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‘The red livery of shame’: the campaign against army recruitment in Ireland, 1899—1914

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

Terence Denman
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Extract

In November 1899 The Times published a letter from a correspondent in Enniskillen recalling the army’s recruiting parades when he was a boy:

The recruiting party — members of the regiment stationed here — usually fell in about 2 o’clock. There were two rows of non-commissioned officers (sergeants) in front, with swords drawn and ribbons streaming from their caps, then came the band playing spirit-stirring airs, a few rows of corporals forming the rear. Their appearance was quite imposing and invariably attracted a large crowd of stalwart peasant lads, as well as town youths and others. And it was certainly calculated to inspire a military enthusiasm in the breasts of the people . . . and many a fine young fellow, becoming enamoured of the service, was induced to accompany the party to the barracks and finally take the shilling.

Only weeks before the Boer War had broken out, and the question of seducing ‘stalwart peasant lads’ to ‘take the shilling’ was becoming one of acute political concern in Ireland. For the Boer War was ‘nearly as crucial an event for Irish nationalism as the death of Parnell’. The sight of England engaged in a major colonial war and, in the early months, being ‘worsted in the game’ stimulated national sentiment: ‘the feeling against the British government was brought out in a remarkable manner, owing to the difficulties of the South African War’. Yet there were thousands of Irishmen in Britain’s army in South Africa.

Type
Research Article
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 29 , Issue 114 , November 1994 , pp. 208 - 233
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1994

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References

1 The Times, 1 Nov. 1899.

2 Foster, R.F., Modem Ireland (London, 1988), p. 448.Google Scholar

3 Police intelligence reports, Feb. 1900 (P.R.O., CO 904/70, f. 70).

4 Colonel Samuel Bagshawe and the army of George III, ed. Guy, Alan J. (Army Records Society, vol. 6, London, 1990), pp 3, 41–2, 210Google Scholar.

5 Bartlett, Thomas, The fall and rise of the Irish nation: the Catholie question, 1690–1830 (Dublin, 1992), pp 57-8Google Scholar, 82–6, 286–8, 309–10, 323–4, 347.

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7 Davis, Richard, The Young Ireland movement (Dublin, 1987), p. 205 Google Scholar.

8 SirDuffy, Charles Gavan, Thomas Davis: memoirs of an Irish patriot (London, 1890), p. 89 Google Scholar; The Nation, 15 Oct. 1842.

9 Davis, Thomas, Memoirs, essays, poems (Dublin, 1945), p. 126 Google Scholar. The essay, ‘The Irish as soldiers’, written in 1845, was ostensibly a review of Matthew O’Conor’s Military history of the Irish nation.

10 The Nation, 4 Nov. 1854.

11 SirButler, William, ‘A plea for the peasant’ (written in 1878) in Far out: rovings retold (London, 1880), pp 299, 300, 304–5, 307, 308, 309–10Google Scholar; idem, ‘The new army and the old test’ in Fortnightly Review, cxciv (1883), pp 153, 155Google Scholar. Sir William was married to Elizabeth Butler, the famous illustrator of military life, whose ‘Listed for the Connaught Rangers’, painted in 1878, was a pictorial expression of her husband’s concerns. For a sympathetic look at Butler’s opinions on Irish soldiers by a Nationalist M.P. see Gwynn, Stephen, ‘The writings and opinions of Sir William Butler’ in Nineteenth Century and After, lxix ( 1911), pp 323-4Google Scholar.

12 Report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the recruiting for the army, pp 101, 156, H.C. 1867 (3752), xv, 143, 198Google Scholar.

13 Report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the present system of recruiting in the army, pp 74–5, 100, 154–8, H.C. 1861 (2762), xv, 124–5, 150, 204–8.

14 Annual report of the Inspector-General of Recruiting, 1894, pp 8, 19 [C 7659], H.C. 1895, xviii, 8, 19; ibid., 1899, p. 31 [Cd 110], H.C. 1900, x, 179.

