RAINBOW FARMS AUSTRALIA                                            

                                                                                                                                      1918 - 2 / July - December 

                                                                                       "Political Sinn Fein Party Under Attack -  Success In General Elections."

1918 July 4th: Lord French the British Imperial Government's Commander - in - Chief in Ireland now went further to "crush" all Irish associations and in doing so "prohibited" all Irish meetings and processions, including all those of even the "Gaelic Athletic Association" and even went so far as to have all the Gaelic Football matches "terminated" by the Dublin Castle R.I.C. police, while in the meantime the British Imperial Military Forces were by now also feeling the "hostility" emanating from the general Irish population. (Once again suppress and unite.) Reports were also coming in of "ill - treatment" being carried out in the Belfast Jails in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province, including details of "baton" bashing being carried out there on the Irish "political" prisoners while their hands were still "handcuffed" behind their backs, and of them also being physically "dragged" down the stairs where they were then hosed down and left for 3 days in their "wet clothes," and episodes also of other Irish "political" prisoners who were left in "solitary" confinement under these condition for up to a week. 

August 4th: Regardless of the negative directions of Lord French the British Imperial Government's Commander - in - Chief in Ireland, the executive of all of the Irish sporting bodies still continued to hold their "Gaelic Games" all over Ireland, on this same day in defiance of his restraint on their public rights, and so on August 15th the "political" Sinn Fein Party was to do the same.

     Michael Collins was at this time struck down physically by a bout of "pleurisy," and this made everyone who was involved in the day to day running of affairs who were involved in trying to bring about Irish Independence from the British Imperialism still carried out under their "Immoral Union," realise the "many" duties that Michael Collins had previously been carrying out personally on his "own." (At this time Liam Tobin / Toibin was his acting Assistant Intelligence Officer.)       

    Kevin O Higgins / Ua hUigin who had previously also joined the "political" Sinn Fein Party as a student. had since become the M.P. for Co. Laois / Queen's Co. in the mid - west of Southern Leinster and had also "won" the seat for Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province in the British Westminster Parliament, while he too was still among those being "imprisoned" in England by the British Imperial Government under the auspices also of the "Immoral Union". 

    Peader O Donnell also joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B, and Richard Mulcahy the "political" Sinn Fein Party M.P. for Clontarf was their "Chief of Staff," while Edmund Duggan who had been "elected" to the 1st Dail Eireann / Irish Assembly was their "Director of Intelligence," while Robert Childers - Barton was the "political" Sinn Fein Party M.P. for West Wicklow in the south - east of Southern Leinster.

August 15th: Piaras Beaslaoi / Peter Beasley was the "editor" of the Irish Volunteer paper "An tOglach / The Republic" which now publicly laid claim to the fact that the Irish Volunteers were actually the "Irish Republican Army / I.R.A." 

   The British Imperial Coalition Government also began to "re - arrest" and "deport" the Irish "political" prisoners at they were released from out of their jails, and they also set up British Army "recruiting" meetings for the Irish population, but they soon found that these tactics were not working out as they had planned, and there deadline for the General French imposed 50,000 Irish recruits into their British Military Army was getting nearer, and those Irish supporters who were in charge of the overall Irish "opposition" to the British Imperial Government's "Conscription" had by now decided to take Lord French the belligerent British Imperial Commander, as a hostage. His implantation of British Imperial Court Martials, raids, arrests, re - arrests and imprisonment on the Irish population continually intrusive and constant, as he had also brought in British Military Army tanks to Dublin to further try and "intimidate" the general Irish population also and due to the deadline not being met the British Government's Army recruiting drive was now "extended" to October 15th, and if it was not met they also "threatened" the general Irish population with increasing the number of Irish "Conscripts" to 100,000 if they had to bring in British Army "Conscription" in Ireland.

October 15th: General French the British Imperial Government's Commander in Ireland now had the British Military Forces occupy many of the buildings in Dublin in preparation for the intended British Government's "enforcement" of their Irish "Conscription" recruiting policy, but once again as fate would have it Germany had sent a "Peace" note to the American President Woodrow Wilson and this then "defused" the issue and the Irish Volunteers decided to hold a Convention to discuss the overall situation that was now in play in Ireland.

October 29th: The "political" Sinn Fein Party / Irish Republican Party also held a Convention where they decided to "demonstrate" against the terrible "treatment" being metered out on the Irish "political" prisoners that were still being held by the British Imperial Government in the Belfast Jails in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province.

