood on March 17 1858.
The organization maintained secrecy forming cirles with a
Center known as A
Captains known as B
Seargants known as C
Privates known as D.
Each circle being separate and hence unknow to other circles all under the control of the Circle or Center.

The IRB began recruting within the British Army for the 1/2 of British garrisons of Irish blood.
8000 British soldiers of Irish blood took the oath of allegience to the IRB.
By 1865 the Irish and British members in the IRB were estimated at 85,000 men.

The Irish People newspaper was started in 1863 by O Leary of Tipperary whose father owned the town.This paper exibited openly the Fenian doctrine of physical revolution through the writings of both John O Leary and Charles Kickham his Tipperary companion.
These catholic middle class men both espousing Mahoneys Fenian case enjoyed in Irleand not only the spirit of revolution but defiance of Church dogma.The Catholic Church had gained unchallanged power over the local rural population by acting as power brokers for them over evictions and hunger during and after the Famine giving them unpresidented influence over Irish political thought.
In America the Church also had sway ove the flock demonising the Fenian Brotherhood.
Kickham took on the Church by knowledge of its rethoric and theology. This defiance roused the ire of Archbishop Cullen who called for the banishment of the defiant paper.

1850 pg 2

In England in the early 60's the great writer Charles Dickens was composing Great Expectations following his sucesses with A Tale of Two Cities and the Pickwick Papers written at the accention of Queen Victoria.
Charles Dickens also wrote the Chrismas Carol in 1843 and during the Famine years some short stories such as the Haunted Man and the Battle of Life and the Cricket and the Hearth.
This period also produced such famous English Works as the Water Babies, Alice in Wonderland, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and the works of Hans Chiristian Anderson all dealing with the social interactions of mankind.

The American IRB absorbed Fenian ideals. While most exibited much enthusiams for revolution in Ireland they did not heed the call for finances leaving Irish coffers empty of funds sufficient for such an escapade.
Because of the great Irish participation in the Union Army cause of emancipation and preservation of the US as one nation, Washington indulged the nationalist movement giving James Stephens a grand tour of the union forces in 1864 as he recruted for the Irish rising.
In 1865 Stephens succeeded in his mission raising 50,000 US dollars and recruiting 100,000 Irish Americans ready for battle in Ireland.
The Fenien movment in the US was quite open throughout, hold Chicago Convention in 1863 The members being given leave by the Union Army to attend. A second Convention was held in Cincinatti in 1865 as the Civil War drew to a close.

Queen Victoria wrote in her diary on February 12, 1865 [Lincolns birthday } of the danger of Briitain going to war with America as soon as peace was delcared and the impossiblity of the imperial government in holding Canada.

However, on September 14, 1865 the government on inforamtion from spys from both sides of the Atlantic raided the Irish People taking its incriminating documents and arresting everyone there.
John O Leary was waited for by 4 Constables at his home.
He asked for a few moments and settled himself in an armchair with a wiskey and water and his pipe. He offered no resistance.

Stephens went into hiding with Kickham He was arrested on November 9 1865 with Kickham.
He had given the signal to rise if he were arrested but in America Mahoney could not round up more than a skirmishing force.

Much of the information the government had acquired had been obtained by Jim McDermott a Fenein figure who passed it to the NY British Consulate. He was also a good creator of dissent in the organization through passing gossip and outright lies, creating dessent.
These dessenters where known with the Fenian Movement as the Senate consiting of men like William Roberts and Brigadier General Tom Sweeney.
This 'split' in the Fenian Movement creatred 2 NY headquarters, the old Moffett Mantion on Union Square occupied by Mahoney's forces and the dissentors headquarters on Broadway in lower Manhattan.

James Stephens was put in Richmond Prison making no defence against the charges. He had refused to recognise British law.
The IRB however had penetrated the prison security having members of oath on the prison staff.
The IRB on November 24 1865 [American Thansgiving] 'sprung' James Stephens.
Stephens announced a call off of the planed revolt and was sent to France.

Meanwhile in NY 100,000 people gathered in a park on the East River in March of 66. Mahoney addressed them to provide arms to fight the Battle of Irish Freedom.
Roberts and Tom Sweeeney were preparing a 10,000 man force to attach Canada.The plan was not secret. it was discussed by the Andrew Johnson Admininstration in Washington with the decision not to interfere.

In Ireland the government had suspended Habeus Corpus and was rounding up hundreds of suspected rebels including American citizens claiming Irish born Americans were subjects of the Crown which drove Secretary of State William Seward into a rage. Tensions both in London and Washington were rife.

The Fenians had achieved dissention betwen the 2 countries Britain and The US.

The Mahoney faction, pressing for action converged on EastPort Maine targeting CampoBello Island part of New Brunswick. A steamship of weopons arrived in April. On April 15 the Fenians invaded Indian Island.
Washington sent troops and warships to Eastport.The Fenians withdrew from Canadien territory.

Sweeney and the dissadents meanwhile planned a winter assalt over frozen lakes and rivers.
The dissident civilians commander in chief Williams Roberts ordered an immediate spring attack

The asault was armed with weopons and ammunition purchased from federal arsenals and planned to attack along a 1000 mile front.
The dissadent force was named the 'Irish Republicna Army.'

The attack was planned for 31 May 1866.
The three winged invasion force collapsed through accident, apathy and confusion.
The US government did not interfere.

800 men under the command of John O Neil la Civil War veteran crossed into Canada from Buffalo NY and won and engagement with Canadien malitias. After several days of fighting the Johnson Admininstration sent General Ulysses S Grant and General Meade to put an end to the affair.

O Neill withdrew and was arrested by federal authorities.Sweeney also arrested at Buffalo.
The movement was
now in tatters and reviled by a previously encouraging press.
Mahoney was relegeted to obscurity and was found much later in a NYC tenament room to proud to ask for help and to poor to buy coal or food half starved and dying of old age ,poverty and dispair. He died in 1877 rewarded respect in death he had not recieved in life.

Stephens watched his adherants and coherts arrested and tried in Ireland.
Jeramigha [Dairmaid] O Donavan Rossa who had watched his father die of starvation during the Great Hunger and been got to relatives in Skibereen to observe more death fillabustereds the trail he was given. representing himself before a catholic judge William Keogh. Lambasting the judge and giving long winded disertations for days.
This got him ,at age 34 ,a life sentance from Judge Keogh for treason felony.
Kickham, O Leary, Tom Clarke, Luby all followed Rossa to prison dispite Issac Butts ,the prominent prodistant Young Islander defender of William Smith OBrien and Gavin Duffy.

3000 young Fenians were arrested by police in early 1866.
Entire British Army units were transfered and soldiers who had taken the Fenian oath were released from service and sent to prison colonies in western Australia.
Former US Civil War soldiers Tom Kelly and John McCafferty took over the IRB with a coup , stripping Stephens of his power over military affairs and planning.
Stephens was left only control over the broader movemnt. He lost credibility and departed for France discredited in January 1867,where despirately poor he moved constanty from lodging to lodging before the landlord could evict him dying in 1901, discredited and unremembered for his work for Irish independance and nationhood.
He had taken the broken dead country of 1856 to a formidable organization spanning an ocean in the IRB.

1850 pg 3

Fenians were sought in all corners by the British Authorities. Spys were everywhere .The military was on constant alert.

A rebelion was planed by Colonel Kelly for March 5 1867.A French officer ,Gustav Clusert in Command ,as Kelly was in hiding from the police in London. This officer resigned on the eve of battle convincd of the failure of the planned operation.
The fight was sporadic and quickly put down thus ending the greatest threat to Bitish rule in Ireland since the United Irishmen in 1798.

On Septemeber 11 1867 Col Kelly was arrested in Manchester England. He was resqued by his comrads while being transported in a prison van. A van guard was shot but the prisoner freed.
Dozens of Irish living in Manchester were arrested on suspision. Five were eventually selected from these arrested ,tried ,convicted and hung. Two of them American citizens.
One Edward Condon saying the farewell speech fromt he dock called "God Save Ireland' which becme a cry and later a ballad and anthem.
Allen, Larkin and Obrien ,the Americans wer hung in Manchester on November 24, 1867 becoming the Manchester Martyrs.

O Donnovan Rossa remained defiant in prison remanded on a bread and water punishment diet.
Starvation did not subdue him nor did humiliating him by tying his hands behind his back forcing him to eat like a dog.

Amnesty for the Fenians prisoners was sought by Issac Butts.
O Donnovan Rossa name was entered in a Parliamentary election in Tipperary in 1869 which he won.

Gladstone the Prime Mininster ordered a general amnesty and these Fenian prisoners were released in 1871. Most sailed for America.

In England a Conservative government under
Disreali took power;.
In 1869 the Irish established Church was disestablished. Regium Dorum compensation payment to non conformist Presbyterians was continued.

By 1870 Gladstone Whigs were returned to power by a general election.
An Irish Land Act was passed giving compensation to evicted tenants for improvements.

In 1872 Parliament passed a Ballot Act abolishing public nomination of candidates.

An Irish University Bill was introduced but was thrown out. Gladstone resigned.
The Bill had excluded the teaching of moral phylosophy, theology and modern history.

In 1878 Rain distroyed the potato crop once more and thE peat was to wet to dig.

A Land League to adjutate for rent reduction was formed by Michael Davett who had himself been evicted with the family during the Famine and had lost his right arm to mill machinery in England at age 9 years..
The League proposed to bring down 'rack rents' and to obtain ownership of the land.
The practice of Boycott was addopted.
The League was helped by Parnell and Bigger O Donnell among other members of Parliament.

By 1880 Victoria having displayed previous neglect of her Irish subjects in a speech from theThrone expressed sympathy with Irish hardship and asked the Church of Ireland to alleviate Distress.
A Parliamentary Relief of Distress Act passed at once. Forty years to late.

In 1881 the Protection of Life and Property Act and the Peace Preservation Act were reinstated.

The Land Act provided the three F's
Fair rent
Fixed Tenure
Free sale of holding[sublease]

The land League was proclaimed.

In 1882 Frederick Cavendish was to replace Lord Lieutenant Forster. He and Burke were set upon in Phoenix park and murdered by a group of men calling themselves the Invinsibles.

The Prevention of Cime and Arrears Act followed.

In 1886 a Government In Irleland Bill was brought providing for a Dublin legislature, exclusion of the Irish from the Imperial Parliament, Taxes to the Irish assembly with the exlusion of exise and customs taxes, and security of protection of minorities.
The bill was regected.

In 1886 A Land Purchase Bill was introduced by Gladstone providing 50 million pounds for tenants buying estates of landlords wishing to sell.
The bill was opposed by Conservitives and some Liberals who broke with Gladstone and formed the Liberal Unionist Party.
These bills caused serious exitement and rioting in Ireland.
When these bills failed Gladstone disolved the Parliament.
At election Gladstone was defeated by Lord Salisbury who upheld the Liberal Unionist party..

Lord Wolsely was preparing resistance in Ulster to the Home Rule Bill under consideration.
Lord Salisbury was in support of the Liberal Unionist Party in Ulster.

In 1887 The Parliamentary Session was devoted to the Irish Question.
The Criminal Law Amendment Act was made permanent to stop meetings and suppress dangerous associations.
Its enforcer was Lord Balfour, Chief Secretary of Ireland

The nationalist adopted the 'Plan of Campaign' against tenant evictions.
They deposited rents with 'trustees' until land lords agreed to rent reductions.

Joseph Chamberlain speaking in Ulster Hall in Belfast agaisnt Home Rule asking his audience what would they do if Home Rule came they responded Fight!

In 1889 ,10 million pounds was voted for Irish land purchase and for drainiage and light rail,.

A County Government Bill was introduced in 1892 and was withdrawn because of fearce opposition by ulster Unionists.

In 1892 Belfast was granted a city charter and was the commercial capital of all Ireland.
The Duke of Abercorn presided over a mass convention of 11,000 delagates against Home Rule.
The Convention led by Sinclair and Ewart were adamant in refusing any form of Home Rule as degraded status undera Dublin parliament.

When Lord Bill was solomnly burned in public and stompted upon while the crowd cheered.
This Home Rule bill finally, after much amendment and arguement passed the House of Comons but was than thown out by the Lords.

In Ulster the Unionists gave attention to defence organizations.
Rifle Clubs weer formed. A Central Assembly of Ulster Defence Union held a meeting of its 60 members.

In 1895 gladstoneat 85 retired giving over the PM ship to Lord Rosebury. This governemnt was defeated in June 1895. Lord Salisbury became Prime Minister forming a Conservative Liberal Unionist coalltion government
Home Rule was shelved for years.

In the year 1896 the new bycycle became fashionable among middle class people.Tthe motor car was being acquired by the upper classes and new benefits of industrial and science were becoming the prominet changes of the day.

In 1897 Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubalee having ruled these islands for 60 years.

By 1899 the South Afrcian Boer War had begun between England and Dutch settlers.

Theater and entertainment in Ireland had been provided by British touring companys for the past half century but in 1898 Lady Gregory, William Butler Yeats, J Synge and Sean O Casey
formed a theater company know as the Abby Theater with acting talant produced in Ireland such as Frank and Will Fay who established the Dublin Dramatic School in 1898.

The Gaelic League was founded in 1893 to revive the Gaelic tongue and de -anglisize Ireland.
The creation of the Gaelic Athletic Association ,founded in 1884 to preserve ancient Irish games like hurling and Irish football were created at the end of the 19th century.
A base of national culture and prosperity fromteh ruins of 1850.
The Catholic Church during the 50 years revived under Archbishop Cullen of Dublin ,built schools and churches, fostered a devosionaly mission ,reformed the Irish clergy conduct, and administered the Sacraments.

Ireland passed into the 20th Century hopeful of its survival as a people ,stuggling on on both sides of the
Atlantic and in England to rise from its own demise.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright Aug 17 2007

sourses: History of Ulster, Ramsey Colles Vol IV ,Gresham Publishing Coy Ltd, 1919
For the Cause of Liberty, Terry Golway, Simon and Schuster ,2000
Everthing Irish ,edited by Ruckstein and O Malley, 2003 Ballantine Books

For the Cause of Liberty, Terry Golway, Simon and Schuster ,2000
Everthing Irish ,edited by Ruckenstein and O Malley ,Balantine Books , 2003

Irish History Synopsis: The Famine Years

2007-08-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Irish History Synopsis; The Famine Years pg 1

In 1837 Victoria became Queen of England at age 18 years.
Within 2 years she had married her firt cousin Albert of Saxe Colburg.The marriage produced 4 children for 1840. 1841, 1843 and 1844. Much of the day to day running of the Monarchy was given over to Albert by the much in love young mother.
Her Minister was Lord Melbourne a Whig party member who proved a helpful and good advisor for the young Queen.
The English Parliament however remained callous passing such coersive acts as the Criminal Lunacy Act in June 1830 which allowed 2 judges or a lord lieutentant to remand or discharge a person in asylum or any person'intent to commit crimes' or suspicion of degeneracy.

Melburne had been elected in general election in 1834 However King George IV did not likehis politics of Whigness and replaced him with the Conservative Peel. Melbourne again won the geneneral election in 1835 adn was returned where he remained in power until the Peel government was re elected in 1841. Peal remained Prime minister during Victorias regn until 1845 and during that time passed the repeal of the corn laws which forbade grain being imported into Ireland and purchased some 20,000 pounds of corn meal for the Irish relief. He was ousted on trying to defeat the Cohersion Bill Parliament proposed to controlthe unrest in Ireland and was replaced by the Whig Lord Russel in 1846. Lord russell was a free trade and lazssez faire candidate and remainined in charge of the prime mininsters office till 1852 when he was oustd by the Earl of Derby ,Stanley.
thus the Queen had three Mininster during the troublesome Famine years.

In Ireland 100 workhouses were founded in July 1838.The Unions were subdivided to electoral districts and each district charged with its own poor, every parish to bear its own burden.This Act introduced by Wellington would properly relieve the deplorable social conditions in Ireland when the Coersion bill had been proposed and passed.
By 1838 there were crowds of beggars on the roads.

Of Irelands 20,319,924 total acres including water and bogs, 5,238,575 acres were under cultivation.
306,915 of these acres being farms of 1-5 acres tilled by cottiers and laborers under a con acre system of rental.

