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Abstract
The relationship between journalists and the Irish rebellion of Easter 1916 is a complex one. While the Rising was led in large part by a miscellany of poets, editors and journalists (many of whom feature prominently in the Rising’s historiography) many lesser-known journalists acted as planners and participants in the insurrection. As well as assessing the contribution of these lesser-known journalists to the events of 1916 and the Rising’s impact on journalistic life in Dublin, it explores how a representative organisation—the Irish Journalists’ Association—acted as a cover for the clandestine insurgent-related activities of many journalists. It finds that the IJA played a key role in facilitating the expression of radical views by this cohort of journalists who could not express their radicalism through their everyday posts on the mainstream media and, by so doing, it played a key, though hitherto unacknowledged, role in the events of Easter 1916.
Notes
1 See Caulfield, “Easter Rebellion”; Williams, “The Irish Struggle”; Edwards and Pyle, “1916”; Coogan, “1916”; Townshend, “Easter 1916”; Wills, “Dublin 1916”; McGarry, The Rising”; Coleman, “The Irish Revolution”; Foster, “Vivid Faces” and Ferriter, “A Nation”.
2 Many of the IRB’s leaders were prominent in the Irish Volunteers and it was this inner-circle that instigated the Rising. When the leader of the Irish Volunteers, Eoin MacNeill, was told belatedly of the plans for a Rising on Easter Sunday, he issued an order cancelling the Sunday manoeuvres that were to be held countrywide as a prelude to the Rising. However, the IRB inner-circle decided to go ahead with the Rising in Dublin on Easter Monday. As a result of this confusion the Rising, which was meant to occur nationwide, was mostly confined to Dublin.
3 For more on Connolly’s journalism see Curry, “The Worker”; for more on Pearse’s journalism see Uí Chollatáin, “An Claidheamh Soluis”.
4 See Figgis, “Recollections”; Ryan, “Remembering Sion” and FitzGerald “Memoirs”.
5 The Irish Times, January 20, 1911 carries a comprehensive account of the IJA’s first AMG and a list of its prominent members.
7 Bureau of Military History Witness Statement, no. 675.
8 Bingham, “Digitization of Newspaper Archives,” 225.
9 For more on the Freeman’s Journal see Larkin, “A Great Dail Organ”; for more on the Irish Independent see O’Brien and Rafter Citation2012; for more on the Irish Times see O’Brien 2008. The Daily Express, a Dublin Unionist newspaper, ceased publication in 1921.
10 Foley, “Colonialism and Journalism in Ireland,” 380.
11 Irish Journalist, January, 1915.
12 Irish Times, January 20, 1911.
13 Irish Journalist, October, 1914.
14 Irish Journalist, May–August, 1916.
15 Irish Journalist, November, 1915.
16 Keating, “Muscovite Days and Nights,” 116.
17 Irish Press, July 7, 1961. This paper published a series of O’Kelly recollections throughout July 1961.
18 Evening Herald, July 29, 1961.
19 Evening Herald, July 29, 1961.
20 In 1929 Boyd became the first, and only, editor to be prosecuted under the Censorship of Publications Act 1929 in relation to his reporting of a court case. See Keating, “Waterford Standard.”
21 Griffin, “The Wild Geese,” 244.
22 Gageby, “Last Secretary General,” 9 (letter from Tivy to Lester, August 19, 1916).
23 Gageby, “Last Secretary General,” 11 (letter from Tivy to Lester, August 22, 1916).
24 Gageby, “Last Secretary General,” 11–12 (letter from Tivy to Lester, undated). Lester later served as the last secretary general of the League of Nations.
25 Irish Press, June 23, 1965.
26 The Irish Independent later published a second series of recollections, ‘A Veteran Remembers’ from May 16 to June 10, 1957.
27 Irish Independent, January 6, 1953.
28 Irish Independent, January 7, 1953.
29 Irish Independent, January 9, 1953.
30 Irish Independent, January 12, 1953.
31 Irish Independent, January 12, 1953.
32 Irish Independent, January 15, 1953.
33 Irish Independent, January 13, 1953.
34 Irish Independent, January 16, 1953.
35 Irish Press, July 11, 1961.
36 Irish Independent, June 18, 1917. In 1918 Béaslaí was elected to the First Dáil and served as the IRA’s director of publicty during the Anglo-Irish War 1919–21. For more on Béaslaí’s later life see Maume, “Béaslaí”.
37 Irish Independent, December 21, 1964.
38 Bureau of Military History Witness Statement, no. 833, 2.
39 Ibid., 3.
40 Bureau of Military History Witness Statement, no. 834, 6. During the Anglo-Irish War 1919–21 Knightly passed information, including photographs of Dublin Castle officials, to the republican movement. He was imprisoned during the conflict, went to London as part of the staff of Treaty delegation, and served as press censor during the Second World War. See Irish Independent, February 19, 1955.
41 Irish Times, April 25, 1916.
42 O’Brien, “Irish Times,” 48.
43 The Times, May 1, 1916.
44 Irish Times, April 27, 1916.
45 Irish Journalist, May–August 1916.
46 Irish Journalist, May–August 1916.
47 Maume, “Skeffington”.
48 Maume, “Colthurst”.
49 Irish Journalist, May–August 1916.
50 Irish Journalist, September–October 1916.
51 Ó Conchubhair, “Dublin’s Fighting Story”.
52 Evening Mail, August 4, 1916.
53 O’Brien, “The Fourth Estate”, 116.
54 Irish Journalist, September–October 1916.
55 Irish Independent, October 28, 1918.
56 Irish Times, January 13, 1919; Irish Times, January 19, 1925.