THE IRISH REBELLION

Otago Witness, Issue 3251, 5 July 1916, Page 49

THE IRISH REBELLION

INCIDENTS IN DUBLIN. "LOOK OUT FOR HELL." (Tr.oii Ouk Own Correspondent.) LONDON, May 5. What happened in Dublin during the Easter holidays seems to have taken nobody by surprise but the authorities of Dublin Castle, who have been sleeping soundly for years past. As if the Howth gun-running affair fast year were not sufficient to wake up the dozing officials at the Castle, warnings were actually given to the Castle of what was preparing for last week. Iho outbreak was indeed rehearsed in the streets of Dublin, where Mr Connolly's troops practised street fighting time after time in spite of the good-naturad protests of the constabulary. In the week before Easter private warnings were issued to many people in the outskirts of Dublin to "look out for hell" on Faster Monday. The pohco had received anonymous warnings from different sources that the Sinn Feiners were, contemplating a big coup; and on the Sunday newspaper boys repeatedly used the words " look out " to their customers. This is supposed to have been a password circulated by the Sinn Feiners to prepare for the outbreak on the following day. Yet the Castle slept soundly. Mr Birrell made jokes as usual in London. And on Easter Monday the majority of the officers of British regiments in and around Dublin went off to the races in the time-honoured Easter Monday fashion. The Sinn Foiners had the field to themselves, and were able to carry out their coup without interference. APPLYING THE TORCH. , There is a lot of mystery about tho cancellation of certain arrangements which the Sinn Feiners had made for the Easter * season. All branches of the organisation throughout Ireland were to have co-operated in combined manoeuvres, commencing on Sunday morning. Late on Saturday night, however, tho headquarters staff issued the following order : " April 22, 19.16.—Owing rto the very critical position all orders given to Irish volunteers for to-morrow (Easter Sunday) are hereby rescinded, and . no parades, marches, or other movements of Irish volunteers will take place. Each individual volunteer will obey this order strictly in every particular.—Eoin Macneil, Chief of Staff, Irish Volunteers." What this really meant is in doubt. A day or two previously Sir Roger Casement had failed in his attempt to land arms in the west, and the bodies of. two prominent Sinn Feiners, who had been motoring about in the vicinity, were found in a stream, into which the3' had driven their motor in tho dark. Undoubtedly Casement's work was part of the general plan of campaign. One authority states that tho cancellation ' of the plans was due to the disclosure of an order alleged to have been filed in Dublin Ca3tle for the arrest of the chief leaders of the Sinn Fein movement. All arms and ammunition woro to be seized; all leaders and sympathisers to be apprehended, andthe quarters of the movement —Liberty Hall —were to be taken possession of. There was a feeling in Dublin that at last some action was to be taken to nip tho sedition in the bud. During Saturday night signalling operations and field movements took place, and on Sunday certain of tho units throughout the country did actually parade, some of them with arms. WOMEN IN ARMS. The Countess Markovicz was only one of many Irish women who took an active part in the fighting, and some, needless to say, are believed to have been shot. Tho prisoners include a number of women captured with arms in their hands. An ambulance worker says that on Sunday ho saw a number of women marching into Dublin with naval revolvers strapped to them. They woro the dark green uniform similar to that of the men, and they showed some sign* of having undergone some discipline and training. Tho Countess Markovicz herself carried a revolver, and her last act on being captured was to kiss it dramatically as she handed it over to the military. ULSTER CALM. The whole of Ulster behaved itself remarkable well," even tho storm centre of Derry avoiding any outbreak at all. This is easily to be understood from tho fact that tho Sinn Fein movement is quite outside the bounds of the Home Rule controversy, and is inimical to both parties alike. It aims frankly at - a republic. Tho Sinn Feiners of Ulster are not a considerable ■ body. At Nowry, which is a typical Ulster town, two-thirds Nationalist, the Nationalist volunteers guarded the post office and other public buildings and did picket duty on the roads night about with tho Ulster Volunteer Force. Many Ulster motors which had been to Dublin for the holidays wero commandeered by the rebels, and wero only recovered at the end of tho week. In North Antrim, where Sir Roger Casement had been active on a former occasion, precautions were taken, and the Sinn Feiners were disarmed. It was feared there might be some gunrunning here, or interference with communications. HOW ROGER CAME TO KERRY. Banna Strand is a stretch of about six miles of fine firm sand lying between Barrow Harbour and Kerry Head. It is a strange place to choose for the rapid landing of arms, because the communications inland are so bad that motors cannot pass over the road from Trelee. Indeed, one of tho circumstances of the miscarriage, whether cause or effect we do not know, was the death of two of the Sinn Feiners who drove their own motor into the river. On tho morning of Good Friday an early peasant gathering driftwood on tho beacli v saw a strangely built boat half afloat at the edge of the water. Ho pulled it high and dry, secured the four paddles, which were floating apart, and also a sheathed dagger which was lying in the bottom of the craft. Evidently there was something to bo inquired into, and he walked to Ardfort and informed the police. A careful search of the vicinity was made. The mysterious motor was mentioned by villagers, and it was also stated that three strange men had been seen making their way across the hills. By-and-byo three revolvers, much ammunition, flash lamps, a cipher code, maps, and the green-ancf-gold flag of tho Sinn Fein republic were d'Scovorod. The search was continued with vigour, and, finiilly, in an old "rath," or circular fort, two miles from the beach, Sir Roger was found, crouching half concealed amongst the brambles and blackthorn. When challenged, he claimed the right to sleep in an old rath if he so desired, but

