A letter from Hubert Davis, writing from the Carlton Cinema, Upper Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street) to Augustine Birrell (1850–1933), Chief Secretary for Ireland from January 1907 until May 1916, asking for a permit to be granted to carry a camera and take photographs in Phoenix Park, for the production of miniature postcards. Davis describes the camera in question as one manufactured by the Chicago ferrotype Co New York. According to the manufacturers, the style of the camera does not apply as a plate camera. Davis seeks permission based on advice from a solicitor in Dublin. As Ireland was under the Defense of the Realm Act (DORA), at this point in time, photography in public spaces was restricted.Birrell (1850-1933) served as the chief secretary of Ireland from 1907 to 1916. Birrell was a liberal politician praised for his reforms of the Irish education system. The Easter Rising caught him unawares and, occupied in London, there was little he could do. A later inquiry into the Rising held Birrell chiefly responsible for the events that occurred leading to his resignation on 1 May 1916.