The 1841 Census showed an Irish population of 8.3 million souls, over half of these dependant on the land for sustainance.
The English government pursued a policy of free trade and lassez faire. A policy hotley and adamantly perusued by the Whig Liberals.
The idea of a state being responsible for the welfare of citizens was unaceptable to lassez faire economists who believed and made it government policy that all enterprise should be left alone no matter how bad a human or environmental condition it produced.
A common prejudice was in vogue amongst the assendant religious views that the Irish were an inferior people and a sinful one.
In writings of the English Home Secretary to the Prime Mininster Peel, James Graham expressed the common belief among Calvinists:

"Its Awful to observe how the Almighty humbles the pride of nations.
The Sword, the Pestilence and Famine are the instruments of his displeasure:
the canker- worm and the locusts are his armies,
He gives the word: a single copy is blighted;
and we see a nation prostrate,
streaching out its Hands for Bread.
These are solemn warnings, and they fill me with reverence;
they proclaim with a voice not to be mistaken,
that doubtless there is a God who judgeth the Earth."

At the time and occurance of the Great Hunger almost all Irish land and wealth were in the hands of the English Aristocracy, all of whom were pre-destination Prodistants. The native population holding small plots as tenants at will.
1/4th of these were Peers and Lords. Most of these Lords had never set foot in Ireland leaving the 'rent collecting' to agents.These rents were not collected in money as the Irish had no money to speak of but by rendering of labor to the Lords without pay and by the crops or livestock which were simply given to the estate manager for export to enrich English markets.

The Irish themselves existed almost totaly on the imported south american tuber potato and an occational milk diet without any other food but perhaps an occational festive occcation fish such as cod, haddock or herring. The teaming salmon runs were forbidden them as his Lordship considered these his personal estate. Fishing had been forbidden to he Irish under the penal laws.
The law considered this usually as criminal types keeping them in line with Parliamentary Acts forbidding about all human endevor and viewing them as uncivilized and inferior people.
The same philosophy expressed in nazi Germany a century later.

the state assendancy system operated daily on a human need to survive from it. Irish serf populations provided great leisure and profit to its perpetrators.

At the height of the famine under Lord Calendon, George William Federick Villiers than Viceroy paid out
1,297 pounds for table wine
1,868 pounds for butchers
619 pounds for chickens and poultry
352 pounds to the fish monger
562 pounds for butter
for the Castle court.
His personal salary was 20,000 pounds per annum.
Laborors earned 10 d a day not enought to purcahse a meal.

The Liberal Whig Lord Russell government which replaced the Conservitaive Peel in 1846
continued its free trade policy through the famine years with profiteering unchecked.

During 1846 and Black 47 speculators sold omported corn meal that the Pell government had purchased from America to relieve famine in Ireland.
The meal contained no nutrient value but sufficed to remove hunger pains Therefore, many eating it simmply perished from malnutrition and deseae inspired by malnutrition.
Riot police and troops were ever present to put down any mob anger.
These troops were provided beef pork and biskets for putting down food riots amonst the natives.

These were under the control of Trevelyan the permanent exchecker secretary.
Trevelyan being among the prevailing belief in the doctrine of pre-destination and the government imbibement in lassez faire Malthus doctrine preaching to Parliament that Ireland would be left to' the operation of natural forces'.[ the Reverend Thomas Malthus Essay on the Principles of Population 1798].

These lordly people truly beliving from indoctrination that God Himself was the planned instigator of the misfortunes besetting their fellow man.

Late in 1860 John Mitchel writing in the Last Conquest of Ireland stated:
'The Almighty indeed sent the potato blight but the English created the Famine'.

famine pg 2

The Irish under the potato system having no money had no new cloths and were usually ragged , shoeless and unkempt. Living in mud cabins with sod roof and mud floors and sleeping on skanty piles of old straw or rushes they were also unbathed.
If they had no money to pay the larger tenants farmers conacre without prepayment was refused. this was sometimes alliviated by providing free labor for the necessary 1/2 acre to grow and produce 6 pounds of potatos.

During the worste Famine years 46-48 English Exchecher remined closed to Irish needs. Only a small smattering of private charity such as the Baron de Rothchilds 1846 British Association to relieve extreme distress in remote parishes.
Qeen Victoria donated 2000 pounds, Rothcild provided 1000 the Duke of Devonshire who owned in addition to his several English palaces, a castle in Lismore in Waterford County gave 1000 pounds. He also owned Bolton, 1/2 of Yorkshire,Chatsworth,Derbyshire East Borune entirely and a hugh palace in London.

The Association appointed Count Strelecki an anglisized Pole to admininster the fund along with the Evangelical Church and the Quakers.
Charles Trevelyan advised the Association would be of no help. He believed in free trade and was religious stating:

"The great evil with which we have to contend is not physical of the famine but the moral evil of the selfish ,perverse and turbulant character of the people".

This attitude prevailed among most religious and government persons with influence and power.
The belief that the State owed no responsiblity to the people and that their misfortunes were a punishment from God for their sin or fecklessness was the norm.
The Manchester Guardian printed much against the Irish race blaming all their ills on their own atitudes of lazyness and refusal to work and the use of gavelkind division of the assigned land rather than the English promogeniture distributing all the land to the eldest son..
Malthusian and Darwinism ideas prevalied in England.

In 1847 the Parliament passed the Passenger Act making the coffin ships posible.

Lord Palmerston having Sligo lands he never went near, sent no relief but exported as many as he could to Canada on the Aeolus which was sent to St John Newfoundland with 428 on Board.
Destututea and in rags some stark naked when the ship arrived 8 people were found dead on board as the ship came into port.
The people of St Johns had no place for them and demanded free passsage back to Ireland.
Palmerston was required to defend himself in Commons. He required all the passengers to write letters to the St Johns newspapers absoving him and expressing their gratitude for his help in getting them to the New World. He blamed his Agents for the deplorable conditions on the Aeolus.
These 'passengers' were left on the docks to survive as best they could begging all winter with no shoes or socks and no warm cloths in the snow.

Some went to New York or risked the anti-Irish hostility of England for navvie work.
Parliament insisted the Assendant gentry of Ireland not itself should pay for relief.
The English Governmnent consciously conspired to de-populate Ireland of the native Gael and its culture.
This policy of extermination of North America Indians had alredy begun in the east of the United States. An article comparing the two was published in the Times.

After England had tried military conquest, plantation and legislative union all of which the Irish had resisted, extermination provided by 'providence' and man induced dysfuntion seemed the solution to 'progress'.

In legislative demands putting the burden of relieving starvation on the landlords, Parliament assisted with malice aforthought, the financial distruction of the Assendany Class Landed Gentry.

In depriving Ireland of the plantation stock a hope remained to anglisize Ireland completely.
Dublin ate the countryside starved.

Spereanza wrote such lines in the Young Irelanders Nation newspaper:

"Weary men what reap ye--Golden corn for stranger.
What sow ye?--Human corpses that wait for the avenger.
Fainting forms, hunger-stricken, what see you in the offings?
Stately ships to bear our food away, amid the stranger's scoffings."

Daniel O Connell now 71 years old was spent.
He traveled to Parliament to tell in a weakened voice inthe Commons:
'Ireland is in your hands. If you do not save her she cannot save herself'.
He than went on towards Rome dying on the road.

The government both Irish Confederates and the Commons seemed unaware of the starving Irish masses. They argued on unconserned.

William Smith O Brien argued that the government should provide assistance to the starving Irish. He was arrested and given 30 days in cell under the Parliament where he had a bed ,a table, some chairs,a toilet which was more than most Irish cabins starvees had.

By 1847 the Irish lay dead in the fields, in the workhouses, in the road side ditch . A steady treck of skeletons to Irish ports where the scandal of ships loaded them for transportation to America.

Dozens of these unfit craft sank at sea. Those that sailed on thousand died of dysentry, typhoid and cholera and were uncerimoniously dumped into the sea. At ports such as Grosse Island in CAnada and other ports these ships were denied entry and sent back out to sea.

The Famine continued unablated for 3 more years.
No other crops were planted such as beans or peas to relieve the death spiral.
the British believed the social structure would collape if it distributed free food. Spectators made fortunes selling meger corn meal to those starving masses.

At last in 1851 the potato appeared eatable and the Famine was relieved- not by mankind but by the benevolance of Mother Nature.

In 1848 the cripple hunchback James Fintan Lalor formed Young Irleand with Gavan Duffy Frank Meager and Davis dictating, 'the owners of the soil must be Irish'.

James preached revolution but was unable to complete his plan. He died of bronchitis 3 months after the Battle fo Widow McCarthys Cabbage Patch at Ballengary in 1848.

The Irish suffered on. They ate raw turnips, nettles and seaweed finally consuming the grass itself dying green mouthed from the stain.
The Irish themselves of nature a hospitable people turned away beggars out of fear of deseases to themeselves and their families,.

Oats and Barley Wheat and livestock continued unabated to leave Ireland, 3 ships going out full of food for one coming in.

Whole cabins containing the deseased families were demolished and burned withthe bodies within out of fear of typhoid cholera and the ever present famine fever.
The treck to the ports continued amongst the 100,000 dead. Passage either provided by the landlords for all his tenantry or being individuly paid.

The potato blight continued to appear in Ireland until 1914 when it was treated by copper sulfate.
The landlords continued to demand rents of all crops and livestock and continued to evict with police and troop enforcers , braking down the mud hovels adn turnign the former holdigns into pasture.

The population of 8.3 million in 1841 became 4 million by 1900.
The Island had the lowest population in Europe having regressed instead of increasing.
The English government considered the Holicast was in the end a benefit and good for Ireland.

100,000 had been evicted and no one knew what happened to them.
Gavelkind was ended. Gaelic culture was defunct. The Gaelic language with its song and dance was heard no more.

Exports of oats wheat barley and livestock continued unenterupted.

In 1849 the little mother ofEngland Queen Victoria visited Dublin where she was warmly recieved and cheered by her subjects for her goodness.
At this time she was the mother of 5 healty offspring,3 left to be born in 1850, 1853 and 1857. She was 30 years old and had been Queen for 12 years.

By 1850 my two great grandfathers born in 1830 and surviving the Famine married and betwen them produced 9 children after 1850 whose births were unrecorded and no one knows waht happened to them.

In 1854 England spend 70 million pounds on the Crimean War where Irish soldiers served.
7 million had been spent on the Great Hunge relief effort.

In 1855 Castle Garden was opened at Battery Park Manhattn, NY to provide assistance to the Immigrants with food purchases, train tickets and lodging at the station.Children were assisted in finding the American relatives. It was the first Travelers Aide.

In 1856 Old St Patricks was built in downtown Chicago and I have been there in 1990 it still has the warm and caring spirit within.
St Patricks in NY City was built in the same way by donations of the faithful in 1858.

St Patricks in Armagh had to be postphoned in its building program as the money was needed to feed the starving.
It was finally dedicated and finished in 1873 with its 34 foot mark of pre-famineline blocks at window heights.

Most of the emigrees sent home money to relive the suffering of death to assist in sending passage money to family members.

By 1860 the Irish had gained success as police, maids ,nanies, dock workers , mill works and
other respectable work.

famine pg 3

By 1848 Irelands 8.3 million had dropped to 6 million. One million dead of 'natural causes' and exposure to the elements;
1.1 million dead of starvation.
Over 100,000 had fled to Canada and the US. 200,000 by 1851.
5000 ships were used to transport them.
The usual voyage took 4 weeks or 10 weeks if no wind.
Yellow fever was added to the list of deadly deaseases available on board.They landed at
Deer Island in Boston
Battery Park Manhattan Ny
Grosse Iles Montreal.
Many had died on the dock newly buried in mass graves in the new soil. Most wore rags Most were shoeless as the old kings of Ireland were inagurated with their bare foot on a rock impression of that investure. All were hungry and overwhelmed by the large cities they encountered having been born raised and lived an entire life in small rural villages.
Many were children sent on alone to find relatives.
All were easy marks for con artists who sold them false railway tickets, led them to unsrupulous lodges and to alleged employers.

Any shelter would do and most ended up in tenement houses filty, unsanitary, cime ridden, garbage piled onthe street, no toilet or water.

in 1849 a cholera epidemic swept the east coast of the US. 500 ofthe 700 killed were Irish.
In New Orleans yellow fever wiped out 20% of the Irish immigrants.

the Gold Rush reports drew many to take railroad jobs laying track to get to California for 1.00 a day.

Of 370,000 Immigrants in 1850 1/2 were Irish [185,000]

After that year 50,000 a year left Ireland for future in America.
They recieved anti-Irish backlash from Anglo Americans who provided them with abuse and ridiclule, refused them jobs, attacked catholic churrches.
A No nothing party formed called the American Party in 1852 against immigration and Catholics.
The party gained seats in govenrment to obtrain these ends..It held secret meetings.

The irish immigrants formed such socities as the Friends of St Patrick,St Patricsk Mutual Allaince, Legion of Mary,Hibernian Society,Emigrant Society.

150,000 Irish fought for the Union in the American Civil War.
40,000 for the Confederacy.
The IRB was formed with the Fenians from these regiments.

An irony to the Famine was that by 1830 the Irish made up over 40% of the British Imperials Legions. Before the Famine over half of the white soldiers in India were Irish.
The Irish nursery seemed inexaustable.
Irishmen fought at the battle of Waterloo in 1815 inhancing the vitory over France and aiding the empire ,condusive for its future growth.

The Irish continued to die for both Britain America and Canada through both Worlds Wars I and II throughout the 20th Century and as Sarsfield said at his death in France'
"Oh but for Ireland.

sourses: The Victorians, A N Wilson, W W Norton and Company, NY , 2003;
For the Cause of Liberty, Terry Galway, Simons and Schuster, 2000;
The History of Ulster, Ramsey Colles, Gresham Publishing Coy Ltd ,1919;

Our Cutural Heritage-Irish Americans, Sarah deCapua, 2003, Childs World;
Irish in America, Margaret Goldstein,2005 Learner Publications;
The Irish American Family Album, Dorothy Hobbler, 1995 , Oxford University
Press

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

Irish History Synopsis: The Beginning of the Union to Victoria

2007-08-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

.

Subject:
Irish History Synopsis: the Beginning of the Union 1801-Victoria

The Act of Union began with a failure of the crops in the south of Ireland in the years immediately following the Union.
The beginning years of the Century resulted in a tedious sparing between the nationalist Irish and the English Parliament.
In 1802 Catholic emancitpation sought after by the catholics and the same relief being desired by the dissenting Presbyterians were exasperated by religious anamosity felt in the country.
Lord Castlereagh [Stewarts of Down] was approved to be President of the Board of Control.
Riots occurred in Derry between Orangmen and Catholics where some were killed.
The prodistants were very agressive against the catholics killing them as catholics assembled for midsummer penances.

Castlereagh devised a plan to increase the Regium Donum grant whereby the state[English] rather than the church synod should distribute payment to mininsters.
Before a mininster could be granted this payment he must prouduce a guarantee of good character and that he was loyal .
This plan was approved by Parliament thereby incorporating the presbyterians mininster and flock to their thinking and creating a zelous loyalty to the State by a subordinate eccleastical asristocracy.
This distribution and inclusion did not include the Catholics.

By 1803 young Robert Emmett issued a manifesto and insurection broke out in the southern provinces.
But in Ulster, Tom Russell met with apthy to any revolutionary spirit.
He was avoided and the Catholic Church urged the flock not to listen to him.
He began to fear for his saftey but still, hidden in a cave declared himself to be General of the Northern District.
Both he and Emmett were arrested tried and excecuted in September.

The movement was infiltrated with spys and informers for the government.
The Irish catholics continued to petition the Pitt government for religious and civel emancipation.
In March 1805 these petitions were presented to both houses of Parliament by Grenville and Fox after Pitt refused to present them.

Discussion was postphones till May. A member from Armagh, Dr Duigenanan was vehemently anti catholic against emancipation.
Grattan rose to defend the petition and to castigate Duigenanan for his bigoted presentations, claiming the member had delivered invectives against the catholic religion, invectives against the past, invectives against the future, and invectives against the present generation.

However after two days debate the Fox motion was set aside until i a committeee approved in Febuary 1807 was composed to draw a new petition.This committee containing the name of Daniel O Connell.

Discord continued in Ireland between the prodistant orange and the catholic green party.
In June 1808 a group of men women and children convorting around a mid summer bonfire when yoemen appeared under the control of a sergeant who ordered fair like procedings halted and than ordered his men to present arms and fire.
Although the Lord Lieutenant the Duke of Richmond considered direct intervention that was not activated and the perpetrators were never caught or charged but one, who escaped with the connivance of Lord Gosford.

The attitude of the orange yoemen was that they had a right to kill any catholic Irish found offensive to them and that any of their members charged should be rescued by physical force.

A second motion for emancipation was presented in Parliament by Grattan and was again regected 213 agaisnt to 89 for.

In 1811 a third petition was presented and again regected 146-83.

