August
1919
|
Aug-01-19/1 |
Men from the North Louth Brigade of the Irish
Volunteers break into a lockup in Greenore port on
the Cooley Peninsula and capture 19 modern rifles. |
Hall (2019), pg 64 |
|
Aug-04-19/1 |
Two RIC men (Sgt John Riordan and
Constable Michael J Murphy) are killed in an ambush at Eighty-One Crossroads
under Mount Callon near Ennistymon,
Co Clare. The ambushers were Martin Devitt (see
Feb-22-20/1), John Joe ‘Tosser’ Neylon
and Seamus Connolly of the Mid-Clare Brigade of the Irish Volunteers. Devitt is seriously wounded. See Aug-13-19/1 for Dublin Castle’s response. |
Abbott (2000), pgs 43-44; Ó Ruairc (2009), pgs 99-100; O’Halpin and Ó Corráin (2020), pg 113 |
|
Aug-05-19/1 |
Imperial
Overreach At a British cabinet meeting, Llyod George
warns his colleagues of the effect on public opinion of the continuing high
military spending and that the first priority had to be to lay the “sure
foundations of national health and industrial prosperity”. Churchill, as Secretary of War and Air, says that the army could be reduced to about 320,000 by the following spring. (See Dec-05-18/1 for what actually happened.) When asked by Llyod George why so many men were needed (the pre-war British army had about 255,000 men), Churchill replied that “our responsibilities during the War had considerably increased, especially in regard to Ireland and the East”. See Aug-15-19/3 Comment: This issue of ‘imperial overreach’ was to become a constant theme in British policy towards Ireland in the next two years. To quote Jeffrey “in the hard light of the post-war world, and vividly illustrating the consequences of imperial overstretch, overseas vision had to be tempered with domestic economy”. |
Jeffrey (2006), pgs
243-244 & 234 |
|
Aug-07-19/1 |
Chief Secretary Macpherson introduces a Bill
in Westminster to improve the pay and conditions of the RIC. This Bill
is passed on November 30th and leads to an increase in recruitment
to the RIC. |
Townshend (1975), pg 27; Molyneux and Kelly (2020), pg 112 |
|
Aug-09-19/1 |
Start of week-long Irish Volunteer training
camp at Shorecliffe House, Glandore,
Co Cork for 35 battalion and company officers of the No. 3 (West) Cork
Brigade. |
Townshend (1975), pg 31; Deasy (1973), pgs 69-77 |
|
Aug-12-19/1 |
After getting approval from the Dáil for the setting up of the Dáil Loan (see Jun-17 to 19-19/1), Collins had set up a sixteen member Finance Committee to oversee the how the loan would be rolled out and money collected. They decided that each TD would set up a committee in their constituencies with ‘collecting and advertising committees’ in each parish. This is reported to the Dáil on August 19th. |
O’Sullivan Greene (2020), pg
16 |
|
Aug-13-19/1 |
In response to the killing of the two RIC
earlier (see Aug-04-19/1), Sinn Féin, the Irish Volunteers, Cumman ns mBan and the Gaelic
League are prohibited by Dublin Castle in Co. Clare. See also Aug-14-19/1. |
O’Sullivan Greene (2020), pg
20 |
|
Aug-14-19/1 |
Fifteen year old, Francis Murphy (who is a
member of Fianna Éireann) is killed at his home in Glann, near Ennistymon, Co.
Clare. Who killed young Murphy is unclear – in his
2009 book, Ó Ruairc says that he may have been
killed due to a local land dispute or that he may have been killed by the IRA
for talking “too freely about republican activities”. But he goes on to say that “the inquest
into Murphy’s killing ruled that he was killed after a British army patrol
fired shots into his home”. Molyneux and Kelly say that Murphy was “shot
dead sitting by the fire in his home by [BA] soldiers. They say that the killing was a reprisal
for the earlier killing of two RIC men – See Aug-04-19/1. O’Halpin
and Ó Corráin say that “he was reading by the fire
when, just after midnight, several shots were fired”. They do not say who fired the shots but
indicate the BA may have been involved. However, Ó Ruairc in
his 2021 review of O’Halpin and Ó Corráin’s book, leans towards an agrarian dispute being
the cause of Murphy’s death. He states
“A full examination of the case suggests that Murphy was killed by his
neighbours than by British soldiers”. |
Ó Ruairc (2009), pg 101; O’Farrell (1997), pg
72; O’Halpin and Ó Corráin
(2020), pg 113; Molyneux and Kelly (2020), pg 113; Ó Ruairc (2021b), pgs 60-61 |
|
Aug-15-19/1 |
The annual Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) August 15th parade passes of peacefully in Derry City characterised by a strong display of unity between nationalists and republicans in the city. (The earlier Orange parade on July 12th and the Apprentice Boys parade on August 12th had also passed off peacefully.) However, that night there was sporadic rioting throughout the city. A harbinger of much worse to come. |
Grant (2018), pgs
92-93 |
|
Aug-15-19/2 |
Unlike in Derry City, there are clashes between AOH and Sinn Féin supporters in Dundalk, Ardee and Castleblaney. |
Hall (2019), pg 66 |
|
Aug-15-19/3 |
At a British cabinet meeting, it is agreed
that the estimated expenditure (for 1920-1921) for the British army, navy and
air force should be a maximum of £135m (this compared to a total defence
spending for 1919-1920 of £766m!). See
Aug-20-19/1. |
Jeffrey (2006), pg
244 |
|
Aug-15-19/4 |
Michael Crowley is one of four passengers in a horse drawn trap when it is hit by a BA lorry outside Skibereen in Co. Cork. He dies from his injuries on October 4th. |
O’Halpin
and Ó Corráin (2020), pg
115 |
|
Aug-16-19/5 |
Re-organisation of (West) Cork No. 3 Brigade
of Irish Volunteers.
