[Continuing our series on the events of 1919 with the help of the daily newspaper of the First Dail, the Irish Bulletin.]
THE FOLLOWING ARE ACTS OF AGGRESSION COMMITTED IN IRELAND BY THE POLICE AND MILITARY OF THE USURPING ENGLISH GOVERNMENT – AS REPORTED IN THE CENSORED DAILY PRESS— FOR WEEK ENDING:- 16th AUGUST, 1919.
| DATE:- August | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | Total. |
| Arrests:- | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 15 | ||
| Sentences:- | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||
| Armed Assaults:- | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||
| Militarism:- | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Suppressions & Proclamations:- |
2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 12 | ||
| Courtmartials:- | 3 | 8 | 1 | 12 | |||
| Raids:- | 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 37 | |
| Daily Total | 37 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 6 | 16 | 92 |
Sentences for the week, as reported in Press, amounted to 52 months imprisonment.
MONDAY, AUGUST 11th, 1919.
Raids:- Large forces of police and military, fully armed, forcibly
entered and searched many houses situated upon the left bank
of the river Shannon. Upwards of 20 houses were thus raided
and searched.
Arrests:- Two men, whose names have not transpired were arrested near Portmore, Co. Armagh, because they participated in a Republican meeting which was proclaimed by the English military.
Sentences:- Michael and Timothy Spillane of Carrigaha,Castlegregory, Michael Flynn and Michael Griffin of Cappananee, and Michael Maunsell of Duagh all of the Co. Kerry, were sent to prison until December to await trial for the “attempted murder” of two policemen who were not even wounded. The five men indignantly protested their innocence but upon the evidence of policemen the paid magistrate committed them to prison.
Proclamations:- A Republican meeting at Portmore, Co. Armagh
(Ulster) was proclaimed by the English military. A meeting
which was held some miles away was attacked by military and
police, the latter of whom dispersed the crowd at the point of the
bayonet. Aeroplanes were used by the military to discover the
whereabouts of this meeting. An Irish Language festival arranged
for Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh (Ulster) was proclaimed by the
English military authorities. Large bodies of English troops in
full war- equipment were drafted into the district to enforce the
proclamation.
Armed Assault:- In addition to the assault above mentioned, the
police at Lisnaskea attacked a crowd which gathered near the
place where the proclaimed festival was to have been held.
Many of the young men and women of whom the crowd was
composed were injured, six seriously.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12th, 1919.
Raids:- For the 42nd time in 12 months the house of Mr. John
Meagher, Golden Grove, Roscrea was raided by military and police. Mr. John Meagher himself has just been released from Cork Gaol where he underwent the torture of seven and a half months solitary confinement.
Arrests:- Mr. James Sugrue, Moulnahone, Waterville, Co. Kerry, was arrested by military and police at his father’s house which the armed forces forcibly entered and searched. Mr. William O’Shaughnessy, Limerick, who is Organist at the Ennis Catholic Church, was seized by English military and carried to Limerick where he was lodged in prison. No charge has been brought against him.
Sentence:- Mr. James Sugrue, above mentioned, was sentenced at Listowel, Co. Kerry, to six months’ imprisonment for “illegal drilling”.
Armed Assault:- At Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, when Mrs. Sheehy Skeffington (widow of Mr. Francis Sheehy-Skeffington brutally murdered by the English military) endeavoured to address people gathered to celebrate a Language festival, the crowd was attacked by armed police and many were injured among whom was Mrs. Sheehy-Skeffington herself. English military were also present.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13th, 1919.
Raids:- A strong force of English military and police raided the offices of the “Kilkenny People” a newspaper published in the town of Kilkenny. They carried away much of the machinery. This is the third occasion on which these offices have been raided.
Arrests:- A young lad named Cunningham, of Upr. Digges Street, Dublin, was arrested on a charge of being in possession of ammunition. Patrick Clancy, Co. Sligo, a student at Galway University, was arrested for having interrupted a recruiting Lecture delivered by an English Officer.
Sentence:- The lad Cunningham above referred to was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment for having in his possession six rounds of ammunition.
Courtmartial:- Mr. Francis Whitney of Drumlish, Co. Longford,….
… to read the full Bulletin : August 11th 1919 – September 6th 1919, just click on this link => [Lest We Forget 6]