The first adutation for repeal of the Union was begun in Dublin by Daniel O Connell.
He called for a coaltion of prodistant ,presbyterian and catholic with a spirit of unity in reacall of the United Irishmen.
In 1813 Grattan placed a forth Emancipation Bill in the English Parliament calling for admission of the excluded believers to Parliament, corporations, civil and militray offices.
This bill was dropped.

By 1815 turbulance in some baronies of Ireland was so prevelant that these districts were proclaimed- put under martial police law.

Waterloo fell to Wellington and gloom desended in western Europe including Britain and irleand.

Ireland remained tranquil and the Seditious Meetings Act was not applied to Ireland.

In Jan 1820 George III, old , mad , blind and despised died.

Also in that year Henry Grattan gave up the spirit having served 20 years in the Irish Parliament and 15 years in the new Union English Parliament.

Lord Wellesly was Viceroy of Ireland.

Plunkett brougt in a series of 6 resolutions on the catholic question asking the oath of disbelief and transubstantiation[ the doctrine that holds the belief of the change of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ] be repealed, and to modify the Kings supremancy in spiritual as well as temporal matters.
These resolutions although opposed by Peel were carried.

pg 2 victoria

A Second Bill in March 1821 required that no person could be a Bishop or Dean of the Roamn Cathloic Church whose loyalty and peaceable conduct had not been previously established.
Every priest should swear that he would not recognise any Bishop whose loyalty was not satified; that he would not correspond with the Pope or the Pope's agents; that he would not correspond with Rome on any matter touching his civl allegiances.

O Connell denounced the Bill, as did all Ireland, and the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and clergy.
This Commons originated Bill along with the previous Plunkett rsolutions added were passed on the third reading. However Lords opposed the Bill from Lords Eldon, Liverpool and the Duke of York. The Bill was regected in Lords and set aside.

In Ireland Orangemen vs Ribbonmen aggravated the spirit of anamosity between Church and State.

A royal visit was planned for George IV in July 1821.
George being the first English king to go to Ireland since William III.
He remained in Ireland for a month under his plan of consiliation. He assured the Irish his 'heart had always been Irish' and shook hands with the lowest of subjects.
The loyal subjects among the nationalists welcomed the King's advances including Dan O Connell.
But in Oct, Nov and Dec outrages dislodged the euphoria County Cavan being one of the most notorious areas of disturbance.
'Hatred of each other for the love of God' became the signature expression of the day.
Antrim and Armagh hurled insults and provocative remarks about followed by riots amongst the people.
Courts could not obtain adequate unpurged testimony and threw out cases brought before them.

ON July 12 1823 at the Meghara Fair Orangemen and Ribbonmen quarelled. The Orangmen were driven to the Barracks where the provided themselves with arms and amunition. They fired into the Ribbonmen killing and wounding 20 or 30 of them. This was followed by an attack on Catholic dwellings in the area.

The Catholic Association of Ireland was founded by O Connell and Sheil and friends
to adopt legal and constitutional means to achieve Catholic Emancipation.
The organization was open to all who subscribed for membership. Meetings were held on Saturday.Reporters were allowed to attend.
Subsciptions were solicited in every town ,village and parish.
Everyone applied for membership at the rates they could afford and a Forth Estate arose in Ireland, that of the common people.
The King however, opposed the Association.
A Bill was brought in Febraray of 1825 to prevent unlawful societies and to prevent collection of money subsciptions for the purposes of releiving greviences. and to prohibit communications between affillliated societies.
This Bill supported by Plunkett was passed and given the Royal Assent in March 1825,
thus ending the Catholic Association without a struggle

A Committee was formed to study ways of dealing with this legislative dismissal of the Association.
21 noblemen were assembled to work out a compromise solution and submit a report.
This recommended a new Association with Dublin as its Headquarters, with sub offices in every Irish county acting independantly of each other.
12 shillings was made the new membership fee regardless of creed or or political affiliation.
This precedure suficed to engage Catholic Emancipation activity until the Act directed agains the Association expired in July 1828.

During this period a vacancy occured in County Clare when Vesey Fitzgerald was appointed to the Board of Trade.
O Connell was offered as a candidate by the Association to which he was elected.
When he went to Commons he was presented the Oath of Supremecy and Abduration which he refused to take.
This caused exitement in the countys as O Connell was refused his seat.
In the north the Association sent Lawless to represtnt them. The entire population o f County Monahan followed him in numbers of 20 to 30 thousand.
These being annimated with a desire for lawless behavior presented a serious menace.
The magistrates called out the miltary to check them.

In 1829 the King again in his speech from the Throne regretted Irelands Association as dangerous to the public peace and advised Parliament to remove the Civil disabilites of the catholics in conformity with the Church and State.

Peel brought in a bill to supress the Catholic Association and to remove the civil disabilities of catholics.
This bill heard 10 March 1829 and on Marhc 18 passed and on the thrid reading March 30th passed 320-140
In Lords the Bill was passed on April 10 and recieved the Royal Assent on the 13th.

On April 15 1829 O Connell again appeared at the House to take the newly enacted Oath.
This the House refused to allow him to do claiming he was elected before the new act he was still required to take the old Oath of
Supremacy and Abduration .
He refused again and was returned to Ireland to seek re election.Passing the cry of Repeal he was again returned for Clare with no contest.

Goerge IV died on Saturday 26 June 1830, the English Crown being taken by his brother Willaim of Clarence third son of George III of Hanover as William IV.
As William IV arose to the Throne England cried out for Parliamentary reform.
The Duke of Wellington of Waterloo fame, retorted that no reform was needed and would not be considered arousing more popular ire.
Wellington resigned and a Whig ministry was formed under Grey and Lord John Russlell.

On March 1 ,1831 a Reform Bill was introduced inthe Commons by L Russell.
The bill failed as it had no majority and Parliament disolved.
Rioting occured at the elections.
When a new Parliamentof reformers was formed the Bill again passed Commons but was regected by Lords on the second reading.

Lord Anglesay was again appointed Viceroy for Ireland but the ministers were so absorbed in reform they had no time to questions of order in Ireland or the knawing question of Church of Irleand tithes.

In May 1832 a Reform Bill for Ireland was introduced by Stanley the Chief Secretary.
The Bill was designed to relieve unequal representation of the 7,700,000 population in which 700,000,000 were represented by only 64 representatives, and to raise the voting franchise to tenant holders of 50 pounds a year and leaseholders of 99 years to10 pound s to give these groups the vote.
Dublin constituancy would be raised from 15,000 to 16,000 and Belfast would have a constituancy of 1500 to 2300 instead of 13; and would raise the ordinary franchise from 5 pounds to 10 pounds.
O Connell and Sheill opposed the Bill .
This oppostition was indicated by indicating that in some counties of Ireland not more than 300 persons could pay the franchise fee. and the favoritism of electors thereby to prodistant counties able to pay the 10 pounds.
Stanley however, replied that Parnell, an accountant and impartial man had contended that 50 pounds increase would add to the catholic constituancy.
This reform Bill was passed by both houses and given the Royal Assent on August 7 ,1832.

The social condtions in Ireland was deplorable.

A Coersion Bill was introducd in Lords to rectify this condition. Lord Grey was the Prime Minister at this time.

There were at this time some 9000 crimes of violence in the countryside within the preceeding 2 months peroid.
Murders were committed.
Juries refused to convict and intimidation entered almost every household.
The law had no authority.
The state of Ireland was abysmal.
This Coersion Bill was passed 29 March 1832, 345-86 and recieved the Royal Assent.
Political gatherings were banned by the Lord Lieutenant Anglesay and the Volunters' were not needed'.
OConnell had reestablished this force. These were disbanded by the LL who proceeded to put action to his words.
The offences throughout Ireland dimminshed.

By 1834 with the Coersion Bill in full force crime and outrage were becoming rare but discontent was rife.
The tithe question remainded unaddressed.
The King recommended Parliament consider it in his speech from theThrone ,however opposed any repeal for the legislative union.
The King considered the Union a bond of national strength and safety and was for prevention of reform.
He declared to maintain the Union by all means in his power under the blessing of Divine Providence.

page 3 victoria and end

The entire session of this Parliament was devoted to Irish affairs.
The Parliament reduced the number of Prodestant Bishops in Ireland to reflect their adherents number per parish and reduced the stifend from 12,600 pounds per year to 8,000 pounds a year. ATithe Bill was introduced abolishing parishes where public worship had not been held in 3 years.. 66 such parishes were found.
136,600 pounds of tithes money were gathered from these counties for these parishes.
Reduction of the cess [taxes] filled the Assendany with dismay.they strongly objected to the Tithe Bill which was passed 30 July ,135-81.
This ended the great struggle between the Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland.
The Irish Church question had attracted universal attention.

The Prodistants alarmed at the proposed loss of their priviledge and favored status petitioned the King with a 1400 clergyman document outlining the proposed loss of the priviledge. The King upheld the petition.
A vote of no confidence was taken and a new government was formed under Melbourne. A Tory reaction was approved and favored by King William who grew wary of the reform spirit.
He dismissed the Melbourne cabinate and placed Sir Robert Peel at head of government.
After four months Peel fell and Melbourne was returned to power in April 1835.

A town council reform act [ Municipal Reform Act] was passed giving freemen and rate payers the right to appoint town counselors who than elected the magistrats from among themselves.

Hrenry Phipps,Earl of Mulgrave became Lord Lieutenant in 1835. Perrin was Attorney General and set aside the Crown Prosecutors rule requiring Catholics to be set aside when called to jury duty ending Irish jury padding.

Under Melbourne the tithe settlement , reform of municipal corporations and Irish poor laws were enacted.

The tithe settlement surplus revenues of the Church of Ireland at around 58,000 per annum were applied to religious and moral education in Ireland.
This bill was twice regected but O Connell organised a National Association for promotion of Reform.
The Association was resisted in Ulster under Dr Henry Cooke who is now represented by a statue of Bronze in Belfast popularly known as the Black Man due to its tarnish.

These Radicals and Catholics made an ounslaught against the Orange Order which by 1835 had great power in Ireland having lodges in the Army.
The Duke of Cumberland, son of George III was Grand Master.
The Orange Order was investigated by the House of Commons Committee which uncovered a conspiracy to change the sucession in favor of Cumberland the Kings brother.

Frederick Agustus Duke of York and Albany, when informed of the Orders illegalities resigned from the Order as Grand Master and had forbidden the lodges in the Army as he was Commander in Chief.
However his brother ,the Duke of Cumberland ,Ernest William Agustus on succeeding York issued warrents allowing the formation of lodges within the British Army.

Hume introduced a motion to remove all the judges, privy counselors, Lord Lieutenants , magistrates, malitia officers, inspectors and constables who attended a meeting of the Orange Lodges or any Ribbon Lodges or any political club.
Lord Russell resisted this motion which was defeated.
Russell invited the House to leave the matter to the King to discourage the Orange Lodges and politcal societies. This was complied with by the lodges and Ernest William Agustus of Cumberland withdrew from the association.

On 20 June King William IV died.
Because Salic law forbade the Hanover House in Germany being given to a woman, the 8th child of Goerge III Ernest Agustus Duke of Cumberland was appointed King in Germany and the young daughter of the Duke of Kent, Edward Agustus, who had married Strathhein Victoria of Saxe Colburg Saalfeld their daughter
Alexandrina Victoria became Queen of England in June 1837 ushering in the Victorian Age.

submitted by judi ann aug 6 07

source: History of Ulster , Ramsey Colles ,Volume 4, published 1919 by Gresham Publishing Coy Ltd

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Irish History Synopsis' TheBoyne to the Union

2007-07-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

From battle of Boyne to the Union

After the death of William of Orange on March 8, 1702 the Parliament's passed under his reign thePenal Laws which forbad Mass being said under the penalty of death.
These laws passed sequentually in 1695, 1697,1699, 1704, 1709 and 1728 took away any catholic right to vote, to bear arms, to educate the child, to own a horse worth more than 5 pounds.

All professions , any army or naval service, any public office and legal practice were closed to these native peoples.
These were forbidden to purchase land and were required to take an oath of submission they could not take under the Test Act of 1673 and 1678.
A curious harrasment of the early law revolved around the ability of the English to 'lawfully' confiscate a horse if finding a horse in the possesssion of a catholic, the prodistant could simply declare the beast worth more than 5 pounds and hence obtain the animal which the holder was required to sell him for 5 pounds or less.
As an act of benevolance the native profession left open to them was that of Physician.

If a native was able to retain real estate and had under gavelkind distributed itequally amonst his children until it was so small as to be worethless ,the eldest son could hold the parcel together by promigeniture under which this child must take the oath as provided by the Test Act ,give up his religion and deny the leadership role of the Pope.

Ireland became a silent and lonely land under the entire reign of Queen Anne Stuart until her death on August 1 1714.
This was also the period of Johnathan Swift who was appointed Dean of St Patrick's Cathederal in Dublin.
The major people in Ulster during this period were prodistant settlers therfore the penal laws caused less disruption to the peasant household.

The English provided a tariff against Irish wool as it competed with Englands and substituted the formerly prosperous export trade with linin manufacture which did not thrive in larger Ireland.
Hence the settlers and investors established large linin weaving and bleaching establishments in the countryside and established company town to house ,and stores to serve the worker needs.
Many of these tariffs and restrictions had been passed in England before the Battle of the Boyne under the controversial book by William Molyneux called 'The Case of Ireland Being Bonded by Acts of Parliament in England'
This author being a member of the Irish parliament for University of Dublin which university held to the view of the Irish prodestant asendancy.
A contempory and friend of Molyneux ,John Locke who was going along with the same lines as his essay on the True Original Extent and End of Civil Government.
These writings stirred the English Parliament to condem them as
'a dangerous tendancy to the Crown and people of England, by denying the authority of the King and Parliament of England to bind the Kingdom and people of Ireland and the subordination and dependance that Ireland had and ought to hav upon England as being united and annexed to the Imperial Crown of England.'
This body went with this comdemnation to the King ,William urging him to discourage all things which might lessen the dependance of Ireland on England.
This aggressive attitude prevailed throughtout the 1700, 1800 up to the Rising of 1916-1921, when Parliament finally allowed Ireland a degree of Independance as a Free State under a Treaty., holding tenaciously to the main area of Ulster still under the Crown Union.

Under Anne the Sacramental Test Bill was passed excluding all prodistant and catholic and desenter from all public offices or trust who refused the Sacramental rite of the Established Church.
There was no disenting votes on the passage of this bill..
The Sacrament Act was contested by prodistants and was finally suceeded by an Act to Prevent the Further Growth of Popery which was proclaimed, ordering all priests to take the ABJUATION OATH before March 25 1710 .The punishment for noncompliance PRE MUNURE= forfieture home estate and life.

The Established Church Bishops cleared the entire corporation of Belfast and replaced these dissenting prodistant presbyterians with persons of little estate whose only qualification was to regularly attend Church (ie theEstablished Church)
The Church of England objected to the presbyterians marriage rite which they regarded as' a licence to sin' and therefore refused to recognise the children of all prodistants and non conformists as illigitimate.
Some of these parents were persecuted as well.
Stocks and arrests by the Bishops were used against any one found critizing these edicts..
England however, to assuage these non conformists and presybterians recalled the bill and the House of Lords recinded the Reghium Donem against Prodistants.
Meanwhile the declining state of trade and emmigration to the American colonys removed from Ireland the artisans and energy of the depressed economy.

boyne to union pg 2

With the assention of George I, a Hanover in 1714 Charles Spencer ,Earl of Sunderland became Lord Lieutanant of Ireland, as appointed by theRegency ,as George was not yet in England.
It was not customary for the officers to live in Ireland but to go there every 2 years when the Irish Parliament was sitting.The rule of the country was left to the Lord Justices.
The policy was to make as much profit as possible from Ireland which created a peculiar government rule.
Seats in the Irish Parliament were bought and sold among the anglo gentry.The chief occupation of these Lords Justices were to
contain any tendancy to independance;
to prevent interference in English trade;
discourage the growth of Popery.

In 1724 the country was more or less ruled to these ends by Bishop Hugh Boulter of Bristol who was 13 times appointed a Lord Justice.
Inlistement in foreign service was forbidden and procecuted under George I.
Recruting agents were hung.
Much of the going population however had been driven to enlist by extreme povery and distress within the population.
The right to immigrate and serve in foreign service had been granted in theTreaty of Limerick obtained by Saresfield in 1691 under the terms of Surrender.

In 1723 copper coin was limited to 400,000 pounds.
Much of it was debased and counterfit. There was no small change in the country. Trade was hampered Thereby the weavers--prodistant mostly- were paid in cloth as no coin available to give them. This cloth was exchange for 1/2 its value.

