June
1923
Jun-01-23/1 |
After strike-breaking goods convoys, protected
by the Free State army, are attacked in Waterford, the local commander, Paddy
Paul, called in re-enforcements. (See May-14-23/1 above.) On this day, 250 troops from the pro-Treaty
Special Infantry Corps, under Colonel Patrick Dalton (which had been set up
by the Free State government to, inter
alia, break strikes – see Mar-1923/2) arrived in Waterford. More arrived the following week and it soon
had over 600 men deployed, mostly in west Waterford. An on-going war of attrition ensued between
the strikers and the Special Infantry Corps.
Acts of arson, intimidation and assault were common on both
sides. The Special Infantry Corps
imposed curfews and something akin to martial law. The farmers formed their own vigilante
groups which, among other actions, intimidated any of their own members who
looked to settle with the strikers.
The WFA would not negotiate with the ITGWU and were intent on smashing
the union. See Dec-08-23/1. (A report by the Free State army on July 28th
said that the strike had a “political push” behind it.) |
McCarthy (2015), pgs 123-125; Kissane (2005),
pg 162 |
June-06-23/1 |
The cabinet of the Free State Government has
special meeting on the northern situation with particular reference to the
Boundary Commission. Kevin O’Shiel puts forward maximalist and
minimalist claims which should be put before the Commission. See Jun-09-23/1. |
Phoenix (1994), pgs 288-289 |
June-06-23/2 |
Old IRA leader, Liam Tobin (see Jan-1923/4),
sends letter to Cosgrave requesting a meeting with him and Mulcahy.
They say they want to discuss how to keep “to the forefront the ideals and
objects for which the late Commander-in-Chief [Collins] gave his life” i.e.
acceptance of Treaty as ‘stepping-stone’ to Republic. They also wanted
to discuss grievances as to their treatment in the Free State army. This letter gives rise to discussions between
Cosgrave, Mulcahy and Attorney-General Kennedy as to how to treat this
situation. Valiulis says that Mulcahy was reluctant to meet them but
Cosgrave’s main concern was to that Old IRA may put up candidates in the
forthcoming elections (August) and split the Cumann na nGaedheal vote. See Jun-10-23/1. |
Valiulis (1985), pg 36 |
June-06-23/3 |
Anti-Treaty man, Captain Joseph Healy from
Ballina, Co. Mayo is shot dead by a Free State patrol when trying to escape
from a house in Stone Park, Claremorris. |
Price (2012), pg 257 |
Jun-07-23/1 |
The Cork
Examiner reports the accidental death of Free State Sergeant McCabe when
he was shot in Killorglin, Co. Kerry. |
Doyle (2008), pg 310 |
Jun-09-23/1 |
Cosgrave writes to Baldwin saying that his
government would be soon ready to present its case to the Boundary
Commission. However, Baldwin goes for
a policy of indefinite postponement.
There was no discussion of the Boundary Commission at the British
cabinet between May 30th 1923 and January 22nd 1924. See Jun-27-23/1. |
Matthews (2004), pgs 114-115 |
Jun-1920/1 |
Free State government introduces new Public
Safety Bill in the Dáil in which powers to intern and seize land and stock
are continued for another six months. It is heavily criticised by
Labour. See Jul-02-23/1. |
Macardle (1999), pg 862 |
Jun-10-23/1 |
A meeting takes place between Cosgrave,
O’Higgins, MacNeill, Mulcahy, MacMahon and O’Murthuile about the IRB. There is conflicting testimony about what
transpired at this meeting (and it became controversial after the army mutiny
in March 1924). Mulcahy and O’Murthuile said that the primary purpose
of the meeting was to discuss a proposal from Tom Barry to revive the IRB as
a way of healing civil war wounds and Mulcahy wanted to revive the IRB so
that (a) it would not fall into anti-Treaty hands and (b) be a mechanism for
getting anti-Treaty IRA men to destroy their arms. O’Higgins subsequently said that he vigorously
opposed the reorganisation of the IRB but Mulcahy claimed that the other
three ministers “did see at least some reason for the position and did not
forbid it”. See Jun-25-23/1. |
Valiulis (1985), pgs 101-105 |
Jun-10-23/2 |
Dr Francis Ferran, anti-Treaty TD for
Sligo-Mayo East (and originally from Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry) dies in
custody in the Curragh. The same day, Tom Maguire, anti-Treaty leader from
Mayo escapes from Custume Barracks, Athlone. |
