1912

1912 January: In the Ulster Province the Ulster Unionist Council who were against Irish Home Rule were now training their military arm known as the Ulster Volunteer Force / U.V.F, after receiving sanction from their local magistrates, which kept them within the law, and they were now more then ready to neutralise the British Government's Military forces.

February: James Craig, the future Ascendancy Ulster Unionist leader in Belfast in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province, while on a speaking engagement came out demanding British Military assistance for his personal protection, and his car was overturned by men in Ulster and he then had to be protected by the British Military and the R.I.C. police.  -

    Andrew Bonar - Law who was now the British Conservative Opposition leader was joined by the Ulster Unionist Council and a meeting of the Ulster Unionists was held at Craigavon, the residence of James Craig, near Belfast where over 50,000 attended who now intended to also form their own parliament in the Ulster Province.

April 9th: Andrew Bonar - Law the new British Conservative leader, met with Edward Carson the day before the British Westminster Parliament assembled during a semi - military demonstration in Belfast in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province and recalled the, "Battle of the Boyne," and he informed him that the Conservative Party, "Regarded their cause as the cause of the Empire."  

April 11th: Herbert Asquith the Liberal British Prime Minister introduced the 3rd Irish Home Bill into the Westminster House of Commons, which offered only a narrow autonomy in Ireland with an "All Ireland Parliament" only responsible for domestic affairs, who would have to wait 6 years before they could have control over the R.I.C. police and the Irish Nationalist Constitutionalists were willing to accept it, while the "political" Sinn Fein Party under the advise of Arthur Griffith was to condemn it, but popular opinion in Ireland was for it, as they were all expecting Irish Home Rule to cure all of their problems in Ireland and they gave John Redmond the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party their support. Meanwhile the Ulster Unionists and the Conservatives now under Andrew Bonar - Law attacked the 3rd Irish Home Bill at every opportunity, and it was "rejected" once again by the Conservative unelected British House of Lords, and Herbert Asquith the leader of the British Liberal Government proposed to bring it forward once again at a later date. If it was passed 3 times in the British House of Commons it would then automatically become law within another 2 years, regardless of the "veto" by the Conservative controlled and unelected House of Lords and at this time David Lloyd - George. who would become the future British Coalition Prime Minister from 1916 - 1922,  and Winston Churchill were both against giving those who were against it in the Ulster Province any other option. 

April 24^th: Major Frederick Crawford who was to later sign the Solemn League & Covenant with his own blood, in the meantime landed  a consignment of German rifles and ammunition into Larne in the Ulster Province in preparation for armed conflict against the British Liberal Government and any chance of bringing in Irish Home Rule.

June 11th:  In desperation in regard to the introduction of Irish Home Rule, an Amendment was moved by the M.P. Agar - Robertes to exclude 4 of the Counties in Ireland from the 9 in the Ulster Province and attach them to Scotland. to maintain the Ascendancy in Ulster, namely Co. Antrim, Co. Armagh, Co. Derry and Co. Down as, "Orange bitters wouldn't mix with Irish whiskey," Edward Carson the Ascendancy Ulster Unionist leader was against this particular Amendment, as he advised them that the Ascendancy could not hold onto only 4 Counties in Ulster and actually required 6 of the Counties there from the whole 9 Counties of the Ulster Province in Ireland to ensure ongoing success there. The Amendment was subsequently defeated, but it made the Ulster Unionists realise the actual situation, and the people of Ireland generally, that only force this time around would ever give them back their "whole" Country. 

       A Government of Ireland Bill was passed to nominate the Irish Senate for 8 years, and for the Irish House of Commons to have 164 elected members for 5 years, with 42 members to go to the Westminster House of Commons in England, but it was never to come into operation.   

July: Andrew Bonar - Law, who was now the British Conservative Opposition leader, addressed a Conservative political rally at Blenheim and told them that he, "Could not imagine the length of resistance to which the Ulster Unionists would go in which he would not support them," and "sectarian violence" once again broke out in Belfast in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province as the emotions of the non - Catholics was once again vented on the Irish Catholics there.

    Winston Churchill the first British Lord of the Admiralty and Jack Seely the British Secretary of State for War organized 25,000 troops, as well as the 3^rd Battalion Squadron and 4^th Destroyer Flotilla to assemble in the Firth of Clyde opposite to Co. Antrim in the north - east of Ulster to increase the pressure on the Ulster Unionists and Sir Neville Mac Ready the British Military General was now posted as the Belfast General Officer in the Ulster Province to control the R.I.C as well as the British Military Infantry there.

September 28th: On this day, the Ulster Unionist Council under their leader, Edward Carson, declared a public holiday to carry out a demonstration against Irish Home Rule, where a Solemn League and Covenant was signed by 218,000 people in the Belfast City Hall in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province that was also supported by the non - Catholic religious ministers there, including both the Ascendancy Church of England - Ireland and the Presbyterian, in which it gave loyalty to the Crown of England, although they were intending to create rebellion against the Crown to maintain the Ascendancy there.

