On This Day / December 31, 1920
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19201231
Reference Date
19201231
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 31st December 1920, an Omagh man accused the military of planting evidence at a court-martial in Derry, as Belfast tested innovative new tramcars on the eve of the New Year. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Man Accuses Military | On This Day – 31st December 1920
AT A district courtmartial in Derry, Michael McCartan of Campsie, Omagh, a cousin of Dr Patrick McCartan, Sinn Fein Ambassador to America, is charged with having in his possession a copy of An tOglach, the official organ of the Irish Volunteers [IRA] and with doing an act likely to cause disaffection among the civilian population by assisting in the preparation of two summonses requiring the attendance of Michael Devlin, farmer, defendant, of Glenlark, Gortin (Co Tyrone) and Mrs Mary McSorley, defendant, publican of Gortin at an Irish Republican Court on 24th November. The summonses were signed by McCartan as ‘registrar’ of the Court.
He was also charged with possessing a Republican Court civil bill in which the plaintiff was given as Joseph McNamee, Glenlark, Gortin and the defendant, Mrs McSorley.
Accused was further charged with having three rounds of revolver ammunition. The prisoner said he did not recognise the Court.
An officer of the Bedfords gave evidence as to the result of a search of the prisoner’s house.
Witness, in the course of cross-examination, said that the accused on the occasion of the raid charged him with ‘planting’ the ammunition and the copy of the official organ of the Irish Volunteers.
The bullets, witness also said, were not shown to the accused when found, they were shown later.
Asked if he wished to make a statement, the accused said, without prejudicing his position in not recognising the Court, he would say a few words.
He charged the officer with having ‘planted’ the ammunition and the copy of An tOglach and concluded – ‘Now, in the presence of Almighty God, I swear that these were not on my premises before the military entered them on 19th November 1920.
‘This is not to be taken as pleading. I am doing it for the sake of justice – to let the world know the sort of justice we are getting.’
The Prosecutor said the charge made against the officer was absurd.
Sentence will be promulgated.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: A veterinary surgeon, Michael McCartan was a Sinn Féin councillor and an IRA intelligence officer.
He was a cousin of Dr Patrick McCartan TD from Carrickmore who accompanied de Valera on his 1919-20 US tour.)
New Belfast Tramcars
THE inspection and trial run of two of the 50 new tramcars ordered for Belfast took place yesterday afternoon.
Councillors assembled at the City Hall at 3 p.m. and boarded the two cars.
The high-tension signalling arrangement is unique in so far as Belfast is the first tramway system in Europe to adopt it.
It offers greater facilities to passengers for stopping the car as and when desired.
On This Day – 31st December 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201231
Reference Date
19201231
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 31st December 1920, an Omagh man accused the military of planting evidence at a court-martial in Derry, as Belfast tested innovative new tramcars on the eve of the New Year. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Man Accuses Military | On This Day – 31st December 1920
AT A district courtmartial in Derry, Michael McCartan of Campsie, Omagh, a cousin of Dr Patrick McCartan, Sinn Fein Ambassador to America, is charged with having in his possession a copy of An tOglach, the official organ of the Irish Volunteers [IRA] and with doing an act likely to cause disaffection among the civilian population by assisting in the preparation of two summonses requiring the attendance of Michael Devlin, farmer, defendant, of Glenlark, Gortin (Co Tyrone) and Mrs Mary McSorley, defendant, publican of Gortin at an Irish Republican Court on 24th November. The summonses were signed by McCartan as ‘registrar’ of the Court.
He was also charged with possessing a Republican Court civil bill in which the plaintiff was given as Joseph McNamee, Glenlark, Gortin and the defendant, Mrs McSorley.
Accused was further charged with having three rounds of revolver ammunition. The prisoner said he did not recognise the Court.
An officer of the Bedfords gave evidence as to the result of a search of the prisoner’s house.