Loose coin such as passed for a half-penny ,a 'rap' ,worth nothing.
Every application to England to suppy change was denied.
William Wood was thereupon charged to produce some Irish change.
This was met with objection and both Houses accused the patent of fraud.
Swift in the fever pitch over this base weightless half-penny coin wriote his Drapiers Letters.
Sir Isaac Newtown than master of the Mint surveyed the pieces and declared them to be in accordance with the patent.
The Privy Counceil refused to recind the half-penny patent.
The debased money was refused by all and hysteria prevailed.
Finally the English government withdrew the patent and compensated Wood.
A cataract of Immigration drove the Puritans out of Ireland bound for New England, Western Virgina, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Swift raged against the landlords and their rent rolls. Tenants made no improvements and lived in destitution and beggary.
The Scot settlers abode became as dirty and miserable as the Wild Irish.

On June 11 1727 George I died in his coach, of apoplexy.

boyne to union pag 3

In 1740 a severe frost in November distroyed th entire potato crop the basic staple of the peasantry.
At that time time was customary to leave the crop underground till Christmas.
400,000 died of starvation.

Contention and violent attacks continued against the Papists with murder in their thoughts.
The Scotish rebellion for Boney Prince Charlie Edward Stuart was crushed at Cullendon on 16 April 1746.

Ireland remained peaceful.

In 1756 the 7 Years War broke out between France and England in the American Canadas. The French won under General Wolfe in 1759 establishing the future on that continent.

Thurot of the French fleet attacked Carrickfergus Castle to provision his ships and to recover French prisoners held by the English there. He suceeded in these missions but was met in the Irish
Sea by 3 English ships where an attempt to board the Aeolus commanded by Captain Elliott was tharted when Thurot was shot in the heart.
His ship was shattered and 300 of his men and crew killed.
This captain Thurot was an Irishman named Farrell.

On 25 October the year 1760 George II suddenly died at Kensington and was succeded by his grandson George III.

In Ireland secret societys arose against government indifference to their plight.These groups where the White Boys in the south and the Weavers and small farmers in the north formed sinister organizations.There was no money available, no credit, excessive rents and heavy taxes.
Bread was high priced. Famine a step away.
Hearts of Steel Boys and Oak Boys ,excusively prodistant organizations ,arose over fines for lease renewals leveled by landlords. If the tenant could not pay the fines the family was evicted.
These organized resistance groups resisted payment of tithes and were semi republican in thought.

An act was passed for the summary execution of these prodistant insurectionist. Many escaped to America. Many who were charged were released by jurys unwilling to find them guilty.

Then came the Revolution of 1775 in the Americas.

Irish linin was completely closed by an embargo. Wool ,black cattle and land fell in value. Rents could not be collected.
It was made unlawful to export cloths, accountremonts for the Irish regiment abroad. A 5 shilling bounty placed on flax seed imported from America.
American fisheries were cut off and Newfoundland encouraged by the English Parliament.

England by 1779 was at war with America, France and Spain and threatened Ireland with invasion.
No funds were available to pay malitia to defend Ireland for the Crown.

A volunteer movement originating in Belfast spread throughtout the country.
Both the classes and the masses joined this volunteer movement.
Drilling because a usual Irish occupation.
The English government gave them arms but were unable to bring the volunteers under control or curtail them.
By 1780 the Volunters were 40,000 strong and well disaplined. After being accepted by the English government as a valid force they extended their interests beyond defence to the political questions of the day and became a creed.

boyne to union pg 4

By October 12 1779 when an address was carried of the meeting Irish Parliamnt the Dublin Streets were lined with Volunteers under the comand of the Duke of Leinster.They had than a lawers corps. Lord Norht alarmed at the conduct proposed a relief Irish Commerce to allow Ireland to export her wool and manufactures;
free trade with British plantations ;
and glass manufacture exports.
The Volunteers however having obtained free trade wanted Constitutional rights and a free Parliament in Ireland.
The armed associations communicated regularly to keep informed of actions and openly demanded the independence of Ireland.
Their opinions and decisions were printed in the newspapers ,as they are still ,declaring Ireland independant subject only to the King and Irish Parliament, the only body qualified to make Irish law.

In 1781 reviews of the Volunteers were held in all parts of Ireland.
Mr John O Neill proposed a Resolution thanking the Volunteers.This Resolution was opposed by Fitzgibbon [Lord Clare].
However the motion was carried and considered a triumph for Ulster.

Lord Caulfield, Earl of Charlemont Commander of 1st Ulster Regiment met at Armagh on 28 Dec 1781 to consult.
From this came an invitation of all Volunteers Associations in the provence to send delegates to a convention at Dungannon on 15 February 1782.

These citizen soldiers were usually steady, peaceable and self reliant.

143 Volunteer Crops responded ,the government powerless to prevent the gathering.
21 Resolutions were adopted by this force of mostly landed propriotors.

Resolved that the taking up of arms did not diminsh civil rights;
that Ireland held the power to create her own laws and any other were uunconstitutional;
that the powers of the King's counsel were unconstitutional;
that Irish ports belonged to Ireland and open to all foreign countiries not at war with the King;
that a mutiny bill wss unconstitutional;
that judges wer and should be independant;
that private judgement was theirs in matters of religion;
that the penal laws should be relaxed against the roman catholics.

The entire Volunteer force in Ireland adopted these Resolutions.

When in 1782 on February 22 Henry Grattan motioned in the Irish Parliament to petitioned the King of the address of the Volunteers to support constitutional rights for Ireland the motion failed.
However Lord Norths admininstration fell.
Carlile relieved the Duke of Portland and became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
The King asked for an agreement on Irish demands. and the repeal of George I c5 asserting dependancy of Ireland and any appellate jurisdiction by Irish Lords shoud be restored, unconstitutional powers of the Privy Counsil abolished and the mutiny Bill repealed.
These embodying the Dungannon Resolutions were unanimously adopted.
These measures passed both Lords and Commons in the Eglish Parliament.

These concessions were announced by Lord Portland.
A great bloodless victory for the Volunteers.

boyne to union pg 5

Two parties subsequenty formed in Dublin between Grattan and Flood in 1782 when the governement of both countries again changed.

Flood held that a Declaration of Parliament repeal was not sufficent.
Grattan contened that Ireland had gone to England with a Charter and had requested England cancel any objection to it.

Flood demaned a Bill of Rights in addition to the obtained Declaration of Rights.
Parliament adopted Grattans side, the Volunteers Flood 's side with the Lawyers Corps.

4000 armed Volunteers appeared at Belfast to be reviewed by Charlemont.
An address was madeexpressing disatisfaction with the setlement.
Major Dobbs made a clause in the address in satisfaction with the concessions of Great Britain.
The Volunters continued their politcal campaign towards Parliament reform.
A convevention was again held at Dungannon where it was resolved on 8 September 1783 to hold a
Grand National Convention at Dublin on November 10, 1783..this convention took place on November 3.
Flood recomended the disbandment of the Volunteers.
lthoughthe volunteers were linked to the English not the Irish Celts by social, literary and religious ties they were in the first stages of Irish nationalism by the unwise policy of England.
A Parliament debate was engaged in which Floods motion was regected.

Since the Volunteers had demanded this the die was cast for violence between the Irish Parliament and the Volunteers. However Lord Charlemont on Dec 2 1783 ajourned the Convention sealing the fate of the Volunteers. Now their influence adn prestige was gone forever.

The Volunteers their power broken, protested and paraded but gradually disolved and became a democratic association and the society of United Irishmen.
Training all classes and sects in the use of arms.
The government in Dublin raised a staunch army of 15,000 men creating a malitia, fed and clothed and funded with 20,000 pounds.
The Volunteers however would not cooperate with civil authoritys and violence arose between the Patriotic Party and the government of Ireland forces.
Wolfe Tone being one of the leaders declared them to be of republican persuasion.

Meanwhile the King George III became insane in 1788.
This spured on the dissenters in Ireland.
They wanted a percentage tax against absenteee landlords;
comutation of tithes;
restoration of sail cloth manufacture;
protection duties;
reform of the pension lists ;

Disturbances arose between the Peep O Day prodistants and the Irish native Defenders.
This led to the formation of the society of the Orangemen after the battle of theDiamond at Armagh which was lost by the Irish Defenders.
The Orangemen followed the Diamond victory by persecuting the local catholics putting notes on their cabins saying,
"To Hell or Cannacht"
and physically removing the family if they did not go on their own, distroying the family goods and burning the house.
7000 were thus driven out of Armagh County by the Orange Society.

The King ,at this time had recovered his bout with insanity and the catholics natives petitioned for relief of their disabiliiteis.
Wolfe Tone a barrister and a prodistant, was selected to present their petition.
He was in Belfast at the invatation of the Volunteer Club composed of men such as Sam Neilson with North Star newpaper, Robert Simms and Tom Russell.

Outrages continued in Ireland until 1793.This provided Pitt ,the MP, to convene a secret committee to find out the cause of the disturbances.
As a remedy to the unrest the English governement passed the gunpowder Act in 1793.
'An Act to Prevent the Importation of Arms and Gunpowder and Ammunition into the Kindom and Removing and Keeping Gunpowder and Ammunition without Licence'.

A new Convention bill was considered necessary as the United Irishmen were training the peasants secretly to support the French Revolutionary principles, and in corresponding with Societys of like mind in France.

Lord Edward Fitzgerald a friend of Tom Paine renounced his title in Paris

In 1793 Napper Tandy fled to America after being charged of distributing seditious publications at Louth and holding communications with Defenders.

In May 1794 the British government suspended Habeus Corpus Act and passed an Act against seditious Assemblies.

In 1796 the InsurectionA ct was passed making taking of an oath like that of the United Irishmen punishable by death.
These acts were passed by Pitt in England not by the Dublin Parliament.

In 1797 General Lake placed Ulster under martial law ordering the surrender of all arms.
The lord Lieutenant took credit for this claiming he had ordered Lake to suspend civil liberties due to Ulster being in a state of disturbance.
Grattan claimed this was attaintment of an entire province of high treason.
He asked the Irish parliament to recind this Proclimation but was defeated 127-16.

boyne to union pg 6

In Armagh the United Irishman were reported to have 3000 guns, 1200 bayonettes, 300 pistols, 250 swords, 3500 pikes, 20,000 cartriges, 50,000 cannon balls, 900 lbs of powder, 8 cannons and 1 mortar.
General Lake increased military rigor. Houses were plundered by the soldiers and demolished on suspicion of United Irish connections.

TheMorning Star newspaper was seized.The printers arrested and sent to New Gate Prison.The paper was told to print a paragraph reflecting the loyalty of Belfast's people. When the paper editor refused the paper officers where physically attacked and the printing press distroyed.

The Ancient Britons Regiment under Sir Watkins Willams Wynne when they were wrongly informed about arms being in a Newry house than burned the house in frustration when no arms were found.The local peasants tried to extingush the fire and were killed,
30 of them with a woman and 2 children.
A 70 year old fleeing from the scene was overtaken and while on his knees pleading for mercy his head was struck off by one sword sweep of a calvary mans sabre.

William Orr of Antrim was charged with admininsteing the UI oath.The court kept this jury in session till it produced a guilty verdict.They had been plied with drink.

Justice Chambelain refused to allow this testimony.
When the victim was again brought before Lord Justice Yelverton he was pronounced a sentance of death.
The witness against Orr also contermanded his convicting testimony as false.
Resort was made to the Lord Lieuteant asking for a reprive were returned unheard

Much effort by family and friends all to no avail.
Lord Camden the LL refused to interfere and Orr was executed on October 14, 1795 protesting his innocence.The judicial murder compleated.

In 1798 the Rebellion Erupted in retaliation of tyrany torture and cohersion applied by General Lakes rampant troops converting the peaceful countryside into a hell.
Homesteads were on fire, provisions distroyed, families ruined. Rape and death appeared by strangulation or a bullet or floggings flaying the skin and muscle.

All trials were by martial law.
Many of the officers on the court were under age or Orangemen who had swore eternal hatred of the people they judged.
Flogging, Picketting and death were the usual punishment, or bannashment to the fleet. Many were sold to the Prussians.
Many of the troops drank all the time raped the wives and daughters of peaceful families returning from Mass.
In the union, ie the United Irishmen some wanted action others not. Dissention arose among them between catholics and dissenters, separating them.

On March 30 1797 all Ireland was under martial law.From battle of Boyne to the Union
boyne to union
pg 7
The English were claiming a treasonous conspiracy.

Henry Joy McCraken was appointed leader of the rebellion in Down and Antrim along with James Hope.

A letter was sent from Henry Joy to Colonel Dixon by John Hughes who was the communicant between Down and Antrim as to the May 21 signal for the rising. This was not materialised.

On June 7 1798 a Battle fought at Antrim town by McCraken with men from Kerry ,Dublin ,Armagh ,Tipperary and Monahan. During this fight Lord O Neill was attacked and shot his attacker whereby he was attached by rebel pikemen and out of his wounds died three days later.DR McCArtney his companion was not able to assist him.
McCartney joined Staples ,a member for Antrim County ,and they made their way across Loch Neagh by boat to Dungannon where they informed General Knox of the rising in Antrim.

More rebels arrived.Troops under Colonel Durham arrived for the government.The rebels broke and fled under cannon fire. 200 of them killed.

At the end of July Joy McCraken was arrested by the royalists, tried and executed at Belfast on July 17 1798.

Henry Monro a Scot linin trader continued the fight in Down sending Townsend to Ballinahinch.
Royalist troops under Nugent and Barber marched against Monro.This army took Creevy Rock and than got drunk but Monroe refused to attack them in this condition.
These troops the following day mowed down the rebels with artillery fire. A bugle sounding ,lead the rebels to believe reinforcements of royalists troops were coming , broke and fled.
Monroe was defeated at Ednavady. They surrendered with 150 men left in all. these marched out to surrender . Monro fled to the mountains but was betrayed, taken , tried and court martialed, condemed and hung at Lisburn by his own door.
His head was hung on the market house.

Meanwhile the south was desolate but fought on.
Wolfe Tone was in Paris to ellicit the help of the French Directorate.

General Humbert was appointed Commander of an expeditionary force of 1,000 men assembled at Rochelle.
3000 more under General Hardi
9000 under Kilmaine.

On August 22 1798 Humbert came to Kilala Bay with a squadron of 3 frigates and one small vessels.
Sailing under an English flag.
He managed to last until 8 September when he surrendered to General Lake in county Longford.

Where Hardi heard of Humberts surender he set sail for Norway on 20 September 1798.

Wolfe Tone with him on the Hocke on October 11.The Hoche was attacked by Admiral Warren of English Fleet.
The Hoche was bombarded and distroyed. When the crew was captured Wolfe was not recognised among the French prisoners but was finally found out at a French table by a fellow schoolmate ,George Hill from Trinity College Days. He ,Tone was sent in irons to Dublin to be tried by court martial ,condemed to be hung on November 12. However he cut his throat in prison cheating the hangman.

Pitt than proceeded to promote Union and annialate the Irish legislature. The Union was proposed on 22 January 1799.
The Irish bar regected this proposal 166- 32.

One side said Ireland was not safe but under the protection of England.
The other side that Parliament was incompetent and could not enact that issue.This regection positions was uphled in Irish Parliamnent by Saurin, Plunkett, Ball.Fitzgerald, Moore, Parnell, Bushe,. Oriel, Grattan , Curran, Ponsonby and Burrows.
The viceroy, Lord Cornwallis ,of American fame toured the south to poll it.

Daniel O Connell appeared opposing the Union on 15 Jan 1800 at the Irish Parliament opening.

Henry Grattan appeared in his Voluner Uniform with his pistols.The members rose.
He made his speach against the Union at 10 AM.The debate closed 138 votes for Union 96 against.

The citizens met to protest the Union. Guilds of Merchants met to protest.
The Orange, Catholics and Yoemen were called to resist the union on February 5, 1800.

Lord Castlereagh outlined the advantages of union.
Petitions for the counties and companies came against the measure.
On 26 May Grattan opposed the Union bill declaring:

'I do not give up my country, I see her in a swoon ,
but she is not dead;
though in her tomb she lies helpless and motionless ,
still, there is on her lips a spirit of life, and on her cheeks a glow of Beauty'.

Lord Casstlreigh [Stewart} contested this to be treason and reblellion
.Lord Curry of Tyrone made the final address against the Union.

7 June the bill read and passed in Commons.
Curran outside asked the UNITED IRISHMEN.
"Where are your 30,000 men now?'

1 August 1800 the Royal assent of King George IV eldest son of George III was given to the Act of Union.
The aniversary of the acccession of the house of Brunswick..

