1917 AD - 2 / July to December

                                                                                                                    "10th Ard Fheis / Irish National Convention - Irish M.P.s Arrested." 

1917 AD July: The "Irish Convention" that was previously set up by David Lloyd - George, when he was the British Imperial Coalition's Home Minister, under the chairmanship of Sir Horace Plunkett was held, but the "political" Sinn Fein Party and the Ascendancy Unionists "refused" to participate in it, which meant that the only two political parties in Ireland who now actually represented the majority views of the population in Ireland, "did not attend," while those who did attend, were in reality only Lloyd - George's personal "Convention" members who were now out of touch with the population in Ireland, and therefore really "did not" represent the current views of the people of Ireland by this period in time.

August: William Thomas Cosgrave, who was now the Treasurer of the "political" Sinn Fein Party, had previously been sentenced to "death" by the British Imperial Coalition's Court Marshall, but was then given a "reprieve," and although he also was still being held in a "prison" in England, he too was to be "elected" in another bye - election also, on behalf of the "political" Sinn Fein Party as the Irish M.P. for Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster where he gained 772 votes, in opposition to another Magennis from the Irish Parliamentary Party, who only polled 392 votes. He was to eventually go on to become the "first" Taoiseach / leader of the Irish Free State to be made up of 26 of the Counties of the 32 Counties of Ireland from 1922 - 1932 while the definite policy of the "political" Sinn Fein Party of non - attendance at the British Westminster Parliament, was carried out as did Laurence Ginnell the outspoken Irish Parliamentary Party member, who had also reacted positively to the 1916 Irish Easter Rising "executions" like no other person in his Party.

     Eoin O Duffy, who was an engineer from Co. Monaghan in Southern Ulster, also now "joined" the new revamped I.R.B. / Irish Republican Brotherhood, and he was to later on become the "head" of the Garda / Irish Civil Police in 1922 when the Irish Free State, which would only then consist of the other 26 Counties of Ireland who were also "artificially partitioned" by the British Imperial Coalition was to come into "legal" existence under the British Imperial Coalition.

     The British Imperial Coalition then made a further move on the Irish Republicans, "arresting" all up another 84 members from within the Irish population, including Austin Stack, Fionan Lynch and Thomas Ashe, who they also put before their British Court Martials on a charge of "Seditious Speech," due to them bringing forward the Irish Republican arguments for Irish Independence / Irish Freedom while other Irish Nationalists were also "arrested," including the officers from the Irish Volunteers for drilling their men out in the open, who were "imprisoned" with 40 other Irishmen, who were all interned together in Mountjoy Jail in Dublin, where Austin Stack became their "leader," until they were to be released in the future. 

September 20th: The Irish Republican prisoners, that were being held in Mountjoy Jail in Dublin, including Thomas Ashe went on a "hunger strike," as they wanted to be treated by the British Imperial Coalition as what they truly were Irish "political" prisoners, not common criminals,

September 25th: Thomas Ashe / Tomas Aghas who was from Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province, was a teacher, a poet, a balladeer, and a "Gaelic" language speaker, and also the "political" campaign organizer for Co. Clare, and a strong supporter of the I.R.B. / Irish Republican Brotherhood, while the staid Eamonn de Valera, to whom he had been second in command while they were incarcerated in Lewes Jail in England was not. Thomas Ashe had commanded a group during the 1916 Irish Easter Rising at Ashbourne, for which he had been sentenced to "life" imprisonment by a British Court Martial. He was now to die  within 5 days at the Mater Hospital, after being "force fed" by the British Coalition's Dublin Castle authorities in the Mountjoy Jail, where during those terrible days 30,000 people from the Irish population had visited the hospital to pay him "homage" for his continuing commitment to Irish Independence / Freedom, and the Coroner was to lay the blame for his sickening demise on the British Imperial Coalition's Dublin Castle, (The Devil's 1/2 acre) authorities, as he had also been left to lie on the cold floor for 50 hours straight with no bed, no bedding and no boots. Michael Collins, was to ensure that Thomas Ashe's funeral was to become a great Irish National "demonstration" with 9,000 Irish National Volunteers in attendance while 30,000 mourners from throughout Ireland followed his funeral procession through the streets of Dublin, and because of the terrible way he had been treated by the Dublin Castle authorities and the ensuing bad publicity that it received the rest of the Irish Republican prisoners were then "removed" from Mountjoy Jail in Dublin, by the British Dublin Castle authorities to another prison further north at Dundalk in the north - east of Northern Leinster. Those prisoners who were still on the hunger strike were also to be "released," which was all brought on by the pressure of "World" opinion on the continuing negative "inhumanity" of the British Imperial Coalition, and also among those who wereto be released were Arthur Griffith, Austin Stack and Richard Mulcahy.

