Letter to the Chief Secretary, 9 May 1916. Letters 1916-1923

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This is a letter to the chief cecretary of Ireland from an unspecified sender. While the letter is address to the Chief Secretary, there was in fact no active Chief secretary at the date the letter was written. This is due to the fact that Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) resigned on 3 May 1916 following his administrational failure during the 1916 Rising, While Henry Duke (1855-1939) did not assume the position until 30 June 1916. The author of the letter discusses his own nationalistic views, however warns of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, stating that they are just as bad as Sinn Féin. He goes on to claim that Joe Devil (1871-1934) started up the society in Belfast, going on to say that there are more Eenians in the AOH than in Sinn Fein. The author then describes how he believes the society governs Ireland, accounting the process for election within the society. He then goes on to warn that they will take charge when and if Home Rule is granted.

National Archives of Ireland Chief Secretary's Office Registered Papers; CSO RP/1916/5611/7861/1 https://letters1916.ie/item/1986 English 1916-05-09 Chief Secretary Dublin Castle Politics Politics

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 law of Ireland& who made by &none other recognizedTheHibernian Law May 9th 1916 CHIEF SECRETARY'S7861 - 10 MAY 1916OFFICESir as you now have taken charge of Ireland afterthe lamentable occurrence of murder which the Shin Fein has beingguilty of (well) respectable wise men knew it would come tothat with virtually no Government in Ireland I am an Nationalist& Roman Catholic now a conservative how many more like me nowin Ireland hundreds of thousands has got enough of home rule(there is another body of men or a so called society known asthe Hibernians just as bad as the Shin Fainers & more of the oldschool of Fenians among them in fact they started under Joe Devlinin Belfast as Fenian organization or what was left of the oldFenian organization but they wanted to give themselves a decentname & they changed it to be called Hibernianismsand there is notan old Fenian in Ireland is not in that organization who workson the Fenian lines &principals behind the curtain it is helpingthe Government now by the way because it knows it was theGovernment in Ireland for the past 10 years as there was no realGovernment except in name &what astonished every decent manwas under the assurance act they got a society to helpthem in their game How does the Hiberniansgovern they have a Hall in every Town &village in Ireland&they makes the laws for their district there the a man first has to be sworn in by a oath then pay his subscription he must not have previouslybeing in any government employment for fear of being trickedan letting the cat out of the bag as the term it. Then the newmember is told all he will have to do and how he will bepaid if he is in business all members of the society will haveto deal with him &any member of the society dealing or leavingmoney with an un member is to be boycotted quietly butfirmly all public situations is to go to Hibernian memberscounty and district Councillors to be notified to the resultsof what will follow if they vote against the Hibernian candidatesand I may tell you God help the county or districtCouncillor would do so at present in most districtsin Ireland. Again when large meetings attends townsnotices are to be put in windows that they will knowthe houses to call in and all members will have a password that they will know each other. Limerick was theirpassword three years ago. To pullalong with the governmentto see will Redmond succeed to get the Irish parliamentthen they the Hibernians will take charge of it in the samemanner as we have charge of most district & countycouncils now. If Redmond does not get the Irish Parliamentor the imperial government interferes with us we willhave a strong army to fight our corner. This is theHibernian programme. I know a certain district councilin Ireland within those two bought a plot of townparks from a landlord at £300 for cottages but one timean Hibernian officer had the use of the ground & alwaysgrazed it for 10 years without rent or taxes so now thisHibernian officer that grazed the land sent for the districtcouncil &they went down on their knees to him to not havea them boycotted so the ratepayers lost the £300 The Chief Secretary Dublin Castle Ireland Dublin Castle Letter from Eileen Murray to the Government Compensations Claim Office, 16 May 1916Letter from Major W. Kinsman to Robert Chalmers, 27 May 1916Letter from John