On January 1 1801 Ireland ceased to be.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

Irish History Synopsis: Restoration Charles II- James II

2007-07-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

the Restoration of Charles II page 1

With the restoration of Charles II in 1661 and the coming thereafter
of the Act of Uniformity in `1662 establishing only one church, that
of theAnglican [Episcopalian] in all the English holdings.
this Act forbad all unlawful assembly of Presbyterian or Roman
Catholic worshipers and directed the sherrif to disperse them from
this worship.
The Episcopalian bishops under the leadership of Jeremy Taylor,
Bishop of Down closed down most of their churches. This lead to
Presbyterian League for redress called the Covanters.

However, Parliament passed an order condeming the Solomn League and
Covanant as treasonable, ordered it burned in the public market and
any upholding it be deemed an enemy to His Sacred Majesty, of the
Church and His Kingdom

The Bishops were able to get a second Act of Uniformity forbiding the
Presbyterians to be clergymen and to declare the oath that the Solomn
Covenant was illegal and impious.
Of the 70 Presbyterian ministers in Ulster 8 conformed. the rest
were deprived of their churches and imprisoned.
Most of the Cromwellian soldier settlers were non-conformists and
were discontent. Many of them sold their holdings and left the
country commensing the exodus of Prodestants from Ireland to New
England.
Many of the remaining Prespyterians, such as Blood and Leacky
attempted rebellion but were caught.
At the same time flax became a major production in Ulster helping to
relieve her stress and poverty from the preceeding wars.

During this period Charles managed to engage England in wars with
Holland, Denmark, France and the rest of the European provinces.

Several Lord Lieutenatnts were appointed as designated rulers in
Ireland.Such as Lord John Berkely of Stratton,Sir Arthur Forbes,The
Earl of Essex, and finally in 1677 James Butler, Duke of Ormond was
reapointed by the King.
A period of peace and general order prevailed in Ireland until
suddenly, on the 6th of Febuary 1685 at Noon Charles 2 died.

His brother James 2 succeeded him.
Ormond was recalled post haste turning in the Sword of State to the
Lord Justice, the Primate Michael Boyle and Sir Authur Forbes Earl of
Granard.

Colonel Richard Talbot was the militray leader at that time. He was
descended of an old Norman family of Leinster. He was nick-
named 'Lying Dick' and had served in the Low Countries. He was vain
and ambitious and had served Charles 2 as a secret advisor on Irish
affairs, and alligned himself with the most violent of the old line
party. In October 1685 he was appointed Lieuteant Governor of the
Irish Army and the Earl of Tyreconnell. His brother in law Henry
Hyde was appointed Lord Lieutenat in December 1685.

the restoration of charles 2 page 2

As Richard Talbot began a program to appoint his fellow Catholics to
positions of authority in the military, he began a process of
drilling the whole native population of the country. A sort of
universal military training. These he armed. Catholic judges
replaced Prodistant ones. Some Irish were admitted to the Privy
Council.
More Prodistant's sold and left for New England and Scotland.

By 1686 Tyreconnell had complete control of the Army of Ireland and
had replaced prodistant officers with catholics. Catholic natives
were also appointed as sherrifs and justice of the peace.
Most of the civil service was passed to the hands of native catholics.

Tyreconnell attemted to convinece the King to repeal the Cromwellian
Acts of Settlement. This he was not successful at. He did, however,
secure the appointement of Lord Deputy to which he seized the city
charters and boroughs. Some of these refused to submit to
Tyreconnell's intent and began to raize citizen malitias. One of
these towns being Londonderry.

In this instance 13 of the young men apprentise boys closed the gates
of the town on December 7, 1689,on the call of the AldermenTomkins
and Preacher Gordon.
Ezekill Hopkins, Bishop of Derry, opposed this and urged his
followers ]
The Inniskillen population than appointed Gustavus Hamilton as their
Governor.These turned all the country houses around Loch Erne into
garrisoned forts.

As Tyreconnell ,angered at this resistance, prepared to advance
against these rebel prodistants news reached him that William of
Orange had arrived unapposed in London, all England declaring for him
against King James 2.
Realising the folly of creating fresh enemies in Ireland, Tyreconnell
sent the master of ordinance Colonel William Stewart, Lord Mount joy
who had formerly commanded the Derry garrison.
Mountjoy set out at once with a regiment of Episcopalian English
with a smattering of Catholic troops.
He reached Armagh with these and his Lieuteant Robert Lundy where he
sent a message to the beleigered city of Derry requesting a meeting
ar Raphoe.
The city complied to the request welcoming the former commander
Stewart, but refused to admit any catholic troops in his regiment.
This could not be complied with and hence the seige continued.
Terms were agreed to whereby 2 companies composed exclusively of
prodistants would be admitted to the city . On this agreement
Phillips resigned the governorship in favor of Mountjoy who enterd
the city as their leader.
Tyreconnell, chief of Colonel Stewart, recalled him to Dublin where
he went and was sent with Lord Chief Baron Rice to Paris France where
Mountjoy was arrested and placed in the Bastille being a prodistant.
Rice a roman catholic remained free.

the restoration page 3

The Prince of Orange had reached Westminster. James had fled and
William of Orange admininstered the country of England.
Robert Lundy remained at Londonderry as Commander assuming the title
of Governor. He brought with him the 4 companies under his command;
purged of RC's and commanded byofficers whose commissions had be
revoked by Tyreconnell in favor of catholic natives.
Associations of Defence were formed in the Prodistant communities all
over the north and throughout Ireland.
These were formed in defence of the percieved threat to the
Prodistant religion,Their lives, liberties and property by popish
people and counsellors.
These local associates thought of themselves as purely defensive in
their areas not wanting to agress against the papist but to offer him
their protection as well as long as the popish people remained
peaceable and quiet amongst them.
They elected Hugh Earl of Mt Alexander, Clotworth Skeffington Esquire
as the commander of all forces in Antrim.
The Prodistant Defence Asssocation made there spread to other parts
of Ireland, laying in the seeds for the recent
'Troubles' and private defence associations still found in Ulster
today.

Tyreconnell continued his catholic call to universal arming which was
readily responded to.The regiments expanding to some 48.
Richard Hamilton was raised to General against the prodistant rebels.
The Jacobite Army advanced to Newry which Sir Arthur Rawdon had to
abandon. The prodistant field could not hold Hillsborough.
The Jacobite Army consiting of much rabble and untrained men gave
themselves up to collecting booty. This gave Rawdon 's 4,000 troops
time to rally and fortify the t own.They held.
Blaney was unable to hold Monahan and Armagh in the Jacobite advance
of 15 March 1689 and made his way to Coleraine and Derry.

On the 12th of March James 2 landed at Kinsale from the Court of
Louis XIV who had given him refuge.
He than marched to Dublin than on to Derry which he had been advised
and himself felt ,would surrender to him as the rightful King.
He had as his commander Cout Rosen and Maumont his Lieutenatnt
General both provided by Loius XIV along with 500 captains,
lieutenants, cadets and gunners along with arms for 10,000 men and
500,000 crowns in gold.

As James proceeded north from Dublin to Charlemont the country was
found desolate. No humans nor animals to bee seen along the roads.
Dwellings and houses were unoccupied with roofs gone and windowless.
No food could be procured, nor hay for the horses.
the French were unaccustomed to this harshness of travel.
Omagh was in ruin,the willful distruction of the inhabitants.
The weather was windy and rainy.

King William, in the meantime sent to Loch Foyle 2 regimentsw by ship
under the command of Colonels Cunningham and Richards.
These however, were not landed the Counsils found the city so deviod
of provisions and the place untennable.
Lundy.the governor, therupon sent a messsgte to James II suggesting
the ciy would surrender peacebily.
Many of the city officers were sneaking off to the waiting ships. The
citizens on discovering this and to prevent there desertion killed
them.
On April 18 the transports departed for England being unwilling to
accept tenure in the failing defence works.
The Irish Army now surrounded Derry completely with its regiments,
many from the southern provinces, including some McCarthy Clan and
Fitzgeralds.
Lundy meanwhile continued to his attempts to negociate a peace and
surrender.
This was thwarted by indignant citizens who attempted to kill the
peace envoy and deposed Lundy

restoration page 4

A counsil of war was held in the city and mayor Sir Henry Baker was
elected th new governor who requested a colleague to help him. The
counsil than appointed Reverend George Walker of Donaghmore parish.
These two prevented a second convention to be sent to James' camp for
a peace at any price conference.
They were refused permission to leave and violenetly driven back by a
mob.
Lundy fearing for his life stole off.
The Jacobite army remained unaware of these changes with the beseiged
detached their men along the Bogside and a windmill nearby.
This was seenas a threat and the city requsted the Irish troops be
withdrawn. Rosen did not respond and killed the messsenger.
As James approached the south gate with the advancing troop the cry
of "NO Surrender" was heard while fire was shot upon the Irish.
Several fell. Captain Troy being by His Majestys side dropped dead.
James hastened to get out of the reach of the cannon fire.
The army was thrown into confusion.
The weather was rainy.

On the 20 of April the Battle of Pennyburn Mill was fought the
Londonderry ulstermen sallying forth against the Irish troop under
Captain Murry, Saunderson, Thomas and Blair.
The Jacobite horse persuing the retreating sally of Pennyburn Mill
were most killed by prodistant infantry arrising from ditches inthe
Bogside.The Irish lost some 200 men and officers.
In the frey Murry escaped and was resqued by The Reverend Walker.
The battle of Windmill hill was fought May 5 and 6 1689.
The Ulstermen attacked from the city under Reverend Walker and were
able to capture the windmill battery from the Irish dragoons under
Ramsey who was killed.

Enniskillen under Col Lloyd were able to attack the Irish forces at
Belleek on May 7 1689 where they were defeated, fleeing to Sligo.
Colonel Lloyd toward the end of May flushed with his rout at Belleek
sent his forces to county Cavan to attack the garrison at Red Hills.
The holders there fled at his coming.
Lloyd proceding to Castle Bally na Carrig one of the strongest
castles in Ulster which surrendered to him. The Lloyd soldiers looted
the deserted castle than fired it leaving a pile of ashes.

In June many Irish horses had been put to graze near Omagh. Governor
Gustavus Hamilton of Enniskillen displaced two dragoon troop under
Captains Francis Gore and Arnold Crosby to garrison at Tillesk.
Within two days the captains returned to Innishkillen with 80 horses
and 300 cattle which they had captured on an overnight prey.
This dismounted 3 troop of the Irish.
The seige continued through June with skirmishes and battles.
The garrison of Derry by July 2, 1689 had been reduced from 7500
effective men to 5700 skeletons.

End of Volume3 History of Ulster by Ramseey Colles 1919 published by
Gresham Publishing Coy Ltd.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright Aug 1 2007

Sat Jul 7, 2007 4:36 pm

Irish History Synopsis:the Cromwell era 1649-1658

2007-07-20T17:07:00.001-07:00

The Cromwell era 1649-1658 pg 1

When Oliver Cromwell had been made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland by unanimous vote of theEnglish Puritan Parliament on March 28, 1649 and Commander in Chief of English forces he proceeded to Bristol to gather his forces and finaly departed from Penbroke Wales on July 10, 1649 with 12,000 Levellers.

After a 2 day journey with sea sickness he arrived in Dublin with 35 ships followed by his son in law Ireton with 77 ships making a totla of 112 English ships on Dublin Quay.

After making a Proclimation against swearing and drunkeness and another forbidding his soldiers to 'abuse, rob and pillage or execute cruelity apon the country people' he departed for the field with an army of 10,000 picked men leaving the city in the control of Theo Jones.

Arriving at Drogheda the English cannon opened fire on September 9,1649. When the fort commander Ashton refused submission Cromwell bombarded the town and steeple of St Marys church
When a break was made by Cromwell he ordered his men to put to the sword the defenders killing 2,000 men. One hundred men took refuge in the steeple of St Peters church refusing to surrender.Cromwell set the tower afire and smothered them.
Those left surrendered most half starved.These were killed, solders and officers on the grounds they had fired 'fatal' shots'.Those left were shipped to Barbados in theWest Indies.

Cromwell than proceeded to scourge the entire population of Drogheda some 3000 with women and children on 11tha nd 12th of September.
These soldiers under Cromwell had entered his service with understanding that their wages would be paid with Irish lands taking the place of native proprietors. This gave them incentive to annialate the descendants and heirs of the rebel royalists who might have a claim on the lands they were forcebly confiscating.
Cromwell than proceeded to scourge all Ireland. Wexford, New Ross,Carrick on Suir, Kilkenny. Cork, Kinsale and Yougal declared for the Parliament and were spared. Limerick and Connact were conquered by Coote in 1651. Galway surrendered to Coote in May 1652.
One by one the southern chiefs surrendered.the last defiance by Castle Cloughoughter in Derry where Owen Roe O Neill had died on 6 November 1649..
As the Parliamentary Commissioners began theri reign they elected a High Court of Justice to try those who had taken part in the prodistant massacares of 1641. Only about 200 were found and tried most having died in the war or left Ireland.

Sir Phelim who had not left Ireland as were his terms but had hidden in Tyrone was captured at Coal Island.
He was taken and tried in Dublin for high treason and murder. He was condemned to death and was hung drawn and quartered. One Quarter hung at Lisburn; one quarter hung at Dundalk; one quarter at Drogheda; the forth quarter with the head at Dublin.
His companion and secretary Turlogh Groome O Quinn was later hung his head hung on the west gate of Carrickfurgus Castle.
The war was declared officially over by Commissioner Fleetwood on 26 September 1653.

Cromwell 1649-1658 pg 2

The country of Ireland was wasted. Desease and plague reigned .Famine was constant.
Whole counties lay waste and deserted with neither man nor beast nor bird. Mountjoys methods of distroying all the crops to subdue the Irish.

The Commissioners and Colonel Jones advised that no peace could last without removing priests, sept heads and men with arms out of the land. Many starved along the roads or were killed by wolves.
TheBlack Plague raged killing as many.
Wolves increased to such an extent that a bounty was laid on them, 5 lbs for a dog and 10 lbs for a bitch. Irish wolf hounds were not allowed to be taken out of the country. Tide waiters stood at the ports to seize any hounds for the public huntsmen.
The Puritans additionally wanted to eliminate Priests. A Price on their heads as well as for Fryers Monks and Nuns. Harboring a priest or religious required forfiet of any lands and life. Some were able to escape to Spain with retiring soldiers.They needed passports to leave.They were all officiallly declared , without trial, guilty of High treason and those who helped them were felons.
Any pretext to clear the country of its natives was seized;

Descendants of rebels and
those with no visible means of support were transported.

Bands of outlaws roamed the bogs and dence forests as Tories.
Thousands of priests, captured children and young girls wer sold to slavery for Jamica and Barbados, known than as the tobacco islands. These were sold to the planters for a number of years [indentured]
The outlaws were identified and prices set on ther heads 40 s for a common one, 5 lbs for a lord.
3/4ths of the pre war cattle stock had been wiped out.Cattle had to be imported from Wales for breeeding stock.
4//5 of the land lay waste.
Waste land was let to officers for 5 years for a reasonable rent provided they till sow and manue the land.

Ireland was now a 'blank sheet of paper on which the English Commonwealth might write the characters they pleased' [Froude]

The debt of the war being enourmous was paid by lands grants known as the Cromwellian Settlement the Act of Settlement having been passed by the Parliament on 12 August 1652.

When in 1641 the Act for the Speedy and Effecive Reducing of the Rebels in His Majestys Kingdom of Ireland had been made Debit bonds were issued pledging the land in payment.
600 acres for 200 lbs for Ulster land
1000 acres for 300 lbs for Connact lands
1000 acres for 400 lbs for Munster lands
1000 acres for 600 lbs for Leinster lands.

Bonds for 10,000,000 were issued direcly to the serving soldiers in lieu of their pay.

A survey of Ireland was established under Sir William Petty.
A Court of Claims was established to distribute the shares.
The Parliament confiscated 5 million acres including church lands {RC], native lands owned by them before the rebellion and college lands.
This confiscation was distributed among the Cromwellian soldiers and Adventurers who had bought some of the debit bonds.

700,000 acres of the 2/3ds of Ireland confication in Clare and Connact for 1,200,000 innocnent papists.
the acts allowed all royalists and religious no pardon in life or estate
all royalist officers were banished and forfieted of 2/3 of property, 1/3 returned for the care of their wife and children.
those not in arms but sympathizers lost 1/3 of land and recieved 2/3 west of the Shannon
Inferior sort not possessed of land over 10 lbs husbandmen and laborors were issued a pardon but transported west of the Shannon.

1 million acres were assigned to the Adventurers some counties were taken for the assignments however the Adventures did not like the deal cut for them and objected receiving finally, 10 counties and by dividing lots in those counties their portion of the land These counties were boroughed
The Adventures also won an entitlement to lands next the Cromwellian soldiers holdings feeling they needed protection.

