On This Day / April 27, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210427
Reference Date
19210427
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 27th April 1921 James Craig issued a rallying call to Unionists, large crowds mourned the Duffin brothers in Belfast and Partition tensions deepened in Derry. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Craig’s Call to Arms | On This Day – 27th April 1921
COLONEL James Craig’s long- promised address is addressed ‘To the loyalist electors of Northern Ireland’.
He writes: ‘…Those for whom I venture to speak place in the forefront of their ideals and aspiration devotion to the Throne, close union with GB, pride in the British Empire and an earnest desire for peace throughout Ireland’.
Calling for votes for the Unionist candidates, Sir James states: ‘The first Parliament will be faced with problems gravely affecting the future….
‘Upon that majority will rest the responsibility of nominating the Northern quota in the Council of Ireland where our representatives will be charged with the important duty of protecting our interests and of guarding the rights and privileges of the Six Counties against encroachment by the Southern Parliament.
‘To put it plainly, failure to secure an effective working majority would mean immediate submergement in a Dublin Parliament. …
‘The fate of the Six Counties hangs in the balance…’
Funerals of Murdered Brothers
THERE was a striking display of sympathy when the remains of the victims of Saturday’s shootings at Clonard – Patrick and Daniel Duffin – were removed from Clonard Gardens, the scene of the tragedy, to St Paul’s Church.
Thousands assembled [as] the remains, enclosed in massive oak coffins, were borne on the shoulders of Volunteers who also supplied a guard of honour. …
During the progress of the cortege to the church an armoured car and two lorries on which were armed military were in attendance and left the scene after the remains had been taken into the church.
The funeral takes place today to Glenravel.
Effects of Partition in Derry
IT IS understood that a sworn inquiry is to be held in Derry by the Local Government Board to consider the propriety of returning Derry Number Two Council (which is in Donegal) as a separate unit instead of amalgamating it with Letterkenny as proposed under the Government of Ireland Act.
The Derry Number Two Council ceased to function as from 1st April and the Nationalist members have already taken their seats at Letterkenny.
The Unionists object to the council being taken over on the ground that it would be detrimental to their interests to be linked to a poorer union.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: Craig’s election manifesto was the first of many to use the threat of ‘submergement in a Dublin Parliament’ to rally the faithful.
Meanwhile the separated Unionists of the Laggan in East Donegal suddenly found that their cultural and commercial links with Derry were being severed.
The city now lost its importance as the economic hub and administrative capital of north-west Ireland.)
On This Day – 27th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210427
Reference Date
19210427
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 27th April 1921 James Craig issued a rallying call to Unionists, large crowds mourned the Duffin brothers in Belfast and Partition tensions deepened in Derry. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Craig’s Call to Arms | On This Day – 27th April 1921
COLONEL James Craig’s long- promised address is addressed ‘To the loyalist electors of Northern Ireland’.
He writes: ‘…Those for whom I venture to speak place in the forefront of their ideals and aspiration devotion to the Throne, close union with GB, pride in the British Empire and an earnest desire for peace throughout Ireland’.
Calling for votes for the Unionist candidates, Sir James states: ‘The first Parliament will be faced with problems gravely affecting the future….
‘Upon that majority will rest the responsibility of nominating the Northern quota in the Council of Ireland where our representatives will be charged with the important duty of protecting our interests and of guarding the rights and privileges of the Six Counties against encroachment by the Southern Parliament.
‘To put it plainly, failure to secure an effective working majority would mean immediate submergement in a Dublin Parliament. …
‘The fate of the Six Counties hangs in the balance…’
Funerals of Murdered Brothers
THERE was a striking display of sympathy when the remains of the victims of Saturday’s shootings at Clonard – Patrick and Daniel Duffin – were removed from Clonard Gardens, the scene of the tragedy, to St Paul’s Church.
Thousands assembled [as] the remains, enclosed in massive oak coffins, were borne on the shoulders of Volunteers who also supplied a guard of honour. …
During the progress of the cortege to the church an armoured car and two lorries on which were armed military were in attendance and left the scene after the remains had been taken into the church.
The funeral takes place today to Glenravel.
Effects of Partition in Derry
IT IS understood that a sworn inquiry is to be held in Derry by the Local Government Board to consider the propriety of returning Derry Number Two Council (which is in Donegal) as a separate unit instead of amalgamating it with Letterkenny as proposed under the Government of Ireland Act.
The Derry Number Two Council ceased to function as from 1st April and the Nationalist members have already taken their seats at Letterkenny.
The Unionists object to the council being taken over on the ground that it would be detrimental to their interests to be linked to a poorer union.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: Craig’s election manifesto was the first of many to use the threat of ‘submergement in a Dublin Parliament’ to rally the faithful.
Meanwhile the separated Unionists of the Laggan in East Donegal suddenly found that their cultural and commercial links with Derry were being severed.
The city now lost its importance as the economic hub and administrative capital of north-west Ireland.)
On This Day – 27th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210427
Reference Date
April 27, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 27th April 1921 James Craig issued a rallying call to Unionists, large crowds mourned the Duffin brothers in Belfast and Partition tensions deepened in Derry. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Craig’s Call to Arms | On This Day – 27th April 1921
COLONEL James Craig’s long- promised address is addressed ‘To the loyalist electors of Northern Ireland’.
He writes: ‘…Those for whom I venture to speak place in the forefront of their ideals and aspiration devotion to the Throne, close union with GB, pride in the British Empire and an earnest desire for peace throughout Ireland’.
Calling for votes for the Unionist candidates, Sir James states: ‘The first Parliament will be faced with problems gravely affecting the future….
‘Upon that majority will rest the responsibility of nominating the Northern quota in the Council of Ireland where our representatives will be charged with the important duty of protecting our interests and of guarding the rights and privileges of the Six Counties against encroachment by the Southern Parliament.
‘To put it plainly, failure to secure an effective working majority would mean immediate submergement in a Dublin Parliament. …
‘The fate of the Six Counties hangs in the balance…’
Funerals of Murdered Brothers
THERE was a striking display of sympathy when the remains of the victims of Saturday’s shootings at Clonard – Patrick and Daniel Duffin – were removed from Clonard Gardens, the scene of the tragedy, to St Paul’s Church.
Thousands assembled [as] the remains, enclosed in massive oak coffins, were borne on the shoulders of Volunteers who also supplied a guard of honour. …
During the progress of the cortege to the church an armoured car and two lorries on which were armed military were in attendance and left the scene after the remains had been taken into the church.
The funeral takes place today to Glenravel.
Effects of Partition in Derry
IT IS understood that a sworn inquiry is to be held in Derry by the Local Government Board to consider the propriety of returning Derry Number Two Council (which is in Donegal) as a separate unit instead of amalgamating it with Letterkenny as proposed under the Government of Ireland Act.
The Derry Number Two Council ceased to function as from 1st April and the Nationalist members have already taken their seats at Letterkenny.
The Unionists object to the council being taken over on the ground that it would be detrimental to their interests to be linked to a poorer union.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: Craig’s election manifesto was the first of many to use the threat of ‘submergement in a Dublin Parliament’ to rally the faithful.
Meanwhile the separated Unionists of the Laggan in East Donegal suddenly found that their cultural and commercial links with Derry were being severed.
The city now lost its importance as the economic hub and administrative capital of north-west Ireland.)
On This Day – 27th April 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.