On This Day / May 6, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210506
Reference Date
19210506
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 6th May 1921, reports told how James Craig and Éamon de Valera secretly met in Dublin, raising brief hopes of peace as Partition tensions deepened. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Craig and de Valera Meet | On This Day – 6th May 1921
IF COLONEL Sir James Craig intended to meet Mr Eamon de Valera when he left Belfast for Dublin on Wednesday he was the sole custodian of the secret for, when the announcement of the meeting was made in Belfast last evening, it evoked feelings of consternation in some quarters…
One message states: ‘When Sir James Craig was in Dublin on Wednesday he had an interview with Mr Eamon de Valera, leader of the Sinn Fein party.
Sir James reported Mr de Valera’s views to Lord FitzAlan, the new Viceroy who on Thursday morning left for London.
The fact that leaders of the extreme Irish parties have been brought together is regarded in Dublin as a matter of the greatest importance.’
Another version reads: Sir James Craig and Mr de Valera met in Dublin today and exchanged views regarding the future of Ireland.
‘Hopes of peace are raised by the meeting which, whatever the outcome, is regarded as magnificent progress…’
How some Unionists regarded it was indicated in remarks made by Mr Samuel McGuffin, MP at a Tory meeting last night: ‘I always understood and I wish to speak candidly’, he said with considerable heat, ‘that we as Unionists always demurred from having interviews with Sinn Feiners.
Well, if Sir James Craig had an interview with Mr de Valera he did not believe it was the end of the Parliament.
His own opinion was that de Valera, being an arch trickster, had inveigled Sir James Craig into this interview. …’
Editorial
THE fact that the two leaders did meet remains and it is a fact that neither need reproach himself with.
No man in Ireland should utter a word calculated to blight any hopes of peace, however faint…
But Sir James Craig made it clear that, in his opinion, a complete victory at the polls on May 24th is essential… and safety for Ireland depends on the nonrealisation of Sir James Craig’s avowed plan …
His policy is Partition and the Partitionist policy must be defeated if Ireland is to be saved from utter ruin.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THE secret meeting between the two leaders seems to have been part of Lloyd George’s policy of putting out peace feelers to Sinn Fein.
The British believed de Valera was more moderate than Michael Collins.
The talks at Belvedere on Dublin’s Howth Road were unproductive and the two men never met again.
Craig said Dev had given him ‘a lot of history’ and some economics.
De Valera recalled that Craig regarded the Crown as ‘almost a sacred thing’.
For The Irish News, the real issue was partition.)
On This Day – 6th May 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210506
Reference Date
19210506
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 6th May 1921, reports told how James Craig and Éamon de Valera secretly met in Dublin, raising brief hopes of peace as Partition tensions deepened. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Craig and de Valera Meet | On This Day – 6th May 1921
IF COLONEL Sir James Craig intended to meet Mr Eamon de Valera when he left Belfast for Dublin on Wednesday he was the sole custodian of the secret for, when the announcement of the meeting was made in Belfast last evening, it evoked feelings of consternation in some quarters…
One message states: ‘When Sir James Craig was in Dublin on Wednesday he had an interview with Mr Eamon de Valera, leader of the Sinn Fein party.
Sir James reported Mr de Valera’s views to Lord FitzAlan, the new Viceroy who on Thursday morning left for London.
The fact that leaders of the extreme Irish parties have been brought together is regarded in Dublin as a matter of the greatest importance.’
Another version reads: Sir James Craig and Mr de Valera met in Dublin today and exchanged views regarding the future of Ireland.
‘Hopes of peace are raised by the meeting which, whatever the outcome, is regarded as magnificent progress…’
How some Unionists regarded it was indicated in remarks made by Mr Samuel McGuffin, MP at a Tory meeting last night: ‘I always understood and I wish to speak candidly’, he said with considerable heat, ‘that we as Unionists always demurred from having interviews with Sinn Feiners.
Well, if Sir James Craig had an interview with Mr de Valera he did not believe it was the end of the Parliament.
His own opinion was that de Valera, being an arch trickster, had inveigled Sir James Craig into this interview. …’
Editorial
THE fact that the two leaders did meet remains and it is a fact that neither need reproach himself with.
No man in Ireland should utter a word calculated to blight any hopes of peace, however faint…
But Sir James Craig made it clear that, in his opinion, a complete victory at the polls on May 24th is essential… and safety for Ireland depends on the nonrealisation of Sir James Craig’s avowed plan …
His policy is Partition and the Partitionist policy must be defeated if Ireland is to be saved from utter ruin.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THE secret meeting between the two leaders seems to have been part of Lloyd George’s policy of putting out peace feelers to Sinn Fein.
The British believed de Valera was more moderate than Michael Collins.
The talks at Belvedere on Dublin’s Howth Road were unproductive and the two men never met again.
Craig said Dev had given him ‘a lot of history’ and some economics.
De Valera recalled that Craig regarded the Crown as ‘almost a sacred thing’.
For The Irish News, the real issue was partition.)
On This Day – 6th May 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210506
Reference Date
May 6, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 6th May 1921, reports told how James Craig and Éamon de Valera secretly met in Dublin, raising brief hopes of peace as Partition tensions deepened. Edited by Éamon Phoenix
Craig and de Valera Meet | On This Day – 6th May 1921
IF COLONEL Sir James Craig intended to meet Mr Eamon de Valera when he left Belfast for Dublin on Wednesday he was the sole custodian of the secret for, when the announcement of the meeting was made in Belfast last evening, it evoked feelings of consternation in some quarters…
One message states: ‘When Sir James Craig was in Dublin on Wednesday he had an interview with Mr Eamon de Valera, leader of the Sinn Fein party.
Sir James reported Mr de Valera’s views to Lord FitzAlan, the new Viceroy who on Thursday morning left for London.
The fact that leaders of the extreme Irish parties have been brought together is regarded in Dublin as a matter of the greatest importance.’
Another version reads: Sir James Craig and Mr de Valera met in Dublin today and exchanged views regarding the future of Ireland.
‘Hopes of peace are raised by the meeting which, whatever the outcome, is regarded as magnificent progress…’
How some Unionists regarded it was indicated in remarks made by Mr Samuel McGuffin, MP at a Tory meeting last night: ‘I always understood and I wish to speak candidly’, he said with considerable heat, ‘that we as Unionists always demurred from having interviews with Sinn Feiners.
Well, if Sir James Craig had an interview with Mr de Valera he did not believe it was the end of the Parliament.
His own opinion was that de Valera, being an arch trickster, had inveigled Sir James Craig into this interview. …’
Editorial
THE fact that the two leaders did meet remains and it is a fact that neither need reproach himself with.
No man in Ireland should utter a word calculated to blight any hopes of peace, however faint…
But Sir James Craig made it clear that, in his opinion, a complete victory at the polls on May 24th is essential… and safety for Ireland depends on the nonrealisation of Sir James Craig’s avowed plan …
His policy is Partition and the Partitionist policy must be defeated if Ireland is to be saved from utter ruin.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THE secret meeting between the two leaders seems to have been part of Lloyd George’s policy of putting out peace feelers to Sinn Fein.
The British believed de Valera was more moderate than Michael Collins.
The talks at Belvedere on Dublin’s Howth Road were unproductive and the two men never met again.
Craig said Dev had given him ‘a lot of history’ and some economics.
De Valera recalled that Craig regarded the Crown as ‘almost a sacred thing’.
For The Irish News, the real issue was partition.)
On This Day – 6th May 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.