5 counties of Connact were reserved for the 'home of the Irish race' and Prodistants in those couties were granted lands east of the Shannon. The 'mere irish' were born and were not allowed to settle witin ten miles of the Shannon river on its west shore.
The Cromwell soldiers lands were given them by authority not their own chosing.
Regiments were kept together settled regiment by regiment, troop by troop ,company by company in the lands they had conquered.

Ireland was the capital that paid all the debts.

Attainted relations of the rebles being a threat to redeem the land were transported to the American Colonies.

Cromwells son Henry became Lord Protector in 1654.
On Setember 3 1658 Oliver Cromwell died and his son Richard was proclamed the new Protector of Ireland.

On May 8, 1660 Charles 2 was proclaimed king of England at Westminster at the age of 30. He had been in exile since age 21.
This ended the control of the puritan Parlimant however the king upheld the actsof the Cromwellian era.
In 1662 Charles ratified the Act of Uniformity making all subject to one religion that of the king declaring all other worship unlawful.

James Butler, Duke of Ormond was reinstated as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
An act of the Irish Parliament delcared in April that all confiscations were held ligitimate growing out of the insurection, exluding forever, without trial 3000 old proprietors.

sourse:The History of Ulster, Ramsey Colles Gresham Publishing Coy 1919

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

The prodistants held 4/5 of Ireland.

Irish History Synopsis: Rebellion of 1641

2007-07-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

Irish History Synopsis--The Rebellion of 1641 page 1

In 1641 the Irish formed a Catholic Confederation to address the grevances against the newly emposed plantation system of James I to his son the than king Charles I, which had been festering since 1607 at the Flight of the Earls leaving Ulster entirely confiscated to the King.
Lord Castlehaven, an English Catholic Royalist expressed in favor of the Irish grevances which inbibed their restiveness:
That they were looked upon as a conquered nation and not treated like free born subjects;
the confiscation of the entire 6 counties of Ulster with no land restored to the original holder natives, but given over by James to his Scot countrymen;
that the Crown also laid claim to much of west Ireland and some of South Ireland counties;
severity againt roman catholics both in England and in Ireland;
that the Scot by force of arms were able to extract favored treatment and privileges as well as money.

These Confederates getting no satisfaction from the Crown finally rebelled under the leadership of Phelim O Neill of Kinard[Caledon], child of John, the younger brother of Con Bacach O Neill, first Earl of Tyrone.

Phelim at this time was permitted to own 23,000 acres in the barony of Dungannon.

During this time the descendants of Hugh O Neill the Great Earl in Spain, John being one of them, elicited a promise of arms and amunition and money from Cardinal Richelieu of France.
A message was sent by John O Neill to Phelim via his son Nial in May 1641.
John was shortly thereafter killed in Catalonia making Owen Roe O Neill son of Art M Baron ONeill and a nefew of Hugh the Great , Earl of Tyrone.

In October 1641 the Confederates struck capturing the forts at Charlemont,and Mountjoy, seizing Dungannon, Carrick Macross,Castle Blaney and Tangargee.
Phillip M Hugh O Reilly overran Cavan and Fermanagh with the Maguires. Newry was seized by Conor Maginnis.

In the south however, the Confedeerates were found out by a confession to the authorities of one Owen O Connelly, a prodistant servant of the puritan John Clotsworth. O Connelly was a distant relation of Hugh Og Mc Mahon the grandson of the Great Earl.
This person having been taken into the confidences of the Confederates went immediately under drink to Lord Justice Parsons who alerted Borlase who summoned the Privy Counsil at Chichester House on Collage Green.

history synopsis rebellion 1641 page 2

Eight Privy counsilors aided by Sir Francis Willowby of Galway, sat all night at the Castle.
A Proclaimation was issued for the arrest of the named perpetrators, Hugh Og m Mahon, Lord Maguire, Fox, Plunkett, O Byrne and Moore. thereby foiling the plot to capture the Castle and all its stores.
Some of the plotters got wind of the pending arrests and were able to flee but Maguire and macMahon were arrested sent to London and hung at Tyburn.

The Irish were able to hold their gains in Ulster.

In October of 1642 the Catholic Confederacy formed a Supreme Counsil at a general assemby at Kilkenny. Here they gave Owen roe Oneill recently arrived in Ireland at Donegal command of the Ulster forces.
Barry was given command of Munster and John Burke of Clanricard a lieutenant general ,commander of all forces.
Cardnal Richlieu discharged the Irish Brigade in France so that they might fight in Ireland, a body of 1500 men.
Sir Phelim O Neill had 30,000 men but undisaplined.The rebellions spread from Ulster to Connact, Munster and Leinster.

By than Lord Talbot a major player in giving power to the catholic natives of Ireland,

had been recalled as Lord Lieutenant and Robert Sydney,Earl of Leichester appointed.
This LL never went to Ireland but the Puritans of the Pale sent him a full report of the rebellion by Owen O Connelly who was given 500 pounds and a pension of 200 pounds pending an estate.

Charles turned over the management of the supression of the rebellion to his Parliament who borrowed money from the city of London to finance a force of 6000 foot and 2000 horse to be sent to Ireland with arms and ammunition.
The rebels meanwhile captured Dundalk and threatened Drogheda.
Sir Charles Coote a man known for sadistic cruelity was commissioned by the English Parliament against the insurgents after an English commander named Roper had been defeated by the rebles at Julianston Bridge where he lost 500 men to the forces of Hugh O Bryne, Rory O Moore and Phillip m Hugh O Reily. who had used the deep fog to attack these troops and annilate them not loosing a man on the Irish side.

Charles Coote was a cruel commander and enjoyed murder killing many men women and children who were innocent in Wicklow where his men killed to their hearts content impalling babies on their pikes
.Coote admitted he enjoyed watching these 'frolics'
Priests were shot on site.Coote for his attrocities was appointed govornor of Dublin.
The Lord Justices of Dublin sent out parties to kill and distroy the rebels but once these parties were in the countryside they killed indiscriminatly country people, men women and children as they found them in their clochans.
The rebels in turn did the same to the English settlers.

irish history synopsis rebellion of `1641 page 3

General Monro arrived in Ireland bringing 2,500 Scot troops sweeping all before him, landing at CarrickFergus Castle on 15 April 1642.
On April 28 Monro marched south to Newry joining with forces of Lord Conway and Sir James Turner making a command of 4,000 men.
By the end of April there were 19,000 recruits and volunteers in Ulster.

In July of 1642 Owen Roe O Neill son of Art m Baron and nefew of Hugh the Great of Kinsale fame ,landed in Donnegal. He had been a colonel in Huge's son Henry's French brigade at Douai .
Before the end of 1642 the rebellion under Phelim, who was not trained in the profession of arms was almost defeated most of his disorganized bands seeking refuge in the woods.
Sir Phelim met Owen Roe with 1500 men and they preceeded via Ballyshannon to Charlemont Fort still held by the Irish.
Sir Phelim resigned the command at Clones and Owen Roe was elected general in chief of the Catholic forces.
Being a disaplined soldier he set about organizing an army of the Catholic rabble.

The dublin
English forces were given scythes ,reaping hooks and whetstones along with Bibles so they might cut the peasants crops to starve the propriotors into submission or force them to flee the country. The Bibles that they might study the sin and danger of sparing idolitors.

By August 1642 th combined Scot /English army in Ulster was 20,000 foot and 1000 horse, a force with which ONeill could not hope to contend.

In May 1643 Monro attacked O Neill near Charlemont.The fort held.

Charles meanwhile confiscated to the Crown 2 1/2 million acres in 1642 establishing a Royal Commission.
A truce was agreed to for a year and a day by Ormond [Butler] on behalf of Charles.
The signers for the confederation were Muskerry, Dillon, Plunkett,Talbot,Barnwell,Turlough O Neill, G Brown, Maginnes and Walsh.
The king was to recieve 3,000 pounds from the confederacy.
Charles had been financing the war by borrowing money from the London Companies giving as security the Irish lands to be conquered.
This borrowing on a promise of payment with land confiscations was continued through the Covanters Cromwellian Parliament when over 2/3's of Ireland were confiscated consisting of 100,000,000 Irish acres.

1641 page 4

By 1644 The Confederate forces in Ulster combined between O Neill and Castlehaven, who was an English catholic sympathetic to the cause of the Irish, were some 6,000 foot and 1000 horse with dragoons and creights who were nomadic Irish cattle herders.These were all gathered in the province of Ulster.
This army met the army of Monro at Benburb in Tyrone, the former home of Shane ONeill m Conn Bachach.
In this battle the confederates were financed by Cardinlal Rinuccini ,envoy of the Pope ,who had arrived in Ireland a year before with money and armaments supplied by the Holy See.
The battle was fought on 4 June 1646 in the evening. The Monro army advancing from the east and the setting sun was now in their eyesas well as dust stirring west wind.
O Neill having taken up his position west of the Albain Mor[blackwater river] with the river to his right, a bog to his left, a wood to his rear and a field of brush before him, decisively charged the Scots, broke their ranks and routed the army. Not persuing this victory in the style of the Irish he was subsequently ordered by the Confederate Counsil under Cardinal Rinuccini to return to the south where he was sent to Leinster.
This sparring and battle continued all over Ireland between the forces of England and their Parliament and the Irish Confederate forces.

Owen Roe developed a knee infection and could not walk. He was at Derry on August 9 and by November 6 1649 he died of this mysterious ailement. It was said that he was poisoned from his boots by Coote.
The Confederacy was disolved. Rinuccini ordered to leave the country by the Irish.The Articles of Peace had been ratified on 17 January 1649 before the beheading of Charles on January 30, 1649 by order of his Parliament.
The provisional government vested in laymen called the Commisssioners of Trust.

Chalemont remained as it had from the beginning of October 1641 in the hands of of Phelim O Neill and the Irish.

Venables and Coote attached this fort in July 1650 where even the women defended their fort by dumping red hot ash and boiling water on the besiegers.
When only 30 men were left O Neill approached the waiting Coote for terms. Terms were offered where the defenders were allowed to march out with their arms and baggage. Sir Philim himself to leave Ireland.

Thus on August 14 ,1650 Ulster and all Ireland passsed completely into the Hands of Parliament.
Charles , the king having ben beheaded on January 30, 1649 leaving England in the hands of Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan Covanters.

The 8 years of war in Ireland were over to be followed the the invasion of Cromwell. and his Parliament.

The History of Ulster, Volume III, Ramsey Colles, 1919
Published Gresham Publishing Coy. LTD

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

Irish History Synopsis; Flight of the Earls

2007-07-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

When the Great ONeill left Ireland on a ship out of Lock Swilly at Rath Mullen bound for France which had been obtained for him by Cuconnaught O Donnell, he left behind his bodyguard of 600 soldiers which Elizabeth allowed him to keep.These men were without land or substance and had not been paid O Neill haveing the prudence to take with him his collected rents. These guard had nothing but their swords and their cloaks. They were distainful of work as beneith their dignity. There only occupation had been by training as swordsmen. Hence the Rapparee was born meaning a menace. The woods of Lissford were full of kerns. Consequently they preyed the neighborhood for food and shelter for a period of time and were considered a bunch of pests by the incoming land grabbers of the confiscated lands..
James 2 magnanimously sent over three ships to load them onboard by impressment and sent them all to the Swedish wars. Hugh Boy ONeill escaped to Flanders Others made their way from there to Tyrone who was still in Brussels.

During this transition period the Irish generally were deprived of a means of living, land and dignity not being treated with any respect by the incomming undertakers and the Kings Army present.

Henry Dowcra was appointed Commander of these forces in Ireland at Lock Foyle with 4000 foot and 2000 horse at his disposal to control the Irish.
The lands confiscated were all of Tyrone, Derry. Donegal, Fernmanagh,Armagh,Cavan and Inishowen peninsela.These were placed under th Commisioner John Davies with a Committee composed of Sir James Ley, Dowcra, Anthony St Leger,James Fullerton, Sir Oliver St John.These commissioners were to hold juries to determine which pieces of land should go to which undertakers generally.

At that time under old Irish law lands were held by the septs of the fine with lands designated for the use of the Lord such as ONeill during their lifetime.The lord when declared chief did not own the land in the sence of English private property. Ownership with rights of inheritance. Nor did the comman Irish Peasant own any land but was allowed to graze his cattle on the sept lands or the lords lands for a rental fee.these fees in cattle were determined by the number of cattle these creights grazed on the common lands. These Betags usually lived in temporary mud huts or sheds till the wondering cattle ate thegrass at hand and than they moved on in nomatic existance. Just as the landless and nowadays cattleless Travelers do this day.Now known as Tinkers for their earning their keep formerly by making tin pots or shapening local knives and such.
They
were pressured by the new English coming in to settle and become tenant farmers sowing wheat and oats and building houses.This even the chiefs objected to saying it would ruin the race.
Ireland did not deal in coins or money but in cattle, oats ,butter, meal, hogs ,mutton and other stuff. No Money was needed in the society.
The land was divided into tracts called Ballybetagh of 1000 acres [irish acres]
or ballyboes of 60-120 acres.the rest of the land including bogs lakes rivers and such were held in common for the use of all.

With the new plantation System devised by the Court the land confiscated would be divided by the Commission
to Servitors- for governement service with the civil or military.These were not to employ the Irish and the must be Prodistant and most were Puritans. Menial Irish occupations were permited..
The Undertakers were given by grant without pay 2000 Acres and were required to build a Castle.
A knight was given by grant 1500 acres and must build of stone or brick
Land in Socage[ which cannot find in english dictonary of today] was 1000 acres which must have a habitation built of wood
The undertaker was to plant 48 men in 3 years who had been born in England or Scotish lowlands and establish 20 families with a demesne of 600 acres
and must place 4 fee farmers on 120 acres, create 6 leseholders on 100 acres ,and have 8 families of artificers husbandmen and cottagers.
Some grants were made to the native irish if they could establish their loyalty to the Crown but these grants were to be only on the plain where they could be kept under observation.There holdings were to be 10 acres under a lease.
The peasant Irish were near starvation at this point.Chiefs and Lords were displaced by these Undertakers. They were not needed as slaves or tenants at will.who were allowed to stay at the pleasure of the Undertakers with no gurantee that they would not be evicted next day or in the middle of the night.All these grants were made by king James in fee simple to the holders and their heirs.

There were 104 undertakers in Ulster
56 servitors
and 286 natives all bonded with regular accountsof their activites and profits to King James.
In addition several London corporations were granted land such as the London Livery Company which acquired derry /colerane was given in grant to the city of London hence the calling of Londonderry which means oak wood of London.

Previous to this decade Sir Walter Raleigh was granted 140 million acres of wood unspoiled in Leinster on the south coat of Ireland by Elizabeth which he promply denued at great profit building the casle like structure still standing in that area. These planters completely denuded the ancient forests of Ireland leving us the bare 40 shades of green so prominent in tourist guides.

The earl himself was unable by storms under the captainship of Captain John Bath to land as planned but they made land in Noramndy. he was welcomed there but encouraged to move on which he did to Brussels later from there to Luavaine and hence to Switzerland where he crossed over into Italy avoiding French territory on his way south. He was unable to obtain any militry or other help for his land and died some years later in Rome on July 20 1616 where he is buriend on the Januculan hill next to Rory O Donnell at the church of San Pietro.

Conn Bacah ONeill was driven out in poverty from his family house at Castle Rea. He died in this state in 1620 at Hollywood and was buried at BallyMaghon church with nothing but his tomestone.This was later removed to the British museum where it remains tody. Why it is there we no not.The man was not even left his grave marker!
The famous cattle of Ireland gradually disapeared into the british belly The manor house replaced both the norman castle and the wooden houses and raths of the Chiefs for mud huts with thach roof on small tenant holdings throughout the land. The religious monastaries never recovered from their dismemberment by Henry 8.
James declared the Brehon law unlawful and it became extinct in favor of Engish courts of azzises. the country ws shired New burough were created by James 1 and seconded by the Irish parliment at Dublin as Auger,Armagh,Ballyshannon.Bangor,Belfasr[ of which sir Arthur Chischester was created Baron] Belturret,Charlemont,Clogher, Limavady, Monahan, Newry and Strabane.

