1928 - 1929 AD
1928 The anti - Treaty Irregular IRA, who were against the Anglo - Irish Treaty, that had allowed for the artificial partition of the 6 Counties from the 9 in the Ulster Province to continue on with the Ascendancy in Ireland, were still active in Ireland at this time.
February:
In the Irish Free State,
(26 Counties)
Eamonn de Valera,
who was
now the leader of the new political Fianna Fail Party
in the Opposition, returned
to Ireland
from
America, after his fund raising
exercise there, to begin a Republican
newspaper.
May 3rd:
In the
Irish Free State,
Eamonn de Valera
the Fianna Fail Party's Opposition leader, produced his original
Petition,
which was by now
signed by 96,000
Irish voters,
to hold a
Referendum to
do away with the Oath
of
Allegiance to the
British King, but
William T. Cosgrave the
leader of the
Irish Government objected
to it and moved an
Amendment against it.
He advised
Eamonn de Valera
to wait
another 2 years until 1930,
when the
8 year
waiting period
was to
expire under the
original
Irish Free State Constitution that had been previously
agreed upon with the British Imperial Government under duress during the framing
of the Anglo - Irish Treaty.
1929 This was the year of World Depression, with shipbuilding especially in Co. Antrim in the north - east of the Ulster Province in real trouble, bringing about unemployment and further sectarian rioting among the non - Catholics and the Irish Catholics there in the Belfast area, and further British Imperial Military forces were sent into the 6 Counties in Ulster, which were still under their control.
In
the Irish Free State,
Sean Mac Bride,
the son of John Mac Bride and Maude Gonne, and the
future founder of
Amnesty International,
became a member of
Comhairle
na Poblachta until 1934.
February:
Eamonn de Valera,
the leader of the Opposition
Fianna Fail Party in the
Irish Free State (26
Counties) went to Belfast
in the north - east of the Ulster Province
one of the 6 artificially partitioned Counties there, to the
Aonach na nGaedhal
/ Assembly of the Irish, under the
wing of the
Gaelic League
and the Gaelic Athletic
Association, but he was once again arrested at
Goraghwood, by the Ascendancy
"Official" Unionist
Royal Ulster Constabulary Police /
R.U.C. He
was charged with the order taken out against him
5
years
before, and again given one month's
imprisonment there, although he
April 27th:
In the Irish Free State.
Austin Stack,
died, who had
always been for an Irish Republic,
and against the Anglo
- Irish Treaty.
September 5th:
In the Irish Free State.
the Irish Press the newspaper set up by
Eamonn de Valera,
the leader of the Opposition Fianna Fail Party,
that was to be used to promote the re - unification of Ireland,
and the complete establishment of the Irish Republic,
began with
Frank Gallagher
as
it's editor.
October 24th: In the Irish Free State, the Ard na Crusha Power Station was completed under the leadership of William T. Cosgrave the leader of the Cuman na nGaedhal Party Coalition Government.
November:
Eamonn de Valera,
the leader of the Opposition Fianna Fail Party went off to
America again, for
6 months, where he set up a network
of committees there to eventually work towards establishing the whole of the Irish Republic
in Ireland.
In the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, that were still under the control of the British Conservative Government, and the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist Government who now changed the Parliamentary representation again, to do away with "Proportional Representation" also in their House of Commons, to perpetuate the Ascendancy there. This was despite the fact that they already had a 2 / 3 majority in the population there, and this also wiped out the Independents, and the Westminster Parliament in England refused to carry out an official inquiry and do something about it.
Michael Enright / Micheal Mac Ionnrachtaigh, was now the leader of the Clann Na Gael / The Organization in America, and Cornelius Noonan / Conchobar Ua hIonmhaineain from Co. Cork in Southern Munster was their Secretary. - In England, James Ramsay Mac Donald was re - elected the British Labour Prime Minister until 1931.
In the Irish Free State.
Sean Russell,
who was
now the leader of the anti - Treaty
Irregular IRA,
(which had recently increased its activities,) was to meet
up with
Joseph Mac Garritty the previous leader of the
Clann na Gael / The
Organization
in America. - The
Irish Censorship of
Publications Board was also set up this month.
1930 In the Irish Free State, the non - Catholic population had decreased by a further 3 %, to 7.4 %. - John Whelan - Dulanty / Delahunty / Sean Ua Dulchaointigh, was the Irish High Commissioner in England, and he would retain the position until 1939.
In the
6
Counties artificially partitioned from the
9 in the
Ulster
Province,
and
still under the control of
the British Imperial Government
and the Ascendancy "Official" Unionists,
gerrymandering of the votes was
continue to be allowed, with the Ward
Boundaries containing the
Irish
Catholics there being blatantly and shamelessly rigged, as shown by the fact that the majority
9,961
Irish
Nationalist voters were only capable of returning
8
Councillors, while
the minority
"Official"
Unionists with 7,444 votes amounting to
2,517 less votes
were to
return 12.
1931 In the
Irish
Free State,
the anti - Treaty
IRA, under the leadership of Sean
Russell, began to increase their activities, and they carried out
a further
3 killings,
and
were now also strong
supporters
of
the Opposition
Fianna Fail Party under
the leadership of Eamonn de Valera. - The
Republican Congress, which was now led by
Gilmore, Ryan and O Donnell,
broke with the anti - Treaty
IRA under Sean Russell,
and they founded the James Connolly Club for unemployed
Irish
Catholics and non - Catholic workers in Ireland.
- This
year, Father
John Hayes,
founded
the
Muintir na Tiri,
which was a Rural Work programme to improve
the living standards of all
Irish
farmers.
May: In
the Irish Free State,
Sean
Mac Bride and the
anti - Treaty IRA
under the leadership of Sean Russell,
organized the 1st
Saor Eire /
Republican Workers Party Convention
for workers and farmers, and
Maurice Twomey, who would become the
anti - Treaty IRA
Chief of Staff after
Dr.
Andrew Cooney,
now became aware and was wary of the growing Communist
influence gaining hold within their organization.
October 14th: In the Irish Free State, William T. Cosgrave the Taoiseach (leader) of the Cuman na nGaedhal Party Coalition Government, introduced the Bill / Article 2a Amendment to the Irish Constitution to set up a Military Tribunal under 5 Military officers to try the present anti - Treaty IRA dissidents, and to also try and counter political crime, with the Death Penalty, with No Appeal, and increase the Irish Garda police powers and declare any Unlawful Associations. (All mainly to counteract the ongoing activities of the anti - Treaty I.R.A.)
October 20th: In
the Irish Free State,
the
Saor Erie
/ Workers Party, the Anti Treaty
IRA, the Fianna Eireann,
and
Cumann na m Ban,
were now all declared
Unlawful
associations, by the Dail Eireann / Irish Assembly
under the
Cuman na nGaedhal Coalition Government, which was still
under the leadership of
William T. Cosgrave.
In
England, the
British
Westminster Parliament
under the leadership of James Ramsay the British Labour Prime Minister passed the
Statute of Westminster, giving
Legislative autonomy to all of the previous British
Imperial Government
Dominions,
which now meant that the
Irish Free
State could finally instigate it's own
Irish laws for
Ireland.
In the
6 Counties artificially partitioned from the
9 in the
Ulster Province,
and still under the control of the British Imperial Government
and the Ascendancy "Official" Unionist
Government,
a
Non - Catholic
League was founded there, and it directed all of it's members, "Not to employ or have
anything to do with
the Irish Catholics," there,
the same as the Rev.
Ian Paisley,
a hardline religious fanatic, would try
to bring in there 38 years later on, in 1969.