On This Day / October 7, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
October 7, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 7th October 1921, Éamon de Valera’s decision not to attend the London negotiations caused surprise, while a County Antrim deputation protested against partition. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
De Valera Shock | On This Day – 7th October 1921
IT WAS learnt definitely yesterday that the Irish Plenipotentiaries will leave for London tomorrow morning by the mailboat from Dun Laoghaire.
Mr Arthur Griffith and Mr Austin Stack were amongst the earliest Dail Ministers to arrive at the Mansion House yesterday.
A full meeting of the British Cabinet was held yesterday afternoon, Mr Lloyd George presiding.
Among the PM’s callers yesterday morning were Sir Hamar Greenwood [Chief Secretary for Ireland] and General Sir Nevil Macready [the Irish GOC].
The Press Association understands that the British Government will be represented at the Irish conference by the Prime Minister; Lord Birkenhead; Sir Hamar Greenwood; Mr Chamberlain; Sir Laming Worthington-Evans and Mr Winston Churchill.
‘I am able to state definitively’, writes the Dublin correspondent of the Westminster Gazette, ‘that Mr de Valera is not going to London for next week’s conference with Mr Lloyd George.
He is remaining in Dublin and will be in constant communication with the Irish delegates.’
Co Antrim and Partition
A DEPUTATION of representatives of County Antrim waited on President de Valera at the Mansion House, Dublin yesterday afternoon.
The members included Messrs Louis J Walsh, BA, solicitor, member of Antrim County Council [Ballymoney area]; Patrick Downing, county councillor, Lisburn; Daniel Lynn, RDC, Ballycastle; Thomas Reid, RDC, Ballymena; Archibald MacSparran, RDC, Ballycastle; Frank McCarry, RDC, Ballycastle and William Shaw, UDC, Lisburn.
The members of the deputation were introduced to Mr de Valera and members of the Dail Eireann Cabinet by Mr Sean Milroy, TD. Mr Louis J Walsh stated that they ‘desired to register a protest against any attempt to cut us off from the Motherland and nation to which we belong…’
Mr McAllister drew attention to the position of Rathlin Island which is an overwhelmingly Nationalist area and as much entitled to be included in Southern Ireland as is County Donegal.
In reply Mr de Valera said: ‘The unity of Ireland is as much a fundamental principle as that of self-determination and both are based on right and justice.’
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: The decision of de Valera not to lead the Irish delegation to the Treaty negotiations took bis Cabinet colleagues and the country by surprise.
His role, he argued, was to remain in Dublin to rally the people in the event of a breakdown while Griffith and Collins were instructed to ensure that any breakdown in the negotiations took place on Partition and not the Crown.
On the eve on the conference the President received a Co Antrim Sinn Fein deputation led by the lawyer, playwright, Louis J Walsh, author of the humorous skit The Auction in Killybuck)
On This Day – 7th October 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.