Letter from General John Grenfell Maxwell to Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, 6 May 1916

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from General John Grenfell Maxwell to Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, 6 May 1916

1 No. O.B.7. (57). Head Quarters, Irish Command, Parkgate, DUBLIN, 6th May, 1916. My Lord, I have the honour to request your Lordship's
co-operation in a matter connected with the present
deplorable situation in Ireland the settlement of which
I am confident you desire no less keenly than I do. There are two Priests in your Diocese, the Reverend
Father Thomas Wall, of Drumcollogher, Co.Limerick, and
the Reverend Father M. Hayes, of Newcastle West, County
Limerick, whose presence in that neighbourhood I consider
to be a dangerous menace to the peace and safety of the
Realm, and had these priests been lay men they would have
already been placed under arrest. In this case I would
be glad if your Lordship could obviate the necessity
for such action by moving these Priests to such employment
as will deny their having intercourse with the people, and
inform me of your decision. I have the honour to be,
Your obedient servant, J. G. Maxwell
General,
Commander-in-Chief,
The Forces in Ireland.
The Most Reverend Dr. O'Dwyer,
Bishop of LIMERICK,
LIMERICK

This letter was written by Sir General John Grenfell Maxwell (1859 – 1929), to Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer (1842-1917), who served as the Bishop of Limerick from 1888 until his death. In this letter Maxwell is requesting that O’Dwyer remove two priests in his diocese so that they cannot interact with the general population. According to Maxwell the presence of these priests is a dangerous menace to the peace and safety of the realm and had they been laymen both would already be under arrest. The priests concerned are Fr Thomas Wall (1877 – 1956), and Fr Michael Hayes (1873 – 1934). Maxwell reportedly called for the pair’s removal because they were providing moral support to the rebels of Easter Week 1916.Maxwell had been appointed commander in chief of the British forces in Ireland after the outbreak of the Easter Rising. He arrived in Ireland on Friday 28 April, the fifth day of the insurrection. As acting military governor of Ireland, Maxwell dealt with the rebellion according to his understanding of martial law which had been earlier declared by the Lord Lieutenant.

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How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__0638.html)