A new political era dawns as the war clouds lift.
When the last days of 1918 came to a close, the people of Ireland had many reasons to take some time to reflect on a momentous year which had brought much in the way of the political upheaval as well as a heartbreak and suffering as a result of war and illness, writes Eamonn Duggan.
As 1918 came to an end the people of Ireland were able to reflect on a momentous year which saw the emergence of a new political era while the suffering of more than four years of war on the continent came to an end.
The pall of gloom which descended on Europe in August 1914 shaped the lives of so many for so long, bringing with it untold misery and heartache for thousands of families who lost loved ones on the battlefields as well as imposing severe restrictions on life in general.
When the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, the release of tension was palpable across Europe as millions of people emerged onto the streets to celebrate and give thanks. It was no different here in Ireland and, though a country on the periphery of the battlefields, we as a nation also gave up out war dead and watched many of those who survived the slaughter return home maimed both in body and mind.
On the political front the country experienced a seismic shift of emphasis away from the pursuance of home rule to the more radical ideal of republicanism and breaking the link with Britain.
That shift was confirmed with the stunning result of the general election in December 1918 which heralded the emergence of a new and younger political class destined to take the country in a new direction towards independence.
In essence, 1918 was a year of profound political change and it shaped the country for future generations.
BY FAR THE most news worthy event at home and abroad was the ending of the war, which had claimed the lived of millions of people across Europe. Some 206, 000 Irishman of different political and religious persuasions had fought on the battlefields during the course of the conflict and at least 30, 000 and probably many more never came home.
They distinguished themselves in the trenches of the Western Front and in the humid heat of Turkey and the Balkans, as well as on the high seas. Many had been publicly decorated for their bravery while those who were not had carried out their duty in no less a fashion and all in the name of democracy and the right of all nations to exercise self-determination.
Though the war eventually left a legacy of bitterness, with many across the country questioning whether Irishman were right to fight in British uniforms, were there was no doubting the sense of relief as the population embraced those peaceful last few weeks of the year.
While the war was dominated by the actions of man, the role played by woman was increasingly recognised, especially in the industrial production in the factories as well as in the area of nursing and care of the wounded and dying.
It was no coincidence then that women across the world became more vociferous in 1918 as they demanded legal and political equality as well as a greater say in how the society should evolve in the post-war world.
The year saw the introduction of the Representation of the People Act in February, which was an important first step in elevating woman to the same status as man in a modern society.
The Act widened suffrage by enfranchising woman over 30 years of age who met a minimum property qualification of being a registered property occupier (or married to a property occupier) of land or buildings with a rateable valuation greater than 5 punt and not subject to any legal incapacity.
In November, The Parliament (Qualifications of Women) Act introduced in time for the following month’s general election and that allowed women to stand for and be elected to parliament.
A NUMBER OF women did contest the election in Ireland and Constance Markievicz was returned as Sinn Fein MP though, because of her party’s decision to abstain from parliament, she did not take her seat. Nevertheless, her victory and that of Nancy Astor who did take her seat ended for all time the male domination of politics in Ireland and Britain.
In the General Election of 1918 women made up 43 precent of the electorate, though there was still a limitation on their voting rights because those over 21 and under 30 years of age were still barred from the ballot box.
It was an anomaly which was eventually put right in the Free State Constitution 1922 when all women over the age of 21 were deemed eligible to vote.
So, one hundred years on from the introduction of the legislation, we can now reflect on that very important first step in elevating women to the same status as men in our modern society.
On the political scene the emergence of Sinn Fein as a political force had been Flagged in 1917 with the party’s four by-elections victories which were enhanced by a further five victories in 1918 prior to December general election.
That election was a defining moment in Irish political history as it marked the end of the road for the Irish Parliamentary Party which for over forty years had dedicated itself to the winning of home rule.
In the election many thousands of voters switched their allegiance to Sinn Fein with its policy of independence and breaking the link with Britain.
The result of the election was stunning in the sense that Sinn Fein won 73 of the 105 Irish Seats and the once mighty Irish Party ending up just with 6 seats, a massive drop from the eighty plus seats it previously held.
The remaining seats continued to be held by the unionists, mainly in Ulster.
IT WAS A watershed result which had a profound impact on the political landscape. Nothing would ever be the same again and it set the country on a new political course.
The mandate given to Sinn Fein came from a new generation of voters who demanded that the party take the country away from the ideal of home rule and onto the path towards independence.
The election also marked the emergence of a cohort of young leaders, led by Eamon de Valera (Edward de Valera) many of whom went on to oversee the transition into independence.