15 The Times, 17 Oct. 1899.

16 Muenger, Elizabeth A., The British military dilemma in Ireland: occupation politics, 1886–1914 (Lawrence, Kans. & Dublin, 1991), pp 73-4Google Scholar, 76, 81.

17 Spiers, E.M., The late Victorian army, 1868–1902 (Manchester, 1992), pp 220-21Google Scholar.

18 Paul-Dubois, Louis, Contemporary Ireland (Dublin, 1911 [published in France in 1907]), p. 177 Google Scholar.

19 Gwynn, Stephen, The last years of John Redmond (London, 1919), pp 140-41Google Scholar.

20 Hansard 3, cclxxxv, 662–3 (6 Mar. 1884); cclxxxvii, 126 (21 Apr. 1884); Hansard 4, xxxii, 713 (2 Apr. 1895).

21 Irish Daily Independent, 6 July 1896; Irish Weekly Independent, 11 July 1896.

22 Dublin Evening Herald, 18 Nov. 1899.

23 Weekly Nation, 11 Oct. 1899, quoted in Ruda, Richard, ‘The Irish Transvaal Brigades’ in Ir. Sword, xi (1974), p. 202 Google Scholar.

24 The Times, 14 Oct. 1899.

25 Always your friend: the Gonne-Yeats letters, 1893–1938, ed. White, Anna MacBride and Jeffares, A.Norman (London, 1992), pp 112-13Google Scholar.

26 Lyons, G.A., Some recollections of Griffith and his times (Dublin, 1923), p. 8 Google Scholar.

27 ‘The beginning of the anti-enlistment movement, 12 October 1899’ in Bean na hÉireann, no. 25 (1910), pp 10–11 Google Scholar; Greaves, C.Desmond, The life and times of James Connolly (London, 1961), pp 95, 97–8Google Scholar; United Irishman, 14 Oct., 30 Dec. 1899.

28 Hansard 4, Ixxix, 66 (15 Feb. 1900); United Irishman, 23 Dec. 1899.

29 The Times, 13, 20 Nov. 1899.

30 Even in June 1905 the supply of these was not ‘fully exhausted and some remnants are still being scattered broadcast’; not until October 1905 did the police think Gonne’s leaflets had been fully distributed (police reports on secret societies, June, Oct. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/1 l,ff 84–5, 152)).

31 The law officers decided not to prosecute Gonne, as she was ‘half-demented’ (Irish crimes records, 1900–05 (ibid., CO 903/7, ff 29, 31)).

32 MacBride, Maud Gonne, A servant of the queen (London, 1938), pp 291-5Google Scholar.

33 Police intelligence reports, Feb. 1900 (P.R.O., CO 904/70, ff 7–8).

34 Ibid., ff 17–18.

35 Ibid., f. 100.

36 Ibid., f. 113.

37 Police intelligence reports, Mar. 1900 (ibid., f. 153).

38 Police intelligence reports, Oct. 1900 (P.R.O., CO 904/71, ff 456–7, 459).

39 Irish Daily Independent, 2 Oct. 1899; The Times, 14 Oct. 1899.

40 Gwynn, Last years of John Redmond, pp 92, 107, 141; MacDonagh, Michael, The home rule movement (London, 1920), p. 139 Google Scholar.

41 Hansard 4, lxxviii, 833 (7 Feb. 1900).

42 Ibid., lxxix, 406 (19 Feb. 1900).

43 Ibid., lxxx, 1135 (16 Mar. 1900).

44 Ibid., lxxviii, 842 (7 Feb. 1900).

45 Ibid., lxxix, 291 (16 Feb. 1900).

46 Ibid., lxxx, 402 (8 Mar. 1900).

47 Ibid., lxxix, 438, 439–40, 470–72 (19 Feb. 1900).

48 Ibid., lxxviii, 834 (7 Feb. 1900).

49 Ibid., lxxix, 470 (19 Feb. 1900).

50 Ibid., 437, 439–40 (19 Feb. 1900).

51 Ibid., lxxxii, 578, 1364 (3, 11 May 1900). MacNeill sat for a Donegal constituency which lay in the recruiting area of the Inniskillings.