November 11th: An Armistice was declared, and the 1st World War was bought to an "end," in which 7,000,000 people had died in what was then described as the, "War to end all Wars," which was basically over who actually was the power that ruled the "Seas of the World."

November 13th: 700 British Imperial Government Military physically "attacked" the "political" Sinn Fein Party headquarters in Dublin, where they were resisted by only 30 armed Irish Volunteers / Irish Republican Army / I.R.A. who had received "advance" notice that they were coming and the irish Volunteers were able to drive them off, as they were carrying no fire arms, but this particular "unprovoked" attack, which was carried out by British Imperial Forces was then also "prohibited" from being "reported" publicly by the British Government's stronghold in Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre).            

      The British Imperial Coalition Government had constantly boasted about its "democratic" ideals, yet continued on to "oppress" Ireland still after 750 years, so the Irish now turned their attention to Woodrow Wilson, the American President, for some redress, who had also "publicly" stated that he stood for, "The rights of Small Nations to self - determination"  and all the Irish wanted him to do at this juncture was to "support" the pleas of Ireland for entry only into the "Peace Conference" in Paris and "to restrict" the use of force by David Lloyd - George the British Imperial Prime Minister to subdue thoughts of any chance of Irish Independence / Freedom. It was to turn out that Woodrow Wilson would  do "nothing" for Ireland because of his "obsession" with the introduction of the League of Nations for which he needed the British Coalition Government's support, and in the finish his own American Congress was actually to "refuse" to ratify his signature and he was to have a mental breakdown. In another act of stupidity David Lloyd - George, the British Coalition Prime Minister, announced that although the "War" was over "Irish Home Rule" would still be further" postponed" and what this really meant was the death knell for the remaining members of the Irish Parliamentary Party, which had fought so diligently and patiently by "Constitutional" means for it's introduction, while giving the British Government every allegiance to obtain it, and the British Coalition Government had once again "broken their promises" and treated the Irish population and the Irish Nation, as usual. 

November: John Dillon who was now also a very frustrated and agonising leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party at a meeting of the Irish League said he was still determined to oppose the "political" Sinn Fein / Irish Republican Party all the way, as his I.P. Party had previously offered 40 years of unparalleled success, but despite the continuing bluff attitude expressed by their leader several of his members now "stood" aside for the rising political fortunes of the "political" Sinn Fein Party candidates in the following elections for the 80 seats that were now to be contested for the British Westminster Parliament, by those supporters in Ireland. They did this in the interests of Ireland, following on from the belief of showing "solidarity" with the expressed policies of the "political" Sinn Fein Party, as this was now the "best" course of action to be taken against the British Imperial Government, as previously outlined also by Bishop Mac Rory.

November 20th: Bob Brennan / Ua Braonain was now also "arrested" by the British Coalition Government 's Dublin Castle authorities and this showed that there was to be no chance for the release of the "political" Sinn Fein Party leaders, prior to the coming General Elections for the Westminster Parliament, as the British Imperial Government meant to "deny" them their personal right to contest the coming  General Elections.

November 25th: The British Coalition Government dissolved the Westminster Parliament in England and called the General Election, known commonly as the "Khaki Election" for all the seats there, including those in Ireland as they were feeling very secure in the knowledge that they had annulled any "democratic" chances of the "political" Sinn Fein Party in Ireland now being able to make any personal showing in this election.

December: To put further pressure on the "political" Sinn Fein Party / Irish Republican Party of having any chance in the coming Westminster election, the British Imperial Government had James O Mara / Meara / Ua Meadhra, the "Director of Elections" for the Dail Eireann / Irish Assembly also "arrested," and imprisoned him and then "deported" him out of Ireland, and then increased the "censorship" further in Ireland and made it especially hard on any "suspected" members of the "political" Sinn Fein Party, Despite this further setback the remaining members of the "political" Sinn Fein Party who were still unhindered went ahead and published their own "Manifesto" stating their aims, (1) "To form an Irish Republic, (2) not to attend Westminster, (3) form their own Irish Assembly from those members who were to be successfully elected by the Irish people themselves." Although their Manifesto was still to be "highly censored" by the British Imperial Government's Dublin Castle authorities it was to contain a "Black Border" around the material itself that the British Imperial Government had also removed from the platform, but it did not lose it's "significance" on those in Ireland who were to see it for what it was, and vote accordingly.          

