On This Day / December 10, 1920
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19201210
Reference Date
19201210
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Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 10th December 1920, MP Arthur Henderson condemned Britain’s reprisals as “Cromwellian”, while textile closures hit Northern workers and Ballykinlar continued to fill with deported prisoners. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
‘Cromwellian Repression’ | On This Day – 10th December 1920
SPEAKING to his constituents in Hough Green last night, Mr Arthur Henderson MP [former Labour Minister] said: ‘It is difficult for me to exaggerate the deplorable conditions that now prevail in Ireland.
‘Coercion has been applied with such indiscriminate violence that the terror-stricken and normal life has been made impossible. … It is actually true to say that life was safer in Brussels during the German occupation than it is now in Dublin, Cork or Derry…’
‘All this cannot be dissociated from the Government’s settled policy which is reactionary in its conception, brutal in its application and destructive in its consequences.
‘One can find no parallel to the treatment of Ireland in the modern history of any democratic country.
‘It has achieved the distinction of applying a more intensified form of oppression than anything known since the days of Cromwell – I mean the policy of reprisals.’
He was convinced that there was a possibility of making peace with the Irish people. A Constituent Assembly should be elected.
North’s Textile Workers’ Plight
THE situation in connection with the local textile industry still remains very gloomy. Some ten large establishments are closing down entirely for one month, covering the Christmas holiday season; others are closing for periods of a fortnight and in practically all cases, the number of working hours in the week is being cut to a negligible proportion. Several thousands of workers are being laid off.
Portadown Barracks Burned
A party of Sinn Féiners visited the Birches district near Portadown on Wednesday and set fire to the police barracks which was vacated a short time ago.
Ballykinlar Filling Up
FOLLOWING the departure on Sunday from Dublin of the destroyer Valorous, conveying over 100 prisoners from Dublin to Ballykinlar Internment Camp, County Down, it was learnt that a destroyer will bring another contingent of deportees to the camp.
‘No Looting’- Specials Warned
REVIEWING Special Constables at Newtownards yesterday, Colonel CG Wickham, Divisional Commander USC, said he was absolutely opposed to anything in the nature of looting or burning or indiscipline.
Their primary business was to prevent crime and not to make it. He reminded them that their actions would be watched very critically, not only in Ireland and England but even further afield – in the Dominions.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: As the British Labour Party and Asquith called for Irish elections to hammer out a settlement, hundreds of Republicans were interned at the former UVF base at Ballykinlar. They included Sean Lemass and Louis J Walsh, the Ballycastle Sinn Fein lawyer.
Meanwhile in a strange speech the USC commander urged his new police force against ‘looting and burning’.)
On This Day – 10th December 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201210
Reference Date
19201210
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 10th December 1920, MP Arthur Henderson condemned Britain’s reprisals as “Cromwellian”, while textile closures hit Northern workers and Ballykinlar continued to fill with deported prisoners. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
‘Cromwellian Repression’ | On This Day – 10th December 1920
SPEAKING to his constituents in Hough Green last night, Mr Arthur Henderson MP [former Labour Minister] said: ‘It is difficult for me to exaggerate the deplorable conditions that now prevail in Ireland.
‘Coercion has been applied with such indiscriminate violence that the terror-stricken and normal life has been made impossible. … It is actually true to say that life was safer in Brussels during the German occupation than it is now in Dublin, Cork or Derry…’
‘All this cannot be dissociated from the Government’s settled policy which is reactionary in its conception, brutal in its application and destructive in its consequences.
‘One can find no parallel to the treatment of Ireland in the modern history of any democratic country.
‘It has achieved the distinction of applying a more intensified form of oppression than anything known since the days of Cromwell – I mean the policy of reprisals.’
He was convinced that there was a possibility of making peace with the Irish people. A Constituent Assembly should be elected.