the sergeant quoted the Defence of the Realm Act, and he was undone. Ho gave the name of Richard Morton and an address in England. The vessel which had brought the arms to Ireland was called the Flying Dutchman, and flew the Dutch flag. She lay off Traloe Bay, where she was detected by a British Eatrol vessel, and ordered to accompany or to Queenstown, it being too rough to put a prize crew aboard. Near Daunt's Rock she hoisted tho German flag, the crew their boats and pushed off, and the vessel began to sink. The existence of the submarine depends entirely on the story of one of Casement's companions, who declares it was in such a vessel that the picturesque humanitarian came back to Ireland. The actual boat in which they landed was a peculiar sort of "coracle," or dinehey, apparently made more for convenience of stowing away in a confined space than for grace of lines or security. It might well be a submarine's boarding boat. What is quite evident is that Sir Roger Casement expected to be able to raise the fiery cross on Banna Strand and that the accident to tho motor car was a factor ;n tho miscarriage. THE LEADERS. Of the seven who signed tho declaration of the republic three wero forthwith tried by court martial in Dublin and shot. They wero Patrick N. Pearse, tho " commandantgeneral of the armv of the Irish republic " and president of tho provisional government; Thomas J. Clarke, who was sentenced to penal servitude for life for Fonian outrages in the eighties; and Thomas M'Donagh, of the National University of Ireland, the jioet 0 f the rebellion Pearse is a member of the Irish Bar, 36 years of age, and head master of St. Edna's College for Boys, near Dublin. At the age of 17 ho founded the New Ireland Society for the cultivation of the history, literature, and art of Ireland, and it was ho who gave tho national oration at the demonstration at tho funeral last year of O'Donovan Rossa. On that occasion he said "the seeds sown by the young men of '65 and '67 are coming to their miraculous ripening to-day. Rulers and defenders of realms had need to be warv if they would guard against such processes. Tho defenders of this realm think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against everything, but tho fools! the fools! the fools I—they have left us our Fenian dead, and while Ireland holds those graves Ireland unfree shall never bo at peace. ' The old Fenians were represented by Clarke, who, when he was released from his penal servitude, opened a tobacco and newspaper shop in Dublin and became prominent as a speaker at Fenian anniversaries. Thomas M Donough, the poet of the rebellion, was an MIA. of tho National University and a tutor in English literature besides being associated with Pearse ,'n St. Edna's College. Ho has published three or four volumes of verso, including some "in memory of tho things that came to pass in April and Mav, 1798." These two are prophetic, especially those which immortalise tho Irish patriots! " And he loves her best who, with dauntless breast Dies there, for Ireland falling." JAME 3 CONNOLLY The military leader of tho revolt, James Connolly, was born in Glasgow, of Irish parentage. He was a general labourer,_ and was associated in Glasgow with the Socialist movement 16 years ago, when he was sent by the late Mr Keir Hardie to Ireland. Here he tried to bring into existence a new Socialist party, but was unsuccessful, and tho same ill-luck attended him in the United States. He returned to Dublin in 1910, and at the same time James Larkin appeared to organise the Transport Workers and General Labourers of Ireland. Connolly became his chief assistant. The new movement had a weekly newspaper called tho Irish Worker. Connolly wrote the principal articles and mixed Irish Nationalism with International Socialism in such a way as to catch tho fancy of tho working classes. Tho distinctively Irish movements, such as the Gaelic League and Sinn Fein, wero avowedly hostilo to Larkinism During this time the Irish Volunteers had been established. The idea was suggested by Professor John Mac Neile, in the winter of 1913. Mac Neile resigned a civil service appointment in order to become Professor of Mediaeval Irish in the new National University. Others associated with Mac Neile in the formation of the volunteers wero The O'Rahilly, Pearse, MacDermott, and Sir Roger Casement. At first the Irish Parliamentary Party tried to stop the movement, and then, seeing its success, to obtain control of it. In the end Mr Redmond insisted upon nominating 25 representative men on the committee. The two elemonts were unable to agree, and shortly after the outbreak of war tho movement split up into tho Irish Volunteers (Revolutionary) and the National Volunteers (Constitutional). THE WOMAN IN THE CASE. The Countess Markievicz, the most picturesque female figure in the rebellion, was also a prominent lieutenant of Jim Larkin in his agitation three years ago. In spite of her name, Mine. Markievicz is an Irishwoman, being tho eldest daughter of the late Sir Henry Gore-Booth, Bt., of Lissadell, County Sligo, and sister of the present baronet, Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth. Another sister is Miss Eva Gore-Booth, the poetess. In 1900 she married the Polish Count, Casimir Dunin do Markievicz, and in all those little tea-cup storms that periodically tossed the art world of Dublin tho pair were to the fore, always siding with the most " advanced party, and always anxious for the botirgoois to be well shocked for their own good. The Count, a gonial, popiuar, boyish giant, painted pictures, wrote plays, and, with enormojjs enthusiasm, sang- the Polish National Anthem at artistic functions. His wifo has appeared at all times of popular excitement, rushing about with tremendous energy and haranguing sometimes a crowd, at other times individuals, with a curious swift shrill rush of words, and giving tho impression of a well-meaning but ill-balanced and hysterical personality. But it was when authority had to be defied that Madame Markievicz surpassed herself. Then what denunciations of Englan'd from this gaunt excited figure! What belabourings of Man! For sho_ was a "suffragette" as well as a Sinn Feiner, and she was a prominent figure in the suffrage disorde/s in Dublin. '<* The Countess was in command of tho party of 120 rebels who seized the 'Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, and she defended it with marked stubbornness. This was the last place in St. Stephen's Green to surrender, and when the white flag was hoisted at 8 a.m. a communication was sent to the officer commanding tho attacking