     George Gavan Duffy, the son of the Charles Gavan Duffy the previous "Young Irelander" who had become the "Premier of Victoria in Australia," and possibly the real "Father of Federation" there, had by now become a "solicitor, "and was to become another of the Irish negotiators, and would be in the future among those who were to sign the "disputed" Anglo - Irish Treaty" in England in 1922.  

    Tomas Derrig also joined the "political" Sinn Fein Party, and was to be among those eventually "deported" from Ireland by the British Imperial Coalition's Dublin Castle authorities for doing so.

   Frank Aiken, who was to eventually "lead" the disputed "Anti - Treaty I.R.A." followers at the end of the "Civil War" in Ireland in the future that would be brought about due to the introduction of the "Anglo - Irish Treaty" in 1922, containing the "artificial partition"of Ireland, at this time became the "political" Sinn Fein Party organizer for South Armagh in the Ulster Province.

   Cathal Brugha / Charles Burgess had by now become the "leader" of the "newly" formed Irish Volunteers, which placed him in theory, in one instance over Michael Collins in that particular organization, which was to lead to "disharmony" from his own personal point of view in regard to the overall control of the Irish Volunteers, which was always also a very staid and stubborn one, which owing to his own personality may have been why he was to be so drawn towards the also staid Eamonn de Valera who was now the elected "political" Sinn Fein Party M.P. for Co. Clare.   

September 25th: David Lloyd - George as the British Imperial Coalition Home Minister, had previously set up his own "Irish Convention" to impress the Irish Americans in the U.S.A., who had entered the "War" a month before, and he had also invited Arthur Griffith the as  the founder and leader of the "political" Sinn Fein Party, to try and silence any criticism, but it became a farce when it was strongly "boycotted" and those among  his original invitees who did attend  were to meet at there various centres where their discussions were basically on "Irish Home Rule" while the Ascendancy Unionists were to be just as they were in 1914, and John Redmond, the desperate surviving Irish Parliamentary Party "leader," regardlees of what had since occurred "politically" was still willing to "compromise."

    Eamonn de Valera, the previous staid Irish Volunteer Dublin Brigade commander, who had previously been against the involvement of the Irish Volunteers being involved "politically" in the Sinn Fein Party by now had been also "elected" on behalf of the "political" Sinn Fein Party for East Co. Clare and he was now becoming more "militant" in his speeches for Irish Independence / Irish Freedom, and he also became a member of the "political" Sinn Fein Party National Council and the Provisional Executive of the Irish Volunteers.

October 25th: The "political" Sinn Fein Party, held their 10th Ard Fheis / Irish National Convention over 2 days, at the Mansion House in Dublin, where 1200 "Sinn Fein Clubs" were represented by 1700 delegates, with the 1,200 "Sinn Fein Clubs" in reality well in the controlling hands of the I.R.B. / Irish Republicans with a total membership of 250,000, and Arthur Griffith, in prior discussion with the staid Eamonn de Valera, had "declined" his own nomination to become the "President of the Sinn Fein Party," and stood aside in deference to the staid Eamonn de Valera in the interests of continuing his dedicated goal of "Irish Unity." Also on Arthur Griffith's proposal, Eamonn de Valera was then elected the "President of the Sinn Fein Party" for an "Independent Irish Republic," and was to receive 500 pounds as an annual allotment, and would continue now to hold this position until 1926, as Count Plunkett too had also "withdrawn" his own nomination for the President's position in deference to Eamonn de Valera also in the interests of Irish Unity. Arthur Griffith, then stood for "Vice - President" receiving 1197 votes out of the total 1200, while 24 others were "elected" to the executive positions, including the young Michael Collins and his friend Harry Boland. William. T. Cosgrave and Laurence Ginnell, were also elected as their "Treasurers," while Austin Stack and Darrell Figgis / le Fykeis were elected as their Secretaries. Countess Constance Markievicz / Gore Booth, was to make a personal attack on Eoin Mac Neill over why he countermanded Patrick Pearse's orders during the 1916 Irish Easter Uprising, and both Arthur Griffith and Eamonn de Valera combined to defend his reasons in that instance, and he too was also then "elected" to the "political" Sinn Fein Party Executive .

       The "Dail Eireann" / Irish Assembly, was put forward to be the "official" name of the new "Irish Parliament," to be set up by the "elected" representatives of the Irish population themselves, with any persons receiving a "pension" from the British Imperial Armed forces or holding positions that involved the "Oath of Allegiance" to the British Crown to be "excluded" from the membership of the "political" Sinn Fein Party as their 2 basic aims were to Secure International recognition of Ireland as an" Independent Irish Republic" and the Irish population to freely "choose" their own form of Government as these two aims were the "basic" requirements of all those at the Ard Fheis / Irish National Convention giving  them "Irish Unity" and a united front.

