RAINBOW FARMS    AUSTRALIA                                            

                                                                                                                                      1918 - 2 / July - December 

 

July 4th: Lord French the British Imperial Government's Commander - in - Chief in Ireland now went further to crush all Irish interests and 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 R.I.C. police, while the British Imperial Military forces were now also feeling the hostility emanating from the general Irish population. (Once again suppress to unite.) Reports were also coming in of ill treatment in the Belfast Jails in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province, of baton bashing being carried out there on the Irish "political" prisoners while their hands were handcuffed behind their backs, and of them then being dragged down the stairs where they were hosed down and left for 3 days in their wet clothes and also of other Irish "political" prisoners there left in solitary confinement in this condition for a week. 

August 4th: Regardless of the directions of Lord French the British Imperial Government's Commander - in - Chief, the executive of all the Irish sporting bodies still held their Gaelic Games all over Ireland, and also on this same day in defiance of restraint on their public rights, and so on August 15th the "political" Sinn Fein Party did 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 to try and bring about Irish Independence from British Imperialism, realise the many duties he had previously been carrying out personally on his own. (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 for the British Westminster Parliament, while he too was still being held in a prison in England by the British Imperial Government. 

    Peader O Donnell also joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood / I.R.B while Richard Mulcahy who was elected the "political" Sinn Fein Party M.P. for Clontarf was their Chief of Staff, and Edmund Duggan who had been elected to the 1st Dail Eireann / Irish Assembly was their Director of Intelligence, and Robert Childers - Barton was also the elected "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, which now laid claim to the fact that the Irish Volunteers were the actual Irish Republican Army / I.R.A. 

   The British Imperial Coalition Government also began to re - arrest and deport the Irish prisoners at they came out of the jail gates on their release, and they set up British Army recruiting meetings for the Irish public, but it wasn't working out for them as they had planned, and there deadline for the General French imposed 50,000 Irish recruits was getting nearer and those in charge of the overall Irish opposition to the British Government's Imperialism and Conscription had by now decided to take Lord French, the British Imperial Commander, as a hostage, as his British Imperial Court Martials, raids, arrests, re - arrests and imprisonment were constant, and he had also brought in British Military Army tanks to Dublin to further intimidate the general Irish population. Due to their deadline not being met the British Government's Army recruiting drive was now extended to October 15th, and they also threatened the general Irish population that they would increase the number of Irish Conscripts to 100,000 if they were forced to bring in British Government Conscription in Ireland.

October 15th: General French the British Government's Imperial Commander 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 defused the issue. (The Irish Volunteers decided to hold a Convention to discuss the overall situation 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 carried out on the Irish prisoners 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 on this day, and the 1st World War was bought to an end, in which 7,000,000 people had died in what was 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 soldiers 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 of their coming and were able to drive them off, as they had no fire arms with them. (This particular unprovoked attack, which was carried out by British Imperial Government forces was then prohibited from being reported by the British Government's stronghold in Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 acre).            

      As 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 restrict the added use of force by David Lloyd - George the British Imperial Prime Minister to subdue thoughts of Irish Independence. It was to turn out that Woodrow Wilson would  do nothing for Ireland because of his obsession with 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 while 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. This really meant the death knell for the remaining members of the Irish Parliamentary Party, which had fought diligently and patiently by Constitutional means for it's introduction, giving the British Government every allegiance to obtain it, and the British Government had broken their promises once again and treated the Irish Nation, as usual. 

November: John Dillonwho was  now also a 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 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 to be contested for the British Westminster Parliament, 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, as the British Imperial Government meant to deny them their rights to contest the coming  General Elections for Westminster on their own behalf.

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 secure in the knowledge that they had annulled any democratic chances of the "political" Sinn Fein Party now being able to make any personal showing in the 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 deported him from out of Ireland, and then increased the censorship in Ireland and made it especially harsh on any members of the "political" Sinn Fein Party, despite this the remaining free "political" Sinn Fein Party members went ahead and published their own Manifesto stating their aims, "To form an Irish Republic, not to attend Westminster, and form their own Irish Assembly from those members who were successfully elected by the Irish people." Although the their Manifesto was highly censored by the British Imperial Government it contained a Black Border around the material itself that the British Government had removed from their 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 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 he was conveyed to Glasnevin Cemetery and interred along with many of the other Irish men and women there who had also given their life trying to obtain Irish Independence / Freedom. (He was to be another of the, "Fenian dead left to remind the Irish of the continuing English 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 informed the British Governor of the prison that if anything happened to Sean Etchingham he would not be responsible for what would happen, and Sean 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 BritishCoalition Government in jails in England, were now more then ready to take on the might of the British Imperial Empire and even the previous followers of John Redmond and John Dillon had now joined in with them and the Irish Parliamentary Party could now only raise candidates for 75% of the Irish seats available for Westminster.     

December 14th: The Westminster General Elections were conducted 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 the "political" Sinn Fein Party members or 50% of the candidates who were successful in the election, were still being held in British prisons, while 3 others were still in exile and 6 were evading British Imperial Government arrest 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 the one to go to Joseph Devlin in the Falls in the west of Belfast in Co. Antrim in the Ulster Province were he defeated Eamonn de Valera who 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 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 had set up a munitions factory underneath a bicycle shop in Dublin, which was taken over later on by Michael Collins and expanded. 

     The Irish "political" prisoners still being held in the Belfast Jail in the north - east of Co. Antrim in the Ulster Province now abandoned their protests on promises by the British Coalition Government, which as usual were not carried out, and in fact their miseries there were increased even further.

    Eammon de Valera the President of the "political" Sinn Fein Party although elected for 2 Irish seats in Westminster was also still in jail in England, and he decided to try and escape from the prison before the prisoners were to be released to gain further publicity for the continuing British Imperial Government occupation in Ireland and he copied the prison key and sent 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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