The
Declaration of Martial Law
Introduction from
Chronology
Following sanction from the British cabinet, the Lord Lieutenant
(French) issues a proclamation imposing Martial Law on Cork, Kerry, Limerick
and Tipperary.
Later martial law was extended to Kilkenny, Clare, Wexford and
Waterford in order to make the martial law area the same as the area covered by
General Strickland’s British Army 6th Division.
More Detail
The leaders of the British
Military (Wilson, Jeudwine and Macready) were seeking
to have the whole country placed under martial law but the 'Frocks' (as they
referred to the British politicians) were against it. Macready did get an
undertaking that he could extend the area under martial law without waiting for
Cabinet sanction.
Macready is made Military Governor-General and on December 12th he issues a series of proclamations including appointing various BA officers as Military Governors in their areas. He also called for a surrender of all arms, ammunition and explosive by December 27th and “after which date any unauthorised person found in possession of them to be liable to suffer death after trial by a military court”. (Strickland also issues a series of proclamations - given in Kautt (2014), pgs 112-133 – covering areas such as making it a crime in the BA’s 6th Division area to hold a meeting of more than six people and requiring house owners to keep a list of inmates posted on their doors.)
One critical omission was that the RIC in the martial law area was not placed under the control of the army. Writing to Strickland on December 10th, Macready warned him that “he would have to watch the police very carefully” and especially the RIC Divisional Commissioner (Brigadier Prescott Decie) as he would “certainly … think that martial law means that he can kill anybody walking along the road whose appearance is distasteful to him”. This issue was discussed at the British cabinet conference on December 29th and Strickland gave a reply with showed the limits of his authority - see Kautt (2014), pg 234. Another issue was the two separate legal systems in one country – see Kautt (2014), pgs 133-136
Comment on Counties Under Martial Law
The counties placed under martial law are the hurling counties.
All eight of the counties placed under martial law have won at least one
All-Ireland Hurling final and only four of the remaining 24 counties (plus
London) have won an All-Ireland Hurling Final.
To take another view: the eight counties placed under martial law
are 25% of Ireland's 32 counties but they have won 87% of the 135 All Ireland
Hurling Finals played between 1887 and 2022. (Hurling data from King S J (1996)
pgs 253-265 with later years added by author.)
I have no explanation for this - perhaps it is just a co-incidence?