|
O'Donnoghue (1986), pg35; Deasy (1973), pg 76 & 319 |
|
Aug-17-19/1 |
BA soldier, Edward
King, drowns in the River Shannon near Limerick. |
O’Halpin
and Ó Corráin (2020), pg
551 |
|
Aug-19 to 20-19/1 |
Sixth Session of the First Dáil The Dáil, over these two days, deals with
issues such as the Dáil court system and the report of the Land Bank
Committee. Crucially, the Dáil decides that an Oath of
Allegiance to the Irish Republic should be taken by all (1) Dáil deputies;
(2) Members of the Irish Volunteers; (3) officials of the Dáil and (4) others
as determined by the Dáil. More
Detail and Comment on the Oath The proceedings of the Dáil on these two days
can be found at: August 19th: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1919-08-19/ August 20th: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1919-08-20/ See Oct-27-19/2 for seventh session of the
First Dáil. Because of the Oath. in the remainder of this chronology the Irish Volunteers (IV) will be referred to as the Irish Republican Army (IRA). |
Macardle (1999), pg 303; Molyneux and Kelly (2020), pgs 112-113 & 161-162; O'Farrell P (1997), pg xv; MacEoin in The Kerryman (1955), pg 15; O'Malley (2001), pg 98; Macardle (1999), pg304; O’Malley (1990), pg 109; Valiulis (1985), pg17; Townshend (2014), pgs 86-89; |
|
Aug-20-19/1 |
A memo by Churchill to the British cabinet outlines the views of CIGS Wilson on the funding of the British military saying that the only way to proceed was with an assessment “of what troops we require to keep our four storm centres quiet – Ireland, Egypt, Mesopotamia and India. From these requirements we can build & not from the allotment of an arbitrary sum”. For effect of on-going demobilisation of the
BA in Ireland – See Aug-27-19/1. |
Jeffrey (2006), pg
244 |
|
Aug-20-19/3 |
A strike by farm labourers in Co. Kildare,
which had been on-going since the beginning of July, was settled in the south
of the county when the Athy branch of the Farmers
Union agreed improved terms for the labourers with the Transport Workers
Union. Settlement of the strike in the
rest of the county was reached on August 23rd. |
Durney
(2013), pgs 85-87 |
|
Aug-21-19/1 |
BA soldier, Robert Morris, is accidently shot
dead in Limerick. |
O’Halpin
and Ó Corráin (2020), pg
551 |
|
Aug-22-19/1 |
RIC Constable Timothy Murphy dies from bullet
wounds in Liscannor, Co. Clare. Abbott says that it
is not known how he received his wounds.
However, O’Halpin and Ó Corráin
say that his revolver discharged when he accidently knocked it off a shelf. |
Abbott (2019), pg 411; O’Halpin and Ó Corráin (2020), pg 113 |
|
Aug-24-19/1 |
Gunner James Williams of the BA’s Royal
Garrison Artillery is accidently shot dead by a fellow Gunner, called
Ruttledge, in Fort Carlisle in Co. Cork. |
O’Halpin
and Ó Corráin (2020), pg
113 |
|
Aug-27-19/1 |
Due to on-going demobilisation and overseas commitments, the General Officer Commander-in- Chief (G. O. C-in-C) of the British Army in Ireland, General Frederick Shaw, writes to RIC Inspector General Joseph Byrne saying that from Christmas, the British Army would no longer be able to provide outpost detachments. He went on to say “the Garrison in Ireland will not be in a position to carry out the police duties which have devolved upon it during the war and respond to the constant calls upon it to assist the police”. See Sep-09-19/3. |
Townshend (1975), pg 29; O’Halpin (1987), pg 191; Molyneux and Kelly (2020), pg 113 |
|
Aug-1919/1 |
In his August report, the Inspector General of
the RIC says that there was a meeting between the physical force advocates
[within Sinn Féin and the IV] and the Dáil executive at which “the former
agreed to be guided by the advice of the Dáil until the return of de Valera,
on the assurance that the Dáil, if their methods fail, would fall back on the
organised manhood of their organisations to rid the country of their
enemies”. (With regards to denunciations of violence
carried out by Catholic bishops and clergy on the Irish Volunteers, the
Inspector General wrote “There is good reason to believe that already the
priests have to a considerably extent lost influence over their
parishioners”.) Comment: There would seem to be no evidence of a formal meeting, as mentioned by Byrne, between the advocates of violence and advocates of political means within the Irish separatist movement. However, it is an interesting insight into the views of the Inspector General Joseph Byrne at this point. It also probably reflects views within parts of the separatist movement. However, the failure to get a hearing at the Paris Peace Conference had dealt a severe blow to those within the separatist movement advocating a political path. (See Sep-17-19/11 for the views of one Sinn Féin TD from the more political side.) Those advocating a political path were to get another severe blow with the prohibition of Sinn Féin – see Nov-25-19/1. |
Mitchell (1995), pgs
72-73 |
|
Aug-1919/2 |
In the States, de Valera (with Dáil approval) launches
the Dáil Eireann loan but runs into opposition from John Devoy
and Judge Colahan. He sets up an organisation
to collect loan (American Commission on Irish Independence) with Frank P.
Walsh as Chairman. Eventually it collects over $5 million. (See Aug-19 to
20/1.) |
Macardle (1999), pg 311; Townshend (2014), pg 72 |