On This Day / October 20, 1921

Summary: On This Day – 20th October 1921, Nationalist solicitors in Tyrone protested against partition by refusing to use Northern Ireland’s High Court, while a judge highlighted the legal complexities created by Partition. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.

Partition-Lawyers’ Protest | On This Day – 20th October 1921

FOLLOWING a meeting of the Nationalist solicitors of County Tyrone, the following was issued:

‘We hereby resolve, as a protest against the partition of our country, that we will not from this date institute or defend any action or cause in the High Court of Northern Ireland’.

The signatories include Francis Shields, Omagh; TJS Harbison, MP Cookstown; John Hoy, Dungannon; James Mullan, Cookstown; John Corr, Coalisland; Henry T Gallagher, Strabane; George Murnaghan, Omagh and Alex E Donnelly, Omagh.

‘Border’ Judge on Partition Perplexities

At Clones Quarter Sessions [County Monaghan], Judge [William] Johnston, KC delivered a very important pronouncement regarding the partition of Ireland.

In awarding a sum of £50 to a wounded RIC man his Honour said he was of opinion that half the latter sum should be paid by County Fermanagh if, he said, he had any power sitting in County Monaghan as a judge of Southern Ireland, to make an award under the 1836 Grand Jury Act affecting a county in Northern Ireland.

‘I am of the opinion that, while I am sitting in County Monaghan, I possess the jurisdiction alone of a judge of Southern Ireland, and when I am sitting in County Fermanagh I possess only a jurisdiction of a judge of Northern Ireland.’

Ex-Special Gets Off Lightly

AT THE Belfast Recorder’s Court yesterday, Stanley Valentine, who had pleaded guilty to the larceny of six Webley revolvers from Antrim Road RIC barracks, was put forward for sentence.

The judge said the circumstances under which he had stolen the revolvers aggravated the offence.

He had joined up as a Special Constable in July last and on 14th September he was dismissed.

He then proceeded to use his knowledge to get these revolvers and sell them to a man called Dolan.

So far there had been no conviction against the prisoner but he could not overlook this offence and the sentence would be six calendar months’ hard labour.

Belfastman is Dáil Consul

MR Joseph Connolly of Belfast has been appointed by Dáil Eireann to be Irish Consul in New York in place of Mr J L [Diarmuid] Fawsitt.

Mr Connolly sailed on Saturday from Cobh to take up the position. Mr Connolly is a Belfast businessman. He has served on several Dáil Commissions.

(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: In protest at the establishment of a separate court system for the north, several dozen anti-partitionist solicitors in Tyrone refused to appear in the High Court.

Among them was George Murnaghan, the Sinn Fein leader and northern adviser to the Treaty delegation.

A Belfast republican, Joe Connolly (1885-1961) became a Minister under de Valera whom he accused later of abandoning the northern nationalists.)

On This Day – 20th October 1921

Further Reading on Irish History:

List of other On This Day columns

Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive

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