October 27th: The "first" meeting of the new "Irish National Volunteers," was held at the "Gaelic Athletic Association" grounds, for which Michael Collins had drafted their "Constitution," and Cathal Brugha / Charles Burgess "stood down" as their "leader," and offered the position to the staid Eamonn de Valera, who was then "elected" in his place, and he was to hold onto this position also until 1922, which meant that both the Irish Nationalist "political" and the Irish Nationalist "Military" Movements, were now under the control of the same man, the staid Eamonn de Valera. (During the meeting he was to deny any "pro - German" sympathy, and also that he would "discourage" any "violence" during the conduct of the present "War." Cathal Brugha, was then elected as the "Chief of Staff" of the "Irish Volunteers," and Michael Collins their full time "Director of Organization," and power was also given to their Executive to also declare "War" against the British Imperial Empire's Coalition Government if they still intended to bring "Conscription" into Ireland, and they also repeated their aims, to "secure" and "maintain" the right and liberties common to all the population of Ireland, to train and equip the "Irish Volunteer Forces" and to "unite" all Irish men and women regardless of their creed, their party or their class.

     The Irish prisoners, that remained of those who had been previously transferred to the Dundalk Jail in the north - east of Northern Leinster, by the British Imperial Coalition after the unfortunate and terrible death of Thomas Ashe, were now "released," and General French the British Military Viceroy was then appointed by the British Imperial Coalition to take over control of Ireland for them and he immediately went about "arresting" all of the "political" Sinn Fein Party "leaders," but once again he missed out on Michael Collins.  He also "proclaimed" the Irish "political" meetings that had been set down for Newbridge and Waterford to be "illegal" under British Law and altogether 84 Irish Republican suporters all up were to be "arrested" after the "elections" in Co. Clare, and in a show of "political" force and "unity" the "political" Sinn Fein Party, the Irish Parliamentary Party and the Irish Labour Party came out as a combined group to declaring "War" on any kind of British Conscription in Ireland, and between them they created an "Irish National Defence Fund" and the British Imperial Coalition then "forbade" the publication of any "mention" of it in Ireland or "elsewhere."

December 14th: The General Elections were held for the British Westminster Parliament in England, for the first time where the vote was given to "women" over 30 and men over 21, and David Lloyd - George the Welshman who was the leader of a British Coalition Government became their new Prime Minister once again for 4 years, with the assistance of the 67 Labour members and the 32 Independent Liberals there, as the British Liberal Party in it's own right had by now "disintegrated" completely over "Irish Home Rule" with the defectors becoming more commonly known now as the "Liberal Unionists." The "political" Irish Sinn Fein Party won 3/4 of all the seats to be represented in Ireland, while many of their "elected" representatives were still being held in various "prisons" in England by the British Coalition, but despite this farcical "impediment" out of a total of 105 seats in Ireland, they had won 73 seats, and as "political" Sinn Fein Party members they also "refused" to take up the actual seats in the British Westminster Parliament and also swear the "Oath of Allegiance" to the British Crown. The declining members of the Irish Parliamentary Party who were still under the leadership of John Redmond, were now down to only 6 seats and from now on were basically "out of play" on the "political" scene.

    Michael Collins, was to personally win 2 seats in both West Co. Cork in Southern Munster and Co. Armagh in the south - east of the Ulster Province, while Arthur Griffiths also won 2 seats in East Co. Cavan in Southern Ulster and Co. Tyrone - Co. Fermanagh in Southern Ulster, while the staid Eamonn de Valera took out another 2 seats including his previous seat of East Co. Clare in the north - west of Munster, and Co. Down in the south - east of Ulster, and Countess Constance Markievicz / Gore Booth, was now also the "political" Sinn Fein Party M.P. for St. Patrick's in Dublin, and would go down in British History as the "first woman" ever "elected" to the British House of Commons, and she would remain their representative until 1922. The Ascendancy Unionists were to win 25 seats, with 2 of these being "guaranteed appointments" for Trinity College, and another also in Dublin, while another of the seats went to an Independent Unionist. 

     The Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B. was now to send Dr. Patrick Mac Cartan / Padraig Mheic Artain to "America," to act as their envoy there to the Clann na Gael / The Organization and to those Irish - American "supporters" who were for Irish Independence / Irish Freedom in Ireland.

    Francis Ledwich / Ledwidge who was an Anglo - Irish poet, who had been born in 1897 AD opposite Rosnaree at Janesville near Slane in Co. Meath in Northern Leinster, died this year, whose original family members had come into the east of Co. Meath in 1200 AD and eventually settled into Co. Westmeath in Northern Leinster, and he had also been an Irish Nationalist compatriot of Thomas Mac Donagh and Patrick Pearse, who like him were also poets, who had been heavily involved in the 1919 Irish Easter Rising and he had also written the "Lament for Thomas Mac Donagh," a week after his "execution" in 1916 AD by the British Imperial Coalition Government.

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