52 Ibid., lxxix, 466, 562 (19 Feb. 1900).

53 Ibid., lxxx, 911 (15 Mar. 1900); lxxxiv, 903, 1327–8 (25, 28 June 1900); lxxxv, 625, 780, 1459(5,6, 13 July 1900).

54 Ibid., lxxxiv, 903 (25 June 1900).

55 Annual report of the Inspector-General of Recruiting, 1903, p. 16 [Cd 1778], H.C. 1904, viii, 16.

56 Hansard 4, lxxix, 63, 305, 368, 568, 785, 1206 (15, 16, 19, 20, 22, 27 Feb. 1900).

57 Ibid., 302 (16 Feb. 1900).

58 Police reports on U.I.L. meetings, 1898–1901 (P.R.O., CO 903/8, ff 128, 152, 157, 324).

59 Police intelligence reports, Jan. 1900 (ibid., CO 904/69, f. 706).

60 Police intelligence reports, Feb. 1900 (ibid., CO 904/70, ff 57–8).

61 Ibid., f. 24.

62 The Times, 6 Apr. 1900; Denman, Terence, ‘Irish politics and the British army list: the formation of the Irish Guards in 1900’ in Ir. Sword (forthcoming, 1995)Google Scholar.

63 Police intelligence reports, Mar. 1900 (P.R.O., CO 904/70, ff 139, 159).

64 Ibid., f. 197.

65 Ibid., f. 225.

66 United Irishman, 6 Oct. 1900.

67 Ibid., 21 Apr. 1900.

68 Irish Facts for British Platforms (Union Defence League, London), May 1907, pp 440-41Google Scholar.

69 Lyons, Recollections of Griffith, pp 35, 41, 45. Three Nationalist M.P.s with a regular army background were Major John Jameson, M.P. for West Clare, 1895–1906; Captain A.J.Donelan, M.P. for East Cork, 1892–1911; and Lt-Col. John Nolan, M.P. for North Galway, 1900–06. Other members, such as Willie Redmond, John’s brother, had served with the Irish militia.

70 Henry, R.M., The evolution of Sinn Féin (Dublin, 1920), p. 64 Google Scholar.

71 In Lost plays of the Irish renaissance, ed. Hogan, Robert and Kilroy, James (Dixon, Calif., 1970)Google Scholar. Gonne admired the play, which was ‘good from [the] national point of view’. The play was produced in 1903 by Gonne’s Inghinidhe na hÉireann children’s dramatic class (Gonne-Yeats letters, pp 160–62).

72 United Irishman, 14 Apr. 1900.

73 Ibid., 16 Dec. 1905.

74 Ibid., 4 Nov. 1905.

75 Ibid., 16 Dec. 1905. This article was popular with the anti-recruitment movement, and was stuck up on windows and shop fronts in several places (police intelligence reports, Dec. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, f. 186)).

76 United Irishman, 7 Apr. 1900, translated from L’Irlande Libre of Mar./Apr. 1901. One glance at the army’s medical statistics would have disproved this notion of Irish physical superiority. In 1899, out of 8,100 ‘natives of Ireland’ inspected as potential recruits, no fewer than 2,645 were rejected: 326 per 1,000 (Army medical department report for 1899, p. 37 [Cd 521], H.C. 1901, xxxix, 303). These figures were typical throughout this period.

77 Hansard 4, lxxxvi, 1307 (26 July 1900).

78 Annual report of the Inspector-General of Recruiting, 1900, p. 8 [Cd 519], H.C. 1901, ix, 306.

79 Ibid., 1901, p. 9 [Cd 962], H.C. 1902, x, 159.

80 Hansard 4, xcv, 415, 894 (14, 20 June 1901). There was a large drop in recruiting for the Irish militia: down from 5,615 in 1899 to 3,449 in 1900. But this may be partially explained by the fact that many militia units were moved out of Ireland when the Boer War started.