The Irish lost not only their lands and livelihood ,their ancient pre cristain culture and works but their senachies and history falling into a mire of deprivation confusion and ignorance bound to subservience.
A state in which they continued through the Great Famine of 1845 which in a sence liberated them by emigration.
Today they are seeking slowly their own past in smigins as we are here now exploring and trying to recover a basic of their language which knowledge they need to understand the fragments of writing preserved in various librarys throught Europe and some in America still lost to them. Meitheam 9 07

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

Copyright August 1 2007

Irish History Synopsis:The Line of Descent

2007-07-14T16:55:00.001-07:00

The line of descent

Not much more in the books at hand but reading the Beata Aoda Ruaida o Domnaill
which towards the end discribing the death in Spain of this great hero of Ireland notes his descent from Lugaid son of Setna as the race of Lugaid son of Setna. This Lord had his seat at Lifford Castle in Donegal. The mountain where Donegal Castle was is called the Land of Lugaid This mountain whose name is not right here in the notes but I did write it down is the center of Donegal the tribes of the Clann Conail occupying both east and west sides of the mountain and its plain.the castle was burned by Aeda himself to keep it from being occupied by the English garison. After he died in Spain, whether of desease or by poison, and his brother Rory Rudraighe innagurated ODonnell in his stead escaped by ship in the famous Flight of the Earls the castle and its lands were given by James 1 to sir Brooks who rebuilt it. The Earls were denied landing in france and went to Spain where they were recieved but encourages to leave for Italy and Rome where most of them remained without aid until they died. A poem in this volume written called the sorrow of Erie well worth reading it is good poetry and metered believed to have been composed by mac an Baird tells of the sorrow in Ireland and of the calvanistic punishment for the sins of Erie and its Lords.
Anocht as uaigneach Erie
[Lonley is Ireland tonight}

Many marriges and alliances occured between the Oneill and the O Donnell families over the centuries they being originally cousins by their brotherly descent from Eogain and Conall both sons of Nial Niogalach
The Donnellys primarily being associate with the Oneill family and primarily with the Shane ONeill whom they fostered they bear the same coat of arms and motto as the O Neill
The Donnelly family seem to be descendant from
Bron which means a quern for mashing grain which is also spelled Broin.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

Irish History Synopsis:The Great Lords of the North

2007-07-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

I am just reading some of the Beata Aoda Ruaid published in irish
[middle] and english by the Irish Text Society.

The Great Lords of the North

When the two great lords of the north O Domnail and O Neil met with
their well ordered forces at Dun Bain in Munster of the Carberries
[Bandain i Cairpreacaib]and procceded down to Kinsale to assist the
beseiged Don Juan Aguila of Spain, they held a conference among
themselves and their chiefs as how best to proceed.

O Neil advised that an attack would not be wise because ofthe English
great strength of numbers but that they should be kept under siege,
which they already were in their fort until theyshould die of
hunger,or surrender

O Domnail oppositionally felt that the English should be attacked
forthwith as it brought shame to the Irish honor to let the Spanish
king Phillip had sent be distroyed by the English while the Irish
forces did nothing to relieve them.

This plan carried the day with the chiefs present in the two armys
and was to be implimented.
However the two lords O Neill and O Domnaill had between them a code
of chivalry that neither of them should be put before the other into
the forefront of battle.

This created a tension among the troops as well as themselves and it
was agreed that they would go shoulder to shoulder into the fight as
one rather than one army proceeding the other.

This plan was cumbersome and could not give the pathfinders and
guides a clear direction of the road they were on. Hence during their
night march intended to arrive at the English encapment in early morn
for best suprise attach was foiled the army becoming separated and
lost during the march. It was unable therefore to arrive at the
English stronghold until mid morning in broad daylight loosings its
cover.
The ONeill flank found itself face to face with well oiled shot and
was turned into the ODonnell army next it with the English horse in
quick pursuit. This creatd a melee and a rout of the Irish army into
a retreat.
It is said also that the lord Deputy[mountjoy] has intelligence of
the move to attack from Irish persons in the Irish camp .

This history transcibed from older MS by OCleary of the Fransiscan
monastary and ollam to the cenel conail includes a fine peice of
writing in year ten 1601 which i transcibe here for your thought:

188. Yet though there fell in that defeat at Kinsale so few of the
Irish that they would not miss them after a while, and indeed did not
miss even then, yet there was not lost in any defeat in recent times
in Ireland so much as was lost there. There was lost there to begin
with the one island which was most productive and fruitful, most
temerate in heat and cold in the greater part of Europe,in which
there was much honey and wheat, with many fish-abounding, rivers,
waterfalls and estuaries, in whichwer calm, profitable harbours, as
the first man of the race of Gaedil Glas, son of Niul, who came to
Ireland gave this testimony, ie:Ith, son of Breaogan, in the presence
of the last kings who were of the Tuatha De Danann over Eire. There
were lost there all who escaped of the noble freeborn sons of Mil,
valiant, impetious chiefs, lords of territories and tribes,
chieftains of districts and cantreds; for it is full certain that
there never will be in Erin at any time together people better or
more famous than the nobles who were there, and who died afterwards
in other countries one after another, after being robbed of their
patramony and their noble land which they left to their enemies in
that defeat.there were lost besides nobility and honor, generosity
and great deeds, hospitality and kindliness, courtesy and noble
birth, culture and activity, streangth and courage, valour and
steadfastness, the authority and sovereignty of the Gaels of Ireland
to the end of time.'

Odonnell after this defeat tells his men to go home with their prey
to their family and their lands that he cannot return to Donegal but
will go to Spain. He was enraged at the loss and in so much sorry of
it that his people though he might kill himself.He said he would
rather die than stand with those Irish who had been routed meaning
Oneill and his forces.
The ms lists the defeat at kinsale as Jan 3 1602 Not Christmas eve.
The solders kept Christmas and the nativity in their camp before they
marched to the attack of the English stronghold.
He took ship at Castlehaven with his retainers and Captain Reamon de
Burc mac Sean na Seamar and Captain Aod Moss mac Roibeard. on Jan 6
1602
He landed safely at Coronna Spain from whence his ancestors had come
to Ireland.When he saw King Phillip the king promised him aid and
asked him to wait at Coronna. ODonnell waited ten months there and
than went out to reseak his petition. When he arrived at a town called
Simancas two miles from the kings palace he was taken ill with a
desease. At the end of 16 days he died of this desease on September 10
1602.

The King of Spain gave him a state funeral and buried him in the
chapel house of the monastary of St Francis. He was 30 years old.

'194. Pitiful indeed, was the state of the Gaels of Ireland after the
death of the true prince, for they changed their characteristics and
dispositionss. they gave up bravery for cowardice, courage for
weakness, pride for servility. Their hatred, valor, prowess, heroism,
triumph, and military glory vanished after his death. they abandoned
all hope of relief from any one, so that most of them fled thereafter
to the mercy of foes and enemies, those who were noblest of them,
under the guise of peace and friendship. And some of them were
dispersed and scattered not only throughout Ireland but all over
Europe in groups and bands, poor and miserable, and others as
soldiers of fortune in foreign lands for pay and hire, so that many
of them were killed and others died, and the graves they are buried
in are unknown. But, indeed, it would be tedious to recount or relate
the great woes which were sown and propagated in Ireland as the
result of the death of Aodh O Domnaill.'

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

<

Irish History Synopsis:The maguire Abuses

2007-07-11T18:21:00.001-07:00

The Maguire Abuses

In 1590 there was much abuse and lawlessness in the counry of Ireland
Generally with the appointed Lord Deputies and justices out to
feather their own nests at the expense of the natives and their
fellow English settlers. The abuses of the government agents under
the old staid absolute rule of Elizabeth 1 was rampant in the
land.
Sir Richard Bingham President of Connact raided Fernmanagh
drove out Maguires cattle killed women and children and exacted
ransoms. Edmund Maguires head was struck from his neck and insolently
kicked about as a football by the soldiers.
Lord Essex confiscated Island Magee from Shane m Brian the heir of
long duration upon this young mans father's death.Sir Henry Bagenal,
Marshall of the forces in Ireland imprisoned this young heir until he
gave him[Bagenal] his lands of Maughry More.
Although the Queens deputy has issued patents that the Maguire lands
and possessions would not be molested Sir Bingham and his family came
from Connact with force of arms burned the county took off 3000 cows
500 horses women and prisoners.When Maguire complained Bingham came
again taking this time 6000 cows killing and murdering accompanied by
Maguires neighbor in Monahan Captain Henshaw taking more cows and
women killing all, men women and children.
The appeals to the Lord Deputy the Queens appointed representative
went unheard and no redress was given from fitz William. However the
Lord Deputy did promise Maguire that he would not be charged with
Sherrifs or other officers upon payment of a bribe to his Lordship of
300 beef plus 150 beefs to the marshall, sir Bagenal. However a
Captain Willis and a Captain Fuller with a company plus [100 men] to
be sherrif of Maguires lands having been given commissions from the
LD.These are the officers of the Queens service who cut off the head
of Edmund Maguire and hurled it about as a football Willis and
company were subsequently banished from the country.
Sir William furthermore executed one McMahon in his own house in
Monahan not recognising the seccession of this person to his rightful
estates. By this execution the parties divided the county of Monahan
under British garrison by Sir W fitz William the Lord Deputy between
Sir Bagenal, Baron Elliott,Solicitor Wilbrahan, Captain
Henshaw,Captain Willis,the parson O Connellan, Hugh
Strawbridge,Thomas Ashe, Charles Fleming and other strangers
disinheriting the native population by force and deceit. Some of
those who objected were later ambushed and slain by Parson O
Connellan and Captain Willis.
If any of these abuses were reported to the government either in the
Pale or in London they were not reported to the Queen showing once
again the inability of any absolute monarch or dictator to control
and have knowledge of the powers they hold over others.

Elizabeth when she did get a complaint responded that these acts had
been done without her authority and that they had been reported to
her she would have redressed them. However nothing was done to
relieve the confiscations and abuses of her appointed officers in
Ireland.

Hugh ONeill the Earl of Tyrone having no confidence in the Pale
government set out himself for London to lay the Irish grevience
before the Queen.
This however proved his undoing as it was illegal to leave Ireland
without permission of the Viceroy in Dublin and he was therfore
imprisoned in the Tower.
A month later his submission was recievd and he was required to bind
himself again to articles of submission.

He renounced the title of O Neill
consented to the shiring of Tyrone
Consented to the erection of jails in Tyrone
that a perveyance should be paid to the Queen within 10 months
that he would levy no armed force
that he would make no incursion into a neighbors territory except to
take back prey taken from him
He agreed not to execute any man without a commission from the Lord
Deputy(an exception made for martial law)
to keep a troop of horsemen in the Queens pay always ready for
service

Not to admit monks or friars to his territory
not to correspond with foreign traitors
to promote the use of English dress
to sell provisions to the Blackwater fort

He promised to send surities{ Hostages}
who were not to be detained in Dublin Castle but commited to the care
of merchants or gentlemen of the Pale.
The surities were to be changed every 3 months

For this the government of Her Majesty agreed to protect the Earl
from all molestation.

These articles of Agreement signed on June 7 1590
were confirmed by the Deputy and Gentlemen of the Pale
However controversy continued between The Earl of Tyrone and his
uncle Turlogh Lynnagh O Neill of Strabane who had killed his father
and made him a ward of Queen Elizabeth. This controversy was
aggravated by Perrot's kidnapping of Hugh Roe O Donnell imprisoning
him as a teen ager in the Castle from which he escaped after 5 years.
By 1595 ONeill had been proclamed traitor and was engagd with the
armys of Norris , Sir John ,who was trying to bring supplies to
Armagh. ONeill met with this force at Clontibert. In this battle an
anglo/irish man with the Eng forces tryed to select out and attack
ONeill at the river depending on his great size to defeat the Chief.
ONeill met him in full approach with lances afore and both were
slivered on implact. Seagrave depending on his great strength
wrestled ONeill by the neck from his horse. O Neill was able to slay
this man with a dagger as both armies looked on.
During this frey Turlogh Lynnagh O Neill died of old age and Hugh was
left to become the ONeill and therfore chief of all Ulster.
There appears to be many parallels between some of the things we are
aware of in the modern world and the stuggles of these 500 year old
figures.
History allows us to see ourselves and our thinking and our acts and
our awareness and judge if we have actually made very much
improvement at all.

Judi Donnelly
Copyright august 1 2007

Sat Jun 2, 2007 11:06 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

V

Irish Hisotry SynopsisStatutes of Kilkenny

2007-07-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Statutes of Kilkenny were passed and signed into law in Nov 1366
by the Irish Parliament and signed by The Duke of Clarence second
son of Edward III. Clarence has married Elizabeth de Burgo daughter
of the famous Red Earl of Ulster and therby inheirited from her the
lands of both Ulster and Connact.[the irish script spelling]

He was appointed lieutenant in 1361 and came over to Ireland a tall
handsome young man to please the anglo irish who wanted a prince of
the blood to rule over them.
He brought with him 64 Lords who had been absentee to occupy their
estates in Ireland and an amry of 1500 men.
After some years rule which was mostly restoring recovered lands to
the anglo irish conquerors(normans) Lionel the Duke of Clarence of
the house of York summoned an assembly to enact laws pertaining to
the rule of Ireland.
These were the 35 acts of the Statutes of Kilkenny which provided for
in the Norman French than the language of the land the following
provisions:

There would be no fosterage of children among the Irish
Nor marriage
Or gossipred(godparenting and baptism)
no cases at dispute would be decided in the Brehon Law or the March
Law
No Irish minsterals, poets or storytellers were to be allowed
no selling of horses or armour in times of peace
no selling of food in times of war
all names must be english surnames
all must speak english language Irish forbiden
All use of english customs and dress
the english Norman saddle,the heavy saddle, (the irish rode bereback)
and the study of the bow and arrow were to be used*

*Note; The saddle of the Norman calvery and mailed Knight was
cumbersome and heavy like our western saddle. The English lite and
small saddle is more like what the Irish might have used when a
saddle was used at all.

To speak the Irish tongue was to forfiet all lands to the Lord until
English was spoken exclusively

All Irish were excluded from the English cathederals abbeys and
benfices

All Engish chiefs to arrest any of their own found to be 'evildoing'
and turn them over to the law
Kerns and hired soldiers to be maintained only at the Marches (ie the
currah)
four keepers in each county to determine fitness for service of the
english in their army

the 'mere irish' were denied English citizenship or protection of the
english law
Irish were not allowed to own land, inherit land, hold office or seek
justice in the courts.

the 'mere Irish' were styled in the statute 'the Kings irish enemies'

the Irish were held to be in a condition of servitude.

These statutes were effective in all conquored lands in Ireland.

They were endorsed by the archbishops of Tuam,Cashel and Dublin with
the concurrence of the bishops of Waterford-lismore, Killaloe,
Ossery, Leighlin and Cloyne.

Individual Charters were to be granted by the king to those who
submitted to English law and where therby granted the rights of a
leige or a subject.

After making these Laws Lionel Duke of Clarence of the house of York
left Ireland for good and later died in Itlay in Oct of 1368. He left
one child Philippa who married Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March who
through her inherited the Earldom of Ulster which later passed to the
Crown.

A third of the Irish land was in the hands of the families of
Burke,Butler, Roches and Geraldines these were than known as
the' 'captains of their nations' along with the native gaelic chiefs
still reamining the five bloods ONeill , O Brian, Mc Murrough, O
Connor the O Donnell.
The statute was intended to effectively separate these two races from
one another in all aspects of common life and to place English king
and English cultures the only culture or language or controlling
power in the Island.

Some years later under these restictive legislations 35 of the ruling
gaelic chiefs submitted to Richard II in 1395 therby receiving their
lands in return for allegiencs and military bonnachts to the king and
accepting english law as ruling and english dress and language as
their own.
the O Niell , the Mc
Carthy, the Obrien, the Oconnor ,O Reilly, O Bryne, and finally Mc
Murrough in Jan 1395 on a sunday in lent submittd followed by O Bryne
O Toole and O Connor.
This submission was never ratified by the English king or parliament.
Nial More submited at Drogeda with all his chiefs following but O
Donnell and his vassels [oireacht] Fernmagh and Sligo -the McGuire
and the Oconnor don- and the chiefs of the Connact seaboard.
On Marh 16 1395 Nial Og O Neill submitted for his father, prince of
the Irish of Ulster, surrendering the bonnacht all lands liberties
and lordships.
Taig McCarthy More surrendered along with Mc Carthy of Muskerry,
Turlough donn O Conor of Connact and O Kennedy of Munster and Brian O
Brien of Thumond.

Richard died at Ravenspur, Derby in 1399. These early surrender and
regrant submissions was used by Henry VIII to claim his surzanity in
Irleand in 1540.

SONA LA CAISE GO LEIR

[ Happy Day Easter to all or entirly]

Judi Donnelly
Copyright august 1 2007

Wed Apr 4, 2007 1:48 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Irish History Synopsis:The Connors of Connacht

2007-07-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

The Connors of Connacht

Rory O Connor Last King of Ireland died in 1206.

At the time the kingdom of Connacht was held by Cahall Carrach
OConnorh his eldest son.