November 12^th: Ronald Mac Neill / Lord Cushendun hurled a copy of the Standby Orders at Winston Churchill in the Westminster House of Commons in England against Irish Home Rule as he was with the Unionists.

     The Catholic clergy by now had gained much more confidence as to their position and their respect overall among the population in Ireland and also amongst the politicians, so they began to speak up louder on behalf of the majority of the people, and along with the Irish League and the Labour organizations the momentum of the Irish Gaelic revival was also increasing in strength.

    Thomas James / Tom Clarke the Old Republican ever ready to push the Irish Independence barrow organized a pilgrimage to the gravesite of Theobold Wolfe - Tone the original founder of Irish Republicanism, to counter the visit of the English Royals to Ireland. 

    Hanna Sheehy - Skeffington joined the Socialist Party and was imprisoned by the British Liberal Government for her opposition to the "voting rights for women" being left out of the 3rd Irish Home Rule Bil and the Irish Nationalist Constitutionalists in the Westminster Parliament finally had the Irish Home Rule Bill passed, but were well aware that it was under threat, and so they decided to form their own military organization in co - operation with the I.R.B. and the "political" Sinn Fein Party, which further strengthened the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B. when they were to organize their own group the "Irish National Volunteers" after a suggestion was put forward by Eoin Mac Neill, the vice - President of the Gaelic League, whose intention was to set up the Irish Volunteers for defensive purposes only.  

     The Conservative Unionist propaganda in England began to effect the Liberal Party's outlook there, and one of their members in the British House of Commons proposed that the Ulster Province be left out of the 3rd Irish Home Bill altogether, a  proposal that was rejected by both the British Liberal Government and John Redmond the Irish Parliamentary Party leader who was by now really desperate for Irish Home Rule, and he advised Herbert Asquith the British Liberal Prime Minister that in his opinion the Unionists were bluffing. At the same time the "political" Sinn Fein Party was by now also getting their message through to the Irish people generally that the 3rd Irish Home Rule Bill that was being offered to Ireland was just no good overall.  

    Andrew Bonar - Law the Conservative Party leader in England began having "secretive talks" with Herbert Asquith the British Liberal Prime Minister and between them they pledged unconditional support for the Ulster Unionist's resistance to Irish Home Rule, and the previous breakaway Liberal Unionists who had left the Liberal Party in England, now joined in with the Unionist Conservative Party, while Rudyard Kipling donated 30,000 pounds toward a 1,000,000 pound fighting fund against  the introduction of Irish Home Rule, and among their supporters in England were Lord Beresford, Lord Salisbury, Lord Cecil, Lord de Broke and James Campbell.

   Arthur Griffith who would become known as the Father of the Nation, was the co - founder of the Gaelic League, and the "political" Sinn Fein Party in Ireland and he was trying to condition the Irish population to bring about self - reliance / Sinn Fein / We Ourselves in Ireland, was also totally against the British Liberal Government's 3rd Irish Home Rule Bill.  

    Michael Rahilly / The O Rahilly from Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province who was to be eventually killed at the Post Office in Dublin in the future during the 1916 Easter Rising, now joined the Gaelic League. 

    George William Russell / AE was born this year in the Ulster Province.

    Liam Mellowes who had also been born in Lancashire in England in 1892 AD. and reared in Co. Wexford in the south - east of Southern Leinster now also joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B. along with the physically handicapped John Mac Dermott / Sean Mac Diarmata who were both to play a major role in the 1916 Easter Rising that lay ahead. 

    David Lloyd - George a Welshman who was a Minister in the British Liberal Government produced a Military Service Bill / Conscription Bill, and the 3rd Irish Home Rule Bill that had been previously passed, was now to be withheld by the British Liberal Government, and both of these acts were a great blow to the long time political aspirations and expectations of John Redwood and the Irish Parliamentary Party that he led and this was all to have a devastating effect on the fortunes of the Irish Parliamentary Party as the Catholic Church hierarchy was to eventually give their support to the "political" Sinn Fein Party and in the elections in the future for Ireland the "political" Sinn Fein Party was to win 73 seats, of which 25 were to be uncontested, with the Irish Parliamentary Party then only able to win 6 seats.

December: Milner wrote to Edward Carson the Ulster Unionist leader in Ireland stating, “Must paralyse the arm of the executioner.”

1912 - 1913 AD The Government of Ireland Bill was to be passed in 1914 AD, and it was never to be put into operation under the provisions of the British Parliament Act 1911, where it was supposed to be comprised of a Senate and a House of Commons with the Senate to be "nominated" by the British Governments Lord Lieutenant in Ireland for 8 years, with a quarter retiring every year, 'with the first batch of Senators to the King and the House of Commons was to be comprised of 164 MP's to be elected for 5 years, 42 Irish MP's were to go to the British Westminster Parliament House of Commons Parliament, and they also reserved control over the R.I.C.

                  Home Page                                                                                        Return to Celtic Heritage                                                                   On to 1913 AD