81 Annual report of the Inspector-General of Recruiting, 1902, p. 30 [Cd 1417], H.C. 1903, xi, 30.

82 Ibid., 1903, p. 6 [Cd 1778], H.C. 1904, viii, 6.

83 Police reports on secret societies, Nov. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/11, f. 168).

84 The Sinn Féin policy (Dublin, 1906), pp 6, 23–4, 31, 32Google Scholar.

85 Hobson, Bulmer, Ireland yesterday and tomorrow (Tralee, 1968), pp 24, 88, 97,99-102Google Scholar. This publication includes the full text of Irishmen in the English army (Belfast, 1905)Google Scholar.

86 Police intelligence reports, June 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/117,f. 50).

87 Police intelligence reports, July, Aug. 1905 (ibid., ff 65–6, 84).

88 Police reports on secret societies, Sept. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/11, f. 139).

89 Police reports on secret societies, Oct. 1905 (ibid., ff 151–2).

90 Police intelligence reports, Nov. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, ff 171–2).

91 Hansard 4, cliv, 42 (19 Mar. 1906).

92 Police intelligence reports, Mar. 1906 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, f. 260).

93 Police intelligence reports, July, Aug. 1906 (ibid., ff 382, 393).

94 Sheehan, D.D., Ireland since Parnell (Dublin, 1921), p. 256 Google Scholar.

95 Hobson, Ireland yesterday and tomorrow, p. 25.

96 Police reports on secret societies, Aug. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/11, f. 115).

97 Police reports on publication of offensive articles, Dec. 1905 (ibid., CO 904/159, f. 818).

98 Irish crimes records, 1905 (ibid., CO 903/12, ff 158–9).

99 The Times, 11 Jan., 6 Feb. 1906; police intelligence reports, Dec. 1905, May, June 1906 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, ff 191, 325–6, 364).

100 Police intelligence reports, Nov. 1905, Aug. 1906 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, ff 161, 391).

101 Police intelligence reports, June 1905 (ibid., ff 48–9).

102 Police intelligence reports, May 1905, Jan. 1906 (ibid., ff 27, 239); police reports on secret societies, June 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/11, f. 93).

103 Police intelligence reports, Aug. 1905 (ibid., CO 904/117, f. 84).

104 Police intelligence reports, Apr. 1906 (ibid., ff 295–6).

105 National organisations in Ireland: their origin, development and aims (London, 1907), p. 48 Google Scholar. Of course, many nationalists were members of several organisations.

106 Irish Times, 14 Sept. 1905; police intelligence reports, Sept., Dec. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, ff 99, 104–5, 184, 191); police reports on secret societies, Mar. 1905 (ibid., CO 904/11,f. 23).

107 Police reports on secret societies, Oct. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/11, ff 149–50).

108 Police intelligence reports, Oct. 1905 (ibid., CO 904/117, f. 129).

109 Police reports on secret societies, Oct. 1905 (ibid., CO 904/11, f. 153).

110 Police intelligence reports, Mar. 1906 (ibid., CO 904/117, f. 263).

111 Police intelligence reports, Nov. 1905 (ibid., f. 152).

112 The police believed the priest’s remarks ‘were inspired by the drunken habits of some ex-soldiers residing in the town’ (police intelligence reports, Dec. 1905 (ibid., f. 184)).

113 Police intelligence reports, June 1905 (ibid., ff 48–9).

114 Paul-Dubois, Contemporary Ireland, p. 167.

115 Police intelligence reports, June 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, f. 53); Derry People, 24 June 1905.

116 Mayo News, 2 Sept. 1905.

117 Enniscorthy Echo, 18 Apr. 1908.

118 Police intelligence reports, Dec. 1908 (P.R.O., CO 904/118, f. 264).

119 Police intelligence reports, Sept., Oct. 1905 (ibid., CO 904/117, ff 107, 134); police reports on secret societies, June 1905 (ibid., CO 904/11, f. 85).