Rory the former and last king of Ireland with opposition had a son
called Cahall Carragh his ligitimate heir.This Carragh was able to
banish Cahall Crobhderg [hand or talon red] O Connor (bh is pronounced
v in irish hence the english write v)]
This prince went north to his relative O Neale where they joined
forces along with Fernmanagh and in 1200 they preyed Roscommon
district.
Carragh with the English of Leinster also preyed the country. He
overthrow O Neall accompied by the English forces under William Power
and the king of Fernmanagh O Heignye.

Crovderg O Conner with De Lacy and De Coursy met Carragh with his
Irish/English forces where they were overthrown by Carragh.
De Courseys forces with his men who were disoriented and lost took
to Loch Ree where many of them were drowned being without help.
Crovederg was captured and taken to theO Brian castle near Kells till
he gave back the prey. He did so and when he was released he went to
McCarthy and William Burke in the south. John de Coursey returned to
Ulster.
The forces of Crovderg along with Burke and mcCarthy returned to
Connacht to Ath da Laragh at the Abby of Boyle built by O Duffy in
1161 for the Cistercian Order.

This force was encountered by Cahall Carragh O Connor king of Connacht
son of Rory O Connor last king of all Ireland at Gortin Coule Luachra
when in the skirmish Carragh was killed in the year 1201.

Crovederg and Burke than went to W Connact to Conge [Counge] where
they kept Easter.
During this period these allies Burke and the sons of Flatherty
conspired to kill Crovederg though this was prevented and Burke
retired to Lymbrick[Limerick] and Crovderg took the kingship of
Connacht to himself.
Later in the following year 1202 Crovederg with Meyler Bremyngham an
English lord banished William Burke out of Limerick from whence he
went to England to the king John for help.These forces ,Burke and
Crobhderg, later made a peace between them.
In 1208 King John came to Ireland and landed with a great army at
Dublin. Cahall Crobhderg O Connor came to Johns house to banish
Walter de Lacy out of Meath.
O Neal came to John and departed from him without giving hostages or
security.

O Connor came a second time to King John and rendered 4 hostages
namely Conor God O Hara prince of Lauiane[ Lwayne], Dermott mac
Connor O Moyleronie[ Mulrony], Finn O Carmaccan chief of Clan Kelly
and Torveara m Gallgoyle.
In 1210 the tanist of Connact died.this was Mortaigh MOYNEIGH M
TERLAGH and ONeale came to Fernmanagh to stop construction of a
castle by the Erne He did this by killing the builders and the
constable.

In this year also 1210 Cobhderg O Connor became deathly ill and could
not stand but he recovered and he spent Christmas with the Deputy of
Ireland in Dublin.

In 1212 ONeale and all his forces of the North assaulted the Clone
Castle built by and English Bishop which he took and killed all the
warders.
At that time Melaghlin M Art was preying Connacht and the
countryside.All the forces of the English of Ulster Munster and Meath
with the Irish forces bound to the King of England gathered together
at the bridge of Timme where the 2 forces fought at Clare ath Monce
[Kildare].these combined forces prevailed against Melaghlin of Meath.

Crobhderg's son Terlagh M Cahall Crobhderg O Connor died under arrest
of the English . Cathal Melaghlin attacked again and returned safely
to his home with his prey from Connacht. In the Year 1217 Crobhderg's
wife the daughter [ingen] of More OBryens died as did King John of
England.the reign of Hnery III began and continued for 65 years till
1282

.Crobhderg gathered his forces once more in 1223 The English who being
afraid of this confrontation made a peace with him at the castle of
Athliag on the Shannon [sionan]Crobhderg than broke down this castle.
In this year shortly ,after Cahall Crovderg O Connor died at Broyeoll
a Cistercian Abby at Knockmoy. He had been very bountiful to the
Church and reverent and died a rich man. His son Hugh m Cahall
Crobhderg
OConnor bcame king of Connacht.This did not end the OConnor stuggle
against the English.

Hugh had to provide hostages, his son and daughter which were taken
by force by the English along with all the principle men of Connacht.
Hugh was charged with criminal activity and was to be convicted but
he had a friend in high places William Mareschall{Morisco} who was
in great favor with the king and by the sword rescued Hugh Crobhderg
and conveyed him safely to Connacht.
Hugh O Connor came to an agreement with Geoffry March-the Earl of
March- who had prosecuted him and was restord his kingdom of
Connacht.He subsequently went to the Deputies house where he was
killed by an English servant of Marches.The cause of this killing of
the king was that the mans wife had washed the kings hair and body
and he, the king, had kissed her in gratitude for her services. this
enraged a jelousy in the man . March had this servant Hung the next
day.

Hughs brother Felym took the kingship of Connact in 1230.

The battle continued between Felym O Connor and the sons of Rory
OConnor for the kingship of Connact

This internicene fued continued up until the time of Brian ONealle
who it was agreed Brian should have the kingship of all Ireland
between O Connor and ONealle at Casle Coile Ushe. O Connor gave him
hsotages.

In 1260 Brian with his forces fought the English at Downe da leath
glasse [down patrick] in county down where he was killed with 10 of
the princes of the north and 15 Ulster chiefs.Connacht lost 13
princes and leaders.

The O Connor tribes continued to battle over the rule of the province
of Connacht for another two centures and it is amasing that any of
them survived at all.

Brian is buried in the Armagh cathederal along with Brian Boroue and
this date represents the last chance of an all Ireland king
acceptable to all without opposition. This ended effectivly the unity
of Ireland under one central leader and government structure. The
province steadily decended into internicene killing of brother
against brother to obtain the rule of the province until the vacumn
was finally filled with the intergection of Henry 8 and his daughter
Elizabeth 2 who moved to take absolute control of the Irish
countryside and her people though subjection and regrant.with the
fall of the Great and last ONealle at Kinsale
James Stuart of Scotland son of Mary Queen of Scots and James
Darnley who became by Elizabeths will King of England as James 1 was
able to establish the plantation system begun by his cousin Mary in
Offaly the plantation of Kings county and Queens county.

Cahall Crobhderg O Connor was the decendant of Eochaid Mugmean[ Muid
meadon}` through his son by Mongfinn{ hair blond} through her son
Brian ,half brother of Nial of the 9 hostages.
Mongfinn was the sister or child of Crimethann whom she poisoned
after she had married him on the death of MugMean who died from a
flux of the belly [dysentry] they were the children of Fidach who was
chief of the Fianna and Duban who reamins unidentified..She is also
listed as the mother of Fearadach Finn who was the grandfather of ST
Molling of the Barrow.The dates of these people is still unclear. as
are all dates as we dont know exactly when the time changed from BC
to AD anni Domino

Judi Donnelly
Copyright August 1 2007

Sat Apr 21, 2007 6:20 pm

Irish History Synopsis Garret Mor Ftzgerald

2007-07-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

One of the famous names of Medieval Ireland was that of Garret MoreFitzgerald of Kildare.This great earl was so popular with the people of his holdingthat he came close to being crowned a king of Ireland over Henry Tudor.Henry VIII declared that 'since all Ireland cannot rule this man,this man must rule all Ireland' and on this note on meeting GarretMore Henry restored him as Deputy and gave him to wife his owncousin, Elizabeth St John.
This Earl of Kildare the 8th was the son of Thomas had been takento Florence Italy as a child for his protection and was raised there.He was Lord Deputy from 1477 till he died in 1513. During this timehe continued his familys policy of marrage alliances. His sisterEleanor married Conn son of Henry the ONeill in 1480 in defiance ofthe Statutes of Kilkenny which forbad under penalty of land forfitureany intermarriage between Norman[old english] or English and NativeIrish persons the children of this alliance were declared of freeestate by an act of Parliament.One of the sons of Conn More son of Henry the ONeill was called ConnBacach because he had a limp or lameness. He inheritied the ONeill in 1519 and died in 1559, and was the nefew of Garret More Fitzgerald ofKildare.He was also the father of the ill fated Mathew Baron of DungannonUnder Elizabeth 1, father of Brian and Hugh{Aeda}. this Mathew waskilled by the forces of Shane ONeill in his fight with the McDonnell or McDonaldscots
The child Hugh was rescued by the Queens forces and taken to Londonwhere he was raised for some years in the royal custody. This Hughbecame ONeill himself on the Death of Turlock Leinech who wasinagurated the ONeill on the death of Shane who was fostered by theDonnellys after he was roundly defeated by the ODonnell at SwillyFarasetmore in 1567.
He [Shane] being a compete egotist threw himslef on the mercy of thethe scot Mac Donnells whose leader he had killed in the fight justbefore along with his brother Mathew who was killed during thisfrey*,or as a sideline to it. Shane was thereupon induced to getdrunk with them and in an altercation over some difference he wasslain by these scots warriors in vengance for the loss of theirleader. One of the Donnellys called Dudley died with him.
Turloch Leinech ONeill was inagurated in 1568 and was married toAgnus Campbell of Argyll who had at her command 2000 gallowglasses asa part of her dowry.This Turloch ruled peacefully from Strabane tillhe died in 1587 when the ONeill passed to the remaining ONeilldescendant Hugh ONeill Earl of Tyrone who became in Irish eyes theGreat ONeill who fought the battle of the Yellow Ford[ ath buide] in1598 and the finaly battle of Kinsale on Chrismas Eve in 1601.
In former Years thou the family of Garret More who had five daughtersbuilt up a sucessful alliance through marriage with the great housesof the Gael and the Gall. Ulick Burke of Clanricard, Donal Mc CarthyReigh, Mulrony O Carroll of Ely and Offlay,The Lord of Slane, andMargaret to Piers Butler Lord of Ormand deputy and head of thePolestown Butlers.
Garret More secured the successsion of the ONeill or the OKelly Heliked and distroying with his artilery the castles of hisopponents.In 1504 Garret More was opposed by his son -in-law UlickBurke who not only took over the town of Galway for himself butwas abusive to Garret's daughter.
A great battle was finally ajoined where Kildare summoned to him O DONNELL, O NEILL, O KELLY, THE MAYO BURKES, the English of the PALEand of Obrien 's English of CLANRICARD as well as the CHIEFS OFORMOND and CONNACT
This army mustered could have conquered THE PALE IN 24 HOURS had heso chosen to claim the CROWN of IRELAND.The battle was fought on Aug 19 1504 ' and I was first married onAUG 19 1954 .
Ten thousand men fought at the at the hill of Cnoc Taugh near GalwayThese armies were equiped with bows, bills,, spears and swords,horsemen, and axemen the battle was so fierce that that 1800gallowglasses of Clanricard where slain outright only one battalionof 10 escaped alive.This famous victory gave Kildare the garter from the king Henry 8He entered Galway in glory. He did not although pose himself toa separate kingship over Ireland but although suspected of being asecret yorkist of the white rose favored by all the Irish nobles herealised that a new day of the Tudors had come .With the failure ofthe yorkist hope and he did not ignore the news from scotland thatJames had brought the lordship of the ilses to rest with the hangingof John Mac Donnell and his three sons.
In 1505 Hugh Oge O Donnell became after his father Lord ofTyrconnell, Sligo, Fernmanagh and Leitrim. He had allied with Kildarefor over 40 years againt the Clanricard and was a leader in a desireto unite Scotland and Ireland against England with a Yorkistrestoration as was Edward IV.O Donnell was a chief who travled and spoke other languages. Hevisited Rome in 1510 and was knighted by the King in London. ODonnell was in communication with James IV of Scotland regardinguniting the two kingdoms against Henry but before that couldmaterialise the Great Earl Garret More Fitzgersald of Kildare wasdead.He died in a petty skirmish with the OMores of Leix in trying one ofthe kings new guns on them one of them returned fire. He died on Sept 3 1513 and 6 days later the King of Scots James IV died at Floodenwith his entire calvary. O Donnell wrote to the King Henry to obsolvehimself of any suspition.
"Garrett More came nearer to being the accepted kind of Irleand thanany man since the Conquest, and his popularity lasted for the fortyyears of his rule. He is discribed as a might man of stature, full ofhonor and courage, open and plain, hardly able to rule himself whenhe was moved to anger, easily displeased and soon appeased, ofthe English well beloved, a good justicar, a suppresser of rebels anda warrior incomparable.. Under him though the union of the two raceswas not operated, there was a growing sense of a new nationality,and Gaelic chiefs and Old English lords allied and intermarriedopenly.
The influence of the Renaissance was seen in Ireland in thefounding of Kilkenny school by Piers Butler in a spendid college atMaynooth, built by the great Earl, and the fine library both ofmanuscrips and books that the Earl and his son had in MaynoothCastle. And if Ireland was dominatd by a numerous and powerfularistocracy without a king, at least a civilization under Methuen & CoLtd.[ London]
Garrett Oge suceeded his father and was a good administrtor aswell. Henry was content to let him rule as Deputy but there wasintrige afoot from England from Henrys new minister Wolsey. In 1515Earl Thomas Butler of Ormand died and his right went to his grandsonSir Thomas Boylyn who was the father of Anne Boylyn who subsequntlybecame the favorite of Henry 8 and the mother of the famous queenElizabeth I.
Many new rents and cesses where placed on the Irish and the Butlersintriues against Kildare for their own powers and favors from thekingAt last in 1520 Henry appointed an English noblemen Thomas Earl ofSurrey son of the Duke of Norfolk a yorkist as Lord Leiutenant ofIreland who arrived with an army of 1,000 men. Some of the IrishChiefs came in to Surrey amongh them Hugh Oge O Donnell and ConnBacach who was now the ONeill, Cormac McCarthy lord of Carbery.Henry adopted the policy of surrender and regrant for these lordssaying' that though we are above the laws we will take nothing thatbelongs to them'The Boylyns and the Butlers were allied againt the Kildare for over12 years.Henry made the great break with Rome over his desire to marry AnneBoylyn from 1529 -1536.Thomas Cromwell replaced the chief ministry ofWolsey.Under him the fall of the Kildare house was achieved.In February 1534 Garret Oge was summoned to London and lodged in theTower.He appointed his son Thomas known as Silken Thomas because of thegarments he chose for himself and his bodygaurd.
The Butlers spead the rumor that the Earl was dead in the Tower andon June 11 Silken Thomas surrendered the sword of State and renouncedHenry and his deputyship. He was around 21 years of age.He retired to his castle at Maynooth and threw himself into the handsof the Pope and the Emperor who he declared Henry had forfeitedIreland by his excomunication and heresy.However this enraged Henry and he sent in Sir William Skeffingtonwith the largest army for some time seen in Ireland. Thomas LordOffaly was declared a traitor and the curse of the church waspublished.This curse was shown to the old Earl Garret Oge ,who than died ofdispair in the Tower. in December of 1534.Skeffington captured Maynooth in March of 1535 after a wek seige allwarders executed as an 'example'In Aug Silken Thomas surrendered unconditionally and was sent to theTower.He was executed at Tyburn in February 1535 along with 5 of hisuncles.There was no parliamentary protection for or house of peersfor the Irish who could be held indefinatly in the tower for years inmysery and without trial to be executed at will by the whim of themonarch.This heralded the end of the house of Kildare. One geraldine was leftthe young 10 year old brother of Thomas who was rescued by his auntLady Eleanor widow of MacCarthy of Carbery who married Manus OODonnell to unify the north with the south.This child was later taken out of Donegal and into the continet ofEurope.
With the fall of this house and the establishement of the GeraldineLeague on behalf of the young brother of Thomas, the kingreesablished under Lord Gray the attaintment of the gerladinesrepresenting some 9 counties. Black rents were abolshed to the Irishcheiftanry ,intermarriage and fostering was forbidden with the Irish,keeping of Irish minstrels rymers and bards was forbidden among theEnglish ,Irish dress was forbidden among the Irish and English andEnglish language was to be used.In 1541 both Con Bacach the ONeill and ODonnell submitted to thesubmit and regrant programs of Henry who was than the Earl of Ulsterand Lord of Leix and Connact He now held through the attainted landsof Kildare and Desmond the lordship of Carlow Wexford and most ofLeinsterThe Pope moved to establish Jesuits in Ireland in 1541 to holdIreland at all costs for the Faith now that it ws established Henrywould not be brought back into the Faith but would continue with theReformation and his own etablished Royal Church.
So passed an era of history into the beginings of the Eliabethan erathe great conquests of the New World by both Spain England and Francewith which we are all familiar.
*there is some discrepancy in the death of mathew that he was killed by Turlock Leinech ONeill during shanes visit to the Court of Elizabeth sas she detained his returna ndTurlock felt that by eliminating mathew he would become the Oneill
SONA LA FEILE PADRAIC[ Happy Day geneous Patrick}

JudiDonnelly
Copyright August 1 2007