Among those returned to what would be the first Dail in January 1919 included, among others, de Valera, as well as Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith, W. T. Cosgrave, Eoin MacNeill and Kevin O’Higgins- all destined to have profound and lasting impacts on Irish Politics.
The election was the last to be held on an All-Island basis and served to highlight the alienation of Ulster Unionists who continued to insist on maintaining their traditional links with Britain.
The rise of Sinn Fein during 1918 can also be attributed to the Party’s stance on the conscription issue as well as the ill-judged government assertion that republicans were once again conspiring with Germany to remove British influence in Ireland.
The conscription crisis arose when Lloyd George’s government attempted to extend to Ireland conscription which was already in existence in Britain, despite the fact that some prominent politicians at Westminster were at that time not convinced by the views of the Government and generals who wholeheartedly approved the initiative.
The Irish Parliamentary Party was not inclined to support the introduction of conscription in Ireland, because having the support such a contentious issue in the face of concerted opposition from the electorate might well have proved to be Politically Difficult.
HOWEVER, opposition to the plan publicly surfaced very quickly when in April, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Laurence O’Neill, convened a conference at the Mansion House with the intention of beginning an anti-conscription campaign.
What transpired was a coming together of many different stands to the political spectrum as Irish Party men like John Dillon and Joseph Devlin joined forces with Sinn Fein’s Eamon de Valera and Arthur Griffith as well as other politicians like William O’Brien and Timothy Healy to co-ordinate a vigorous and successful campaign of opposition which rocked the political establishment in Westminster.
The campaign was boosted by the support of the Catholic Church and the bishops agreed to an anti-conscription pledge being signed by thousands of people outside the church gates on Sunday 21st April.
The organisers not only brought together thousands of people in mass anti-conscription rallies across the country but also called for a general strike on 23rd of April when men working on the docks joined railway, factory, tram, and mill workers in a nation-wide stoppage.
The government was further embarrassed by its ill-judged ”German Plot” fiasco when it ordered to arrest 150 Sinn Fein members alleged to be conspiring with Germany on another uprising. Of course, it was a false accusation that backfired spectacularly and only served to add momentum to the republican cause.
The plot revolved around landing of Joseph Dowling, a former German prisoner, of war, who had been recruited by Roger Casement For his ill-fated Irish Brigade prior to Easter Rising.
THE BRITISH were somehow convinced that Dowling had landed from a German U-boat and was set to act as some form of intermediary between the German government and Irish Republicans. British intelligence chiefs worked to convince the government that Dowling’s presence was ominous and Lloyd George gave his support to plans for arrest and detention of prominent Sinn Fein leaders, though he knew it will be difficult to prove any concrete connection between them and the Germans.
The raids were carried out on the night of 17th/18th May and the arrests of 150 party members only served to elevate them to hero status and fed into the growing wave of the support for the organisation, symbolised by the election of the incarcerated Arthur Griffith to Westminster in a June by election.
Away from politics and battlefields, other major event to impact on Ireland in 1918 was the calamitous ”Spanish Flu” which had devastated not only this country but the world in general.
Across the Europe the pandemic claimed lives of some 2 million people and in this country the number reported as having died directly from the outbreak was pt at 20. 057.
The first indication of” Spanish Flu” in Ireland came in the early summer of 1918.
Though not nearly as severe as the following outbreaks it was bad enough to close the schools and many businesses.
While 1918 saw the emergence of a new political elite, committed to Irish Republicanism, the year also saw the death of John Redmond the man who dominated Irish political Discourse for so many years.
His passing, quite unexpectedly on 6th March, was a precursor to the demise of his beloved Irish Party in the December general election.
Redmond who had always advocated the principle of Home Rule, was a consummate politician, a fine orator and a very able leader of his party. He was a very decent man who always had the interest of his country uppermost in his mind.
News of his death brought many expressions of sympathy from across the political spectrum, as well as one from Queen Victoria and all recognised the immense contribution he made over many decades. After a funeral service at Westminster Cathedral, he was buried among how own people in Wexford town.
WHEN THE LAST days of 1918 came to a close, the people of Ireland had many reasons to take some time to reflect on a momentous year which had brought much in the way of political upheaval as well as heartbreak and suffering as a result of war and illness.
However, life took a turn for the better with the signing of Armistice on 11th November and the dark clouds which had hung for so long over the country began to lift, revealing what many believed at that time to be a bright new dawn.
Little did they realise the following years would bring a new conflict with the Bristish which would go on to shape Ireland’s future. The march towards the independence was about to begin.
Source : Ireland’s Own Magazine
No: 5687
Published on 21st December 20218