Ireland had ‘suffered less from the war than any other country in Europe’
1916/2016: a miscellany
British prime minister Herbert Henry Asquith: told the House of Commons that, since the outbreak of war, Britain had sustained 549,467 casualties. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
January 29th, 1916
The extraordinary rate of casualties for the British army in just 15 months of fighting was laid in front of the House of Commons. Since the outbreak of war, Britain had sustained 549,467 casualties, prime minister Herbert Asquith (pictured) told the house. Of those, 128,139 were fatalities. Some 87,268 men were killed on the Western Front, 28,200 in the Gallipoli campaign and 12,670 in other theatres of war.
Reflecting on the losses, The Irish Times editorial reminded readers Ireland had “suffered less from the war than any other country in Europe. She has not heard the sound of a hostile gun. She is virtually free from the restrictions in such matters as drinking and street-lighting which prevail in England and France. ”
There were restrictions, the paper acknowledged, but the agricultural industry was booming. The working classes were making no provision for the privations that were to come and farmers “are eating and drinking just as heartily as in 1914”.
Dublin Metropolitan Police FilesI beg to report that on the 28th Inst. the undermentioned extremists were observed moving about and associating with each other as follows:
With Thomas J Clarke, 75 Parnell Street – Joseph McGuinness, Francis Sheehy-Skeffington (pictured), Thomas Byrne, Joseph Murray, Ed Daly, William Sheehan, John McDermott, CJ Kickham and JR Reynolds from 7.50pm to 8.10pm.
JR Reynolds, who was with the Irish Volunteers drill with TJ Clarke, has recently been refused a passport. About 35 members of the Sinn Féin Volunteers were drilled in the hall of 41 Parnell Square from 9.15pm to 10pm. Thomas J Clarke and JR Reynolds being there at the time.
newspaper“Mr W Tempest of the Dundalgan Press, Dundalk, has just published a new book of short stories in Irish by PH Pearse. They are described as ‘Studies of Iar-Connacht interiors’ and include all the short stories written by Mr Pearse since the publication of his Iosagán in 1907. The new volume, which takes its title from An Mhátair from the opening story is published at one shilling net; postage twopence.”
1916 – Visionaries and their Words is one of the nine “Open Call” national projects included in the Arts Council’s programme and is the first public event in the calendar. It will be performed on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st, at the Temple Bar Trad Fest and features songs and poems inspired by the revolutionaries. Lorcán Mac Mathúna’s commissioned show takes place on Saturday, January 30th, at St Michan’s Church, Dublin, at 1pm. Tickets €15.