120 Derry People, 13 Nov. 1909; police intelligence reports, Nov. 1909 (P.R.O., CO 904/118, f. 630).

121 Enniscorthy Echo, 23 July 1910.

122 Police reports on secret societies, Mar. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/11, f. 28).

123 Police intelligence reports, Mar. 1906 (ibid., CO 904/117, ff 259–60).

124 Police intelligence reports, Apr. 1906 (ibid., f. 299).

125 Sinn Féin, 2 June 1906.

126 Police intelligence reports, Dec. 1907 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, f. 492).

127 Police intelligence reports, Jan. 1901 (ibid., CO 904/113, f. 10); police intelligence reports, July 1906 (ibid., CO 904/117, f. 380).

128 Police intelligence reports, Sept. 1909 (ibid., CO 904/118, f. 292); police reports on secret societies, Oct. 1905 (ibid., CO 904/11,f. 152).

129 Police intelligence reports, Nov. 1905, Mar. 1906 (ibid., CO 904/117, ff 156, 260).

130 Police intelligence reports, Oct., Nov. 1905 (ibid., ff 140–41, 166).

131 Police intelligence reports, July, Nov. 1905, June, Sept. 1906 (ibid., ff 70, 163, 352, 404); police reports on secret societies, Oct. 1905, June 1906 (P.R.O., CO 904/11, ff 157, 252).

132 Police reports on secret societies, Oct. 1905 (ibid., CO 904/11, f. 157); police intelligence reports, June 1905 (ibid., CO 904/117, ff 48–9).

133 Annual report of the Director General of Recruiting, 1905, p. 36 [Cd 2693], H.C. 1906, xiv, 36.

134 Hansard 4, cl, 1310 (2 Aug. 1905).

135 Ibid., clxx, 368 (1 Mar. 1907).

136 Brooks, Sydney, The new Ireland (Dublin, 1907), p. 68 Google Scholar.

137 Hansard 4, clii, 491 (22 Feb. 1906).

138 Ibid., cliii, 1235 (14 Mar. 1906).

139 Ibid., clxii, 1442, 1553 (2 Aug. 1906). As Irish chief secretary from March to December 1905, Long had been anxious to crack down on the anti-recruiting campaign ( Hannay, J.O. [Birmingham, George A.], ‘The Sinn Féin movement’ in Albany Review, ii (1908), p. 618)Google Scholar.

140 ‘Lord Grenfell’s report on certain questions addressed to him by the Committee of Imperial Defence in 1905’ (P.R.O., WO 32/7081, app. C).

141 O’Hegarty, P. S., A history of Ireland under the union, 1801–1922 (London, 1952), p. 653 Google Scholar.

142 MacManus, Seumas, ‘Sinn Féin: its genesis and purpose’ in North American Review, clxxxvi (1907), p. 829 Google Scholar.

143 Kettle, Tom, ‘A note on Sinn Féin in Ireland’ in North American Review, clxxxviii (1908), p. 53 Google Scholar.

144 Police intelligence reports, Sept. 1908 (P.R.O., CO 904/118, f. 179).

145 Police intelligence reports, Nov. 1908 (ibid., f. 225).

146 ‘O’, Ireland and the British army (National Council of Sinn Féin, publication no. 7, Dublin, 1908)Google Scholar; police intelligence reports, Dec. 1908 (P.R.O., CO 904/118, f. 264).

