On This Day / October 9, 1921

Summary: On This Day – 9th October 1921, Irish delegates arrived in London for the Peace Conference amid a huge welcome, while a Catholic Belfast family reported a frightening encounter with suspected Special Constabulary members. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.

Delegates in London | On This Day – 9th October 1921

ONLY four of the Sinn Fein delegates who are to take part in the Peace Conference which opens at Downing Street on Tuesday were among the Irish party who reached Euston on Saturday night by the boat train from Dublin.

Mr Arthur Griffith, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Dail Cabinet, heads the delegation. Those accompanying him were Mr Robert Barton [Minister for Economic Affairs]; Mr E J Duggan [Chief Liaison Officer for the IRA] and Mr Gavan Duffy, [Irish Envoy at Rome].

The missing envoy was the famous Michael Collins who quite appropriately maintains his reputation for elusiveness.

The platform at Euston had been barricaded and a strong force of police kept the crowd at bay.

King Witnesses Sinn Fein Rally

A SPECIAL correspondent writes of the arrival of the Irish delegates: They were given a reception that a king might envy.

In fact, King George V came in for a slight share of it and was, doubtless, surprised at the blaze of Sinn Fein flags, banners and favours carried by the enormous gathering of London Irish societies mustered in the Euston Square neighbourhood and the stirring Irish airs played by a dozen bands as the King’s motor drove out of the station.

Fearful Experience of Belfast Family

A CATHOLIC family residing off the Antrim Road in Belfast had a startling experience on Saturday morning.

It appears that about one o’clock the family were awakened by a loud knocking and when the lady of the house opened the front bedroom window, she observed a number of men standing on the footpath.

She asked what they wanted and the leader, who was wearing a police constable’s cap and civilian clothing, and apparently acting as a member of the A Class Special Constabulary, shouted that they were coming to search the house.

Not satisfied with this answer, the lady asked the reason for the suggested raid and the leader said: ‘There is a door open in the shop.’ ‘What shop?’ queried the lady.

Realising that their game was a failure, the group hurriedly disappeared. The members of the household were greatly alarmed by the peculiar experience and they are still wondering what might have happened had the after-midnight party gained admission to the house at once.

(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: As tensions rose in the North on the eve of the Treaty negotiations, nocturnal raids by the Special Constabulary were commonplace, instilling fear in the nationalist community.

Usually dressed in mufti with only police caps, armbands and revolvers to identify them, the Specials – an exclusively Protestant force – were compared by Lloyd George in 1922 to the Fascisti – Mussolini’s armed thugs.)

On This Day – 9th October 1921

Further Reading on Irish History:

List of other On This Day columns

Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive

About Eamon Phoenix

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