Witness, in the course of cross-examination, said that the accused on the occasion of the raid charged him with ‘planting’ the ammunition and the copy of the official organ of the Irish Volunteers.
The bullets, witness also said, were not shown to the accused when found, they were shown later.
Asked if he wished to make a statement, the accused said, without prejudicing his position in not recognising the Court, he would say a few words.
He charged the officer with having ‘planted’ the ammunition and the copy of An tOglach and concluded – ‘Now, in the presence of Almighty God, I swear that these were not on my premises before the military entered them on 19th November 1920.
‘This is not to be taken as pleading. I am doing it for the sake of justice – to let the world know the sort of justice we are getting.’
The Prosecutor said the charge made against the officer was absurd.
Sentence will be promulgated.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: A veterinary surgeon, Michael McCartan was a Sinn Féin councillor and an IRA intelligence officer.
He was a cousin of Dr Patrick McCartan TD from Carrickmore who accompanied de Valera on his 1919-20 US tour.)
New Belfast Tramcars
THE inspection and trial run of two of the 50 new tramcars ordered for Belfast took place yesterday afternoon.
Councillors assembled at the City Hall at 3 p.m. and boarded the two cars.
The high-tension signalling arrangement is unique in so far as Belfast is the first tramway system in Europe to adopt it.
It offers greater facilities to passengers for stopping the car as and when desired.
On This Day – 31st December 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201231
Reference Date
December 31, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 31st December 1920, an Omagh man accused the military of planting evidence at a court-martial in Derry, as Belfast tested innovative new tramcars on the eve of the New Year. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Man Accuses Military | On This Day – 31st December 1920
AT A district courtmartial in Derry, Michael McCartan of Campsie, Omagh, a cousin of Dr Patrick McCartan, Sinn Fein Ambassador to America, is charged with having in his possession a copy of An tOglach, the official organ of the Irish Volunteers [IRA] and with doing an act likely to cause disaffection among the civilian population by assisting in the preparation of two summonses requiring the attendance of Michael Devlin, farmer, defendant, of Glenlark, Gortin (Co Tyrone) and Mrs Mary McSorley, defendant, publican of Gortin at an Irish Republican Court on 24th November. The summonses were signed by McCartan as ‘registrar’ of the Court.
He was also charged with possessing a Republican Court civil bill in which the plaintiff was given as Joseph McNamee, Glenlark, Gortin and the defendant, Mrs McSorley.
Accused was further charged with having three rounds of revolver ammunition. The prisoner said he did not recognise the Court.
An officer of the Bedfords gave evidence as to the result of a search of the prisoner’s house.
Witness, in the course of cross-examination, said that the accused on the occasion of the raid charged him with ‘planting’ the ammunition and the copy of the official organ of the Irish Volunteers.
The bullets, witness also said, were not shown to the accused when found, they were shown later.
Asked if he wished to make a statement, the accused said, without prejudicing his position in not recognising the Court, he would say a few words.
He charged the officer with having ‘planted’ the ammunition and the copy of An tOglach and concluded – ‘Now, in the presence of Almighty God, I swear that these were not on my premises before the military entered them on 19th November 1920.
‘This is not to be taken as pleading. I am doing it for the sake of justice – to let the world know the sort of justice we are getting.’
The Prosecutor said the charge made against the officer was absurd.
Sentence will be promulgated.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: A veterinary surgeon, Michael McCartan was a Sinn Féin councillor and an IRA intelligence officer.
He was a cousin of Dr Patrick McCartan TD from Carrickmore who accompanied de Valera on his 1919-20 US tour.)
New Belfast Tramcars
THE inspection and trial run of two of the 50 new tramcars ordered for Belfast took place yesterday afternoon.
Councillors assembled at the City Hall at 3 p.m. and boarded the two cars.
The high-tension signalling arrangement is unique in so far as Belfast is the first tramway system in Europe to adopt it.
It offers greater facilities to passengers for stopping the car as and when desired.
On This Day – 31st 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.