Price (2012), pg 264-265 & 267; Grant
(2018), pg 139 |
Jun-12-23/1 |
Free State soldier, Private Henderson, is
arrested for a bank robbery on Capel St, Dublin. |
Dorney (2017), pg 261 |
Jun-13-23/1 |
Two anti-Treaty prisoners attempt to escape
from Kilkenny Jail using a ‘rope’ made out of bedsheets. However, they are spotted by sentries who
shot at them. One of the two prisoners,
James Morrissey, is fatally wounded. |
Walsh (2018), pg 243 |
Jun-22-23/1 |
After an incident on June 2nd,
General Paddy O’Daly and two other Free State officers are accused of
manhandling two daughters (Flossie and Jessie McCarthy) of local doctor, Dr
Randall McCarthy at their home in Inchlough, Kenmare, Co. Kerry. The
two women were seized from their house in the middle of the night, flogged
with belts and had motor oil or grease rubbed in their hair. Ferriter quotes Regan as saying “there was
also the implicit suggestion of a sexual assault”. There is a Free State army enquiry. One officer
is found guilty but the other two, including O’Daly, are declared
innocent. Mulcahy argued that there
was not enough evidence to warrant a court martial but he was strongly
criticised by O’Higgins and others (including Judge Advocate General Cahir
Davitt). O’Daly and the two other
officers are forced to resign. Ernst Blythe says “I did not agree with
O’Higgins in feeling particularly revolted at what seems to be merely a case
of a couple of tarts getting a few lashes that did them no harm”. He went onto say that O’Higgins was “almost
hysterical about the affair” and suggested that this was because it was “a
crime perpetrated against O’Higgins’ own caste”. (O’Higgins’ father was a doctor.) |
Hopkinson (1988), pg 264; Dorney (2017), pgs
261-262; Ferriter (2021), pg 106 |
Jun-25-23/1 |
Meeting between Cosgrave and Mulcahy and Old
IRA representatives (Tobin, Dalton, Thornton and O’Malley). See Nov-09-23/1. |
Valiulis (1985), pgs 37-39 |
Jun-27-23/1 |
Writing to Stanley Baldwin, Cosgrave says “The
statesmen on both sides who negotiated the Treaty … believed they were
closing the long struggle between the two countries and that they were
putting their hand to something great and constructive from which a new
relationship of friendship between the countries would emerge”. He went on to complain about “a campaign of
hate against the Free State, its people and its Government, which has been
carried out with renewed vigour for some past time by a group in England” and
said that there was “on foot in England a very deliberate and very malignant
conspiracy to create once again a state of hostility between the two
countries”. Cosgrave was referring to a group of southern
loyalists, NI unionists and Die-Hard Conservatives. (This group was led by ultra-Die-Hard
Colonel John Gretton, MP and the editor of the Morning Post, Howell
Arthur Gwynne.) They had set up their own ‘intelligent network’ in the Free
State and produced alarmist reports saying such things as that the Cosgrave
government was in league with the anti-Treaty faction and was going to
declare a republic and attack NI. This
group also tried to obstruct the Free State government in its efforts to
raise a crucial loan in the City of London. See Jul-20-23/1. |
Kissane
(2005), pg 28; McMahon (2008), pgs 185-189 |
Jun-1923/2 |
The Dáil passes the first Army Pension
Act. This is followed by the Military
Service Pension Acts. These acts award
pensions to those who took part in “active service” between 1916 and
1923. They excluded those who took the
anti-Treaty side in the Civil War and members of Cumman na mBan. (A subsequent Act in 1934 included these
two categories.) These, and subsequent acts, also allowed for
pension applications for widows, parents and dependent siblings of people who
were killed in the 1916-1923 period. By 1957, some 82,000 people had applied under
the 1924 and 1934 Acts but only 15,700 had been successful. By 1960, just over 18,000 pensions had been
awarded and was costing the government £500,000 (£11.6m in 2021 terms). |
Ferriter (2021), pgs 129-130 |
Jun-1923/3 |
A commissioner is appointed to run Leitrim
County Council by the Department of Local Government due to
maladministration, dissent and deteriorating rate collection. |
McGarty (2020), pg 105 |
Jun-1923/4 |
Anti-Treaty prisoner Daniel Downey from
Dundalk dies in the Curragh camp hospital. |
Durney (2011), pg 162 |