147 Irish Facts, Feb. 1909, p. 53.

148 Irish Times, 15 June 1909.

149 Police intelligence reports, June 1909 (P.R.O., CO 904/118, ff 391–2).

150 Police intelligence reports, Aug. 1909 (ibid., f. 366).

151 Ibid., f. 332.

152 Dublin Daily Express, 12 Aug. 1909.

153 Brooks, New Ireland, p. 15.

154 Kerry Weekly Reporter, 4 Nov. 1899.

155 Dublin Daily Express, 22 Nov. 1900.

156 United Irishman, 28 Feb. 1903.

157 Sinn Féin policy, pp 23–4.

158 Dublin Daily Express, 22 May 1912.

159 Ibid., 23 July 1913.

160 Police intelligence reports, Nov. 1907 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, f. 457).

161 Irish Daily Independent, 16 Nov. 1908.

162 Police intelligence reports, Jan. 1909 (P.R.O., CO 904/118, f. 563).

163 Police intelligence reports, Mar. 1909 (ibid., f. 488).

164 Police intelligence reports, Aug. 1906 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, f. 391).

165 Dublin Daily Express, 6 Mar. 1909; police intelligence reports, Mar. 1909 (P.R.O., CO 904/118, f.488).

166 Irish Facts, Apr. 1907, pp 13–14; Iwan-Müiller, E.B., Ireland: today and tomorrow (London, 1907), pp 284-6Google Scholar.

167 The Irish year book, 1908 (National Council of Sinn Féin, Dublin, 1908), p. 338 Google Scholar.

168 Annual report of Inghinidhe na hÉireann, 1900–01 (Dublin, 1901), p. 4 Google Scholar.

169 Coxhead, Elizabeth, Daughters of Erin (London, 1965), p. 47 Google Scholar. The police reported that the children ‘were treated to moderate refreshments and unlimited treason’ (police intelligence reports, June 1900 (P.R.O., CO 904/70, f. 550)).

170 Annual report of Inghinidhe na hÉireann, 1900–01, p. 7; United Irishman, 23 Aug. 1902.

171 Police intelligence reports, Feb. 1906 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, f. 205).

172 Police intelligence reports, June 1906 (ibid., f. 367).

173 Sinn Féin, 30 Mar. 1907.

174 Police intelligence reports, Oct. 1909 (P.R.O., CO 904/119, f. 136).

175 Police reports on secret societies, June, Aug. 1913 (ibid., CO 904/14, ff 61, 106).

176 United Irishman, 4 Nov. 1905.

177 Mandle, W.F., The Gaelic Athletic Association (London & Dublin, 1987), pp 160-61Google Scholar.

178 Police reports on secret societies, Mar. 1905 (P.R.O., CO 904/11, f. 15).

179 Police intelligence reports, Oct., Dec. 1905, Jan., Apr. 1906 (ibid., CO 904/117, ff 134, 189,238,299).

180 Freeman’s Journal, 19 Aug. 1905.

181 Police intelligence reports, May, June 1906 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, ff 331, 357); National organisations in Ireland, p. 33.

182 Police intelligence reports, Aug. 1908 (P.R.O., CO 904/117, f. 158).

183 Police reports on secret societies, May 1910 (ibid., CO 904/12, f. 257).

184 National organisations in Ireland, p. 60.

185 The Echo and South Leinster Advertiser, 12 July 1913.

186 David Sheehy, M.P, ‘advised young men not to enlist’ at a U.I.L. meeting in February 1905 (Irish crimes records, 1905 (P.R.O., CO 903/12, f. 6)).

187 Unsigned review [by Stephen Gwynn?] of Kettle’s The ways of war (Dublin, 1917)Google Scholar in The Nation, 6 Oct. 1917.

188 The Times, 19 Jan. 1907. Gwynn’s brother was an army officer.

189 Hansard 4, clxxvi, 512–16(19 June 1907); Gwynn, Last years of John Redmond, p. 141.

190 Irish Facts, Dec. 1907, pp 319–20.

191 Police intelligence reports, Oct. 1908 (P.R.O., CO 904/118, f. 192).

192 Police intelligence reports, Feb. 1909 (ibid., f. 518).

193 Police reports on secret societies, May 1910 (P.R.O., CO 904/12, f. 257).

194 Police reports on secret societies, Sept., Oct. 1910 (ibid., ff 354, 389).

195 Police intelligence reports, Aug. 1911 (P.R.O., CO 904/119, f. 106).

196 Police reports on publication of offensive articles [Apr. 1912] (ibid., CO 904/159, ff 272–4).

197 Irish Worker, 13 Apr. 1912.

198 Police reports on publication of offensive articles [Apr. 1912] (P.R.O., CO 904/159, ff 279–82).

199 37 Geo. III, c. 40, sect. 1 (Irish): penalising ‘any person who shall maliciously and advisedly endeavour to seduce any person or persons serving in His Majesty’s forces . . . from his or their duty’.

