IRA Part 1 of 7 · 61-7606 sect 1-5 · p.173

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the annual Oireachtas of the Gaelic League, held this time in Waterford,
afforded the opportunity for a joyous reunion of released prisoners and
This suggested Constitution has been passed unanimously by theProvisional Committee
old comrades,who overflowed at its close into the election area:
movement,as in similar movementsin all countries,there are different shades of opinion.Notwith-
" Kilkenny has followed Clare in repudiating the policy of a constitutional settlement
standing that,we areunited on this point--thatwe stand henceforward foranIrishRepublic.And
we believe that theRepubiic can be achievedby the weapon of the suggested Constitution.
said the Frceman's Journal in despair,August llth.
Eamonn deValera,in acknowledginghiselection asPresident of the
"We will fight against England until we have the same government as other free nations
organisation, said next day:
have,declared thesuccessfulcandidate.HoldinguptheSinnFeinflag,Mr.deValeracalledfor
‘three cheersfor theIrishRepublic,'and theywere heartily given."
The Constitution of thenew movementwhichyouhave adopted says this organisation of
SinnFein aims atsecuring theinteruationalrecognition ofIreland as anindependentIrishRepublic.
Eoin MacNeill, speaking in' Derry in September, said Gen. Maxwell
That is what I stand for.I said in East Clare that myelection wasamonument to the deadI
had visited him in Arbour Hill and asked him to make a statement, which
regard myunanimous electionhere asamonument to the beroic dead,and this isthepostfactwm
he declined to do.Major Price then visited him,and said his life would be
spared on condition that he made a statement implicating John Dillon and
Speaking of the clauses of the proposed Constitution which reserved
Joseph Devlin.The following Sunday at Omagh,Eamonn de Valera said:
to the people the right-after the status of a Republic had been achieved--
to choose their own form of government,Mr.deValera said further:
" 1f Orangemen are Irishmen they will come into this movement; but, if they still continue
"There is no contermplation in it of having a Monarchy, in which the Monarch would be
oftheHousc of Windsor,one almost already beard the gods exclaim:We must not quench the
royal hopes of the Man ofDestiny!Heconciudedin the stridenttone of anotherand more ardent
Irishpeoplewearereadytforgetthatandfyouaremenyouwon'taskustorgetanyore.
Tone:We say it isnecessary tobe united under theflagunderwhichwe aregoing tofightfor our
Towards the end of September the 26th session of the Irish Convention
lowerit.I askyou to salute thatflagnailed to the mast,whichwe cannever lower,-to salute
was held in Cork,and Sir Horace Plunkett, excusing the secrecy of its whole
the flag and,in Grattan's words,to say:Esto perpetua!
proceedings, hypocritically said :
Within a couple of days came further significant reference to an Irish
BoundaryCommissionfor theRedistributionofParliamentaryconstituencies,
" I confess the Convention made me hope as I never hoped before that I shouid live to see that
whileEngland took control off22,000,000 of Irishmoney through aBanking
change ofheart out ofwhich alone a real newIreland can be born.At the worst,we shall have
gradually narrowed the differences whichkeepIrishmen apart.At thebest,over thewidefield
Invasion. Preaching in St. Francis Xavier's Church, Upper Gardiner
of ourlabours,Irishmen of the North and of the Southwill continue to reet and,in the larger
Street, Dublin, the last Sunday in October, Fr. Donovan, S.J., said that to
patriotism,say to one another:‘My country is thy country'and,in the larger charity:My God
isthyGod*!"*
make a revolution justifiable,the following conditions are necessary:
1. That the Goverument is so oppressive that men of consclence and level-headed men will
That morning, news of the tragic death of Thomas Ashe had shocked
not admit it as endurable.
the nation. Next day the Irish Convention adjourned in Cork to have a
2. That, before rising, you must see that the conditions under which you are suffering are
luncheon at sea, with an American warship as escort, and there Plunkett
worse than theevilsthatwould arise from insurrection.
renewed his nauseating platitudes. As the remains of Tom Ashe were being
3. That there are no other means of redress except by force of arms ; and
4. That there is a well-grounded hope of success.
military lorries burst into the vast cortege at Dorset Street,affording a
The sermon clearly indicated the problem of the hour. 'The
pungent foretaste of subsequent Black-and-Tan methods. Most Rev.Dr.
Redistribution Bill before the British Parliament continued to createunrest
Fogarty sent a public protest against the killing of the young patriot and the
in Ireland as likely to be unfair to Ulster Nationalists, and to prejudice
slow doing todeath of his comrades.
the findings of the lrish Convention, whose proceedings were still private.
"But their deaths will sanctify them in the eyes of Ireland and surround their heartless
Speaking at the ensuingManchesterMartyrs'Commemorationin theMansion
torturerswith inextinguishable hatred and ignominy.
House, Dublin, Eamonn de Valera, now recognised as leading spokesrnan
oftreatingIrishpolitical prisoners was a disgrace tocivilisation."
of the Republic, asked:
The Ashe funeral was as_impressive as any of the historic funerals of
Were it not for England, would it be necemary to defend this country ?England succeeded
Ireland's partiot dead. In a long and detailed letter, Dr. Sigerson threw
the whole blame for the Mountjoy tragedy on the judges who sentenced
Alsace-Lorraine.If this country is a military necessity toEngland, Germany can as well
the prisoners and on the jailors.
claim thatBelgium is amilitary necessity to her.Aye.,and saytheVosges Mountains inAlsace-
Lorraine are necessary to Gerimany..
Wedonotwant to seeBelgium enslaved;wewant tosee
Aproposed Redistribution of Seats Bill involving the manipulation of
constituencyboundaries was resentedby the IrishParty about this time
Speaking at Dundalk, Sunday, December 2nd, 1917, he said further :
asakind of anti-climax to the Irish Convention.Unceasing efforts were
" I have here the first Constitution of the Irish Volunteers, adopted on the 25th October,
beingmade also todrive awedgebetween theGaelicLeagueandthe
1914,at theirfirstConvention;and one of theparagraphs of theDeclaration of Policysays the object
Republican movement.The Sinn FeinArd-Fheistowardsthe end of
oftheVolunteersisto secure andmaintaintherights andliberties common toalfthepeopleof
October repudiated the right of England to rule or to exercise authority
inIreland,anddeclareditsaim tobe to secure theinternationalrecognition
In a long letter to the Freeman's Journal three days later, he referred
and leaders ; and, speaking at Midleton,he said,as reported,December 18th:
the tailbeing an ill-advisedconcession tothevacillation of Arthur Griffith
and of others not then suspect.But Cathal Brugha in proposing a Constitution
for the organisation firmly said:
as anIrishRepublic-anation asindependent asFrance or Germany.
What we seek is the sovereign independence of Ireland.A challenge hasbeen thrown out
byLloyd George,who isreported to bave said thatthe sovereign independenceofIreland couldnot
be tolerated.These arethepeoplewho,we are told,areoutforthefreedomofsmallnationalities.
Thisis thegentleman whohasproclaimed to the world thathehasleftittotheIrishpeopleto devise
for Italy's failure; Russia was completely out of the war; Sinn Fein was
ascheme forworkingouttheirownregeneration.And,thoughhavingmade thatstatement,henow
comes forwardandsays that the sovereign independenceof Ireland cannot be tolerated.Areyou
going to allowagentlemanwhohasbeenreferred to as aWelshadventurer to suggest thatwe are to
ships in her dire need, and so Lloyd George told England's Trade Unionists