On This Day / September 17, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
September 17, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 17th September 1921, Armagh representatives brought their opposition to partition directly to Éamon de Valera, while sectarian violence and sniping continued in Belfast. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Armagh Protest to Dáil | On This Day – 17th September 1921
TWO deputations, one representing the county of Armagh and the other the [parliamentary] Division of South Armagh, waited on Mr de Valera at the Mansion House.
The deputation representing the county included Seamus O’Reilly, chairman of Armagh City Council; Peter McKnight, Keady; Michael Gaffney, Middletown Rural District Councillor; and Patrick Kealey, Newry Board of Guardians.
They declared: ‘We believe the national unity of our country is a principle which should not be violated. It destroys the principle of self-determination expressed by the great majority of the Irish people. … [Partition] is not only wrong in principle but mischievous in design as it tends to perpetuate a system of religious bigotry and political intolerance.
‘Armagh holds the most glorious landmarks of Ireland’s history. South Armagh has a voting power of 16,000 – two to one against Partition – and Mid-Armagh is nearly equal…
Armagh City Council has already declared its intention to make this Act inoperative as far as lies in its power. Newry Number Rural Council, Keady Urban Council and Crossmaglen Rural District Council will do the same.
The partition of Armagh means ruin to the farmers of those areas.’ Mr de Valera assured them that their representations ‘will be kept in mind by us in any negotiations’.
Snipers Active in Belfast
AT intervals yesterday there was considerable sniping on the part of the Orange gunmen from the streets abutting off North Queen Street and, as a result, three more casualties had to be added to the long list of the past months.
The sniping commenced about 11.30 am from Vere Street and continued for half an hour.
The firing was directed towards North Queen Street and persons passing the corner of Vere Street along the former thoroughfare did so at very grave risk to their lives.
A very large force of military and police arrived on the scene and the firing subsided.
However, later on – about four o’clock – the firing was again resumed when, acting obviously on a pre-arranged plan, they opened fire into North Queen Street from both sides…
The people there were in a state of the utmost terror during this siege and, after some minutes, they began to return the fire.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: These reports emphasise the very different experiences of the northern nationalist population during the Truce.
In Belfast sectarian violence continued unabated. In nationalist heartlands like south Armagh, however, anti-partitionists joined forces to put their case for the inclusion in an Irish state to the Dáil.
Behind this diplomacy lay the hope that a Boundary Commission might yet ensure the ‘redemption’ of majority nationalist districts from Belfast rule.)
On This Day – 17th September 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.