forco to say that the " garrison" would surrender at 11 a.m. "At the appointed hour," writes a correspondent, "the Countess marched out of the college, followed by her forco walking in twos. She was dressed, as she had been throughout iho week, entirely in green —green tunic, a green hat with n crreen in it. puttees, and green boots. It was a rither picturusqiii scene, bho led her men to ilio Brifcish forco, saluted the officer in command, kissed her revolver before surrendering it, and her bandolier, and then announced, "I am ready." Her men were disarmed, and marched under an armed escort through. Grafton street to the Castle." THE " IRISH REPUBLIC," SINN FEIN PROCLAMATION. Following is a copy of the, Proclamation distributed by tho Sinn Feincrs throughout Dublin on Monday : POBLAGHT NA II EIREANK". THE PROVISIONAL OrOVEUNMENT Of the IRISH HE PUBLIC. TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND. Irishmen and Irishwomen, in tho name of God and the dead generations from which she receives her old traditions and nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom. Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican brotherhood, and through her open military organisation, tho Irish volunteers, and the Irish citizen army having patiently perfected her discipline, having resolutely waited for tho right moment to reveal itself, she now seizes that moment, and, supported by her oxiled children in America and by gallant allios in Europe, but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full confidence of victory. Wo declare tho right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and tho unfettered control of Irish destinies to be sovereign and indefeasible. Tho long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and Government has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by tho destruction of the Irish people. In every generation tho Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past 300 years have they asserted it in .arms. Standing on that fundamental right, and again asserting it in arms in tho face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish republic as a sovereign independent State, and wo plcdgo our lives and tho lives of our comrades', in arms to tho cause of its army, of its welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations Tho Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman. The Republic guarantees religious and civil property, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of tho whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally and obliviously to tho differences carefully fostered by an alien Government which has divided a minority from the majority in the past. Until our arms have brought the opportune moment for the establishment of a permanent National Government representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected by the suffrages of all her men and women the provisional Government here constituted will administer the civil and military affairs of the Republic in trust for the people. "Wo place the Irish Republic under the protection of tho Most High God. Whose Blessing we invoke on our arms, and we pray that no one who serves that cause will dishonour it. In this supreme hour the Irish nation must by its valour and discipline, and by the readiness of its children to sacrifice themselves for the common good, prove iteelf worthy of the august destiny to which it is called. Signed on behalf of the Provisional Government :—Thomas J. Clarke, Scan MaeDermott, P. 11. Pearse, James Connolly, Thomas MaeDonagh. Eamorne C&annt, Joseph Plunkett.