200 Police reports on publication of offensive articles [Apr. 1912] (P.R.O., CO 904/159, ff 264–5).

201 The Times, 1 Jan. 1913.

202 Police reports on secret societies, June 1913 (P.R.O., CO 904/14, f. 57).

203 Belfast News-Letter, 16 June 1913.

204 Irish Facts, July 1913, p. 48.

205 Police reports on seditious literature [July 1913] (P.R.O., CO 904/162/2, ff 335, 379).

206 Kilkenny People, 4 Dec. 1909.

207 Tipperary Star, 20 Sept. 1913. Templemore Council condemned the paper and praised the conduct of the troops (police reports on secret societies, Sept. 1913 (P.R.O., CO 904/14, f. 156)).

208 Dublin Daily Express, 8 Nov. 1913. The R.I.C. believed that press accounts of this episode were ‘much exaggerated’, although they did admit that ‘there is a feeling against recruiting in Athlone’ (police intelligence reports, Nov. 1913 (P.R.O., CO 904/119, f. 197)). Such incidents may well have been atypical: an officer of the Connaught Rangers, recruiting for the regiment in the west of Ireland for several years just before the First World War, recalled that ‘I never had an uncivil word or indeed anything but kindness’ ( Jourdain, H.F.N., Ranging memories (Oxford, 1934), p. 152 Google Scholar).

209 Police intelligence reports, Jan., Feb.Apr. 1914 (P.R.O., CO 904/120, ff 24, 48, 79); police reports on secret societies, Mar. 1914 (ibid., CO 904/14, f. 35).

210 Dublin Daily Express, 6 Mar. 1914.

211 Hansard 5 (Commons), lix, 2219 (19 Mar. 1914).

212 General annual report of the British army, 1910, p. 44 [Cd 5481], H.C. 1911, xlvi, 662; ibid., 1913, p. 48 [Cd 7252], H.C. 1914, lii, 314.

213 Figures from tables in Hanham, H.J., ‘Religion and nationality in the mid-Victorian army’ in Foot, M.R.D. (ed.), War and society (London, 1973), pp 176-81Google Scholar.

214 Undated (but Aug./Sept. 1914) and unsigned memorandum to Lord Kitchener entitled ‘The Irish Volunteers’ (P.R.O., PRO 30/57/60, f. 2).

215 See, for example, Irish Freedom, Sept. 1913; police reports on secret societies, Aug. 1913 (P.R.O., CO 904/14, f. 108).

216 Irish year book, 1908, p. 20.

217 Andrews, C.S., Dublin made me (Dublin & Cork, 1979), p. 12 Google Scholar; O’Malley, Ernie, On another mans wound (Dublin, 1979 ed.), p. 28 Google Scholar.

218 Memoirs of Desmond FitzGerald, 1913–1916, ed. FitzGerald, Fergus (London, 1968), p. 45 Google Scholar.

219 Moran, D.P., The philosophy of Irish Ireland (Dublin, 1905), p. 85 Google Scholar.

220 ‘The anti-enlistment movement’ in Bean na hÉireann, no. 25 (1910), p. 12 Google Scholar.

221 Irish Facts, May 1907, p. 58.

222 Muenger, British military dilemma in Ireland, pp 33–5; Denman, Terence, ‘The Catholic Irish soldier in the First World War: “the racial environment’” in I.H.S., xxvii, no. 108 (Nov. 1991), pp 352-65Google Scholar.

223 Martin, F.X. (ed.), The Irish Volunteers, 1913–1915 (Dublin, 1963), p. 29 Google Scholar.

224 I am very grateful to Jane Leonard for her valuable comments on drafts of this paper and for drawing my attention to several of the sources.