December 9th: Richard Swords, died in the Usk Jail were he had also been "imprisoned" in England by the British Imperial Government and a public funeral was held in his honour in Dublin, from where his funeral was conveyed to Glasnevin Cemetery and where he was interred along with many of the other Irish men and women there who had also made the ultimate sacrifice while trying to obtain Irish Independence / Irish Freedom and he was to be another of the, "Fenian dead who were left to remind the Irish of the continuing English / British oppression)."  

     Sean Etchingham, who had also been "imprisoned" by the British Imperial Government in Lincoln Jail in England, at this time was also very ill, and Eamonn de Valera, the imprisoned "leader" of the Sinn Fein Party and the Irish Volunteers, informed the British Governor of the prison that if anything happened to Sean Etchingham he would not be responsible for what would occur, and Sean Etchingham was immediately "released."

December 10th: A meeting was held on this day in America at Madison Square Gardens to support, "Self Determination for Ireland."

    The "political" Sinn Fein Party members, although many of them were still "imprisoned" by the British Imperial Coalition Government in jails in England to ensure that they did "not" participate in the Westminster Elections, but they were now more then ready to take on the "might" of the British Imperial Empire, and by now many of the previous followers of John Redmond and John Dillon had joined in with them, and this meant that the Irish Parliamentary Party could now only raise candidates for 75% of the Irish seats that were available in the Westminster Parliament.     

December 14th: The Westminster General Elections were held and out of the 105 Irish seats the "political" Sinn Fein Party won 73 of them, of which 69 were won "outright" giving them 75% of all the elected seats in Ireland, while 36 of the "political" Sinn Fein Party members or 50% of the candidates who were" successful" in this election, were still being held in British Government "prisons," and 3 others were also still in "exile," and 6 were still evading British Imperial Government "arrest warrants", with 26 seats going to the "Official" Unionists, which included 25 of these in their stronghold in the north - east of the Ulster Province, while another 6 went to the Irish Parliamentary Party of which 4 of these were Irish Catholic "majorities" in the Ulster Province. Among these was Joseph Devlin who was successfull in the "Falls" in the west of Belfast in Co. Antrim in the Ulster Province were he defeated the staid Eamonn de Valera who had also stood for the seat there, but despite this Eamonn de Valera had also defeated John Dillon the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party for the seat in the east of Co. Mayo in the Connacht Province, and also secured the seat in the east of Co. Clare in the Munster Province with no contest. Eoin Mac Neill also became the M.P. for the "National University," and Michael Collins won the seat in the west of Co. Cork in the Munster Province and also another in Armagh in the south - east of Ulster, while Arthur Griffith also won 2 seats with one of these in the east of Co. Cavan, and another seat in the north - west of Co. Tyrone in Ulster.      

December: The Irish Volunteers Dublin Brigade was to set up a "munitions" factory underneath a bicycle shop in Dublin, which was later to be taken over by Michael Collins and expanded for "defensive" purposes against the might of the British Imperial Army. 

     The Irish "political" prisoners that were still being held in the Belfast Jail in the north - east of Co. Antrim in the Ulster Province now "abandoned" their ongoing protests on promises made by the British Coalition Government, which as usual were never carried out, and in fact their continuing sadistic "miseries" there were "increased" even further as nothing was done by the British Imperial Governemt to bring them to an end.

    Eammon de Valera the President of the "political" Sinn Fein Party although elected for 2 Irish seats in the Westminster Parliament was also still "incarcerated" in a jail in England, and he decided to try and "escape" from the prison before the "political" prisoners were to be "released" to gain further more "publicity" for the continuing British Imperial Government's "imprisonment" of the "political" aspirants and the actual ongoing occupation of Ireland under their "Immoral Union" and he made a copy of the prison "key" and sent off a drawing of it with Sean Milroy in a Christmas Card to Sean Mac Garry's wife, but she just put it "aside" thinking it was a joke card and never showed it to anyone.

December 25th: When no reply had been received regarding the "Christmas Card" containing the drawing of the "key" John O Mahony wrote to Father Cavanagh / Kavanagh to ask Mrs. Mac Garry if she had received the card.   

    James Arthur Butler became the twenty second English Earl of Ormonde until 1943 who was another son of John the twentieth Earl of Ormonde.

 

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