North’s Textile Workers’ Plight
THE situation in connection with the local textile industry still remains very gloomy. Some ten large establishments are closing down entirely for one month, covering the Christmas holiday season; others are closing for periods of a fortnight and in practically all cases, the number of working hours in the week is being cut to a negligible proportion. Several thousands of workers are being laid off.
Portadown Barracks Burned
A party of Sinn Féiners visited the Birches district near Portadown on Wednesday and set fire to the police barracks which was vacated a short time ago.
Ballykinlar Filling Up
FOLLOWING the departure on Sunday from Dublin of the destroyer Valorous, conveying over 100 prisoners from Dublin to Ballykinlar Internment Camp, County Down, it was learnt that a destroyer will bring another contingent of deportees to the camp.
‘No Looting’- Specials Warned
REVIEWING Special Constables at Newtownards yesterday, Colonel CG Wickham, Divisional Commander USC, said he was absolutely opposed to anything in the nature of looting or burning or indiscipline.
Their primary business was to prevent crime and not to make it. He reminded them that their actions would be watched very critically, not only in Ireland and England but even further afield – in the Dominions.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: As the British Labour Party and Asquith called for Irish elections to hammer out a settlement, hundreds of Republicans were interned at the former UVF base at Ballykinlar. They included Sean Lemass and Louis J Walsh, the Ballycastle Sinn Fein lawyer.
Meanwhile in a strange speech the USC commander urged his new police force against ‘looting and burning’.)
On This Day – 10th December 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201210
Reference Date
December 10, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 10th December 1920, MP Arthur Henderson condemned Britain’s reprisals as “Cromwellian”, while textile closures hit Northern workers and Ballykinlar continued to fill with deported prisoners. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
‘Cromwellian Repression’ | On This Day – 10th December 1920
SPEAKING to his constituents in Hough Green last night, Mr Arthur Henderson MP [former Labour Minister] said: ‘It is difficult for me to exaggerate the deplorable conditions that now prevail in Ireland.
‘Coercion has been applied with such indiscriminate violence that the terror-stricken and normal life has been made impossible. … It is actually true to say that life was safer in Brussels during the German occupation than it is now in Dublin, Cork or Derry…’
‘All this cannot be dissociated from the Government’s settled policy which is reactionary in its conception, brutal in its application and destructive in its consequences.
‘One can find no parallel to the treatment of Ireland in the modern history of any democratic country.
‘It has achieved the distinction of applying a more intensified form of oppression than anything known since the days of Cromwell – I mean the policy of reprisals.’
He was convinced that there was a possibility of making peace with the Irish people. A Constituent Assembly should be elected.
North’s Textile Workers’ Plight
THE situation in connection with the local textile industry still remains very gloomy. Some ten large establishments are closing down entirely for one month, covering the Christmas holiday season; others are closing for periods of a fortnight and in practically all cases, the number of working hours in the week is being cut to a negligible proportion. Several thousands of workers are being laid off.
Portadown Barracks Burned
A party of Sinn Féiners visited the Birches district near Portadown on Wednesday and set fire to the police barracks which was vacated a short time ago.
Ballykinlar Filling Up
FOLLOWING the departure on Sunday from Dublin of the destroyer Valorous, conveying over 100 prisoners from Dublin to Ballykinlar Internment Camp, County Down, it was learnt that a destroyer will bring another contingent of deportees to the camp.
‘No Looting’- Specials Warned
REVIEWING Special Constables at Newtownards yesterday, Colonel CG Wickham, Divisional Commander USC, said he was absolutely opposed to anything in the nature of looting or burning or indiscipline.
Their primary business was to prevent crime and not to make it. He reminded them that their actions would be watched very critically, not only in Ireland and England but even further afield – in the Dominions.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: As the British Labour Party and Asquith called for Irish elections to hammer out a settlement, hundreds of Republicans were interned at the former UVF base at Ballykinlar. They included Sean Lemass and Louis J Walsh, the Ballycastle Sinn Fein lawyer.
Meanwhile in a strange speech the USC commander urged his new police force against ‘looting and burning’.)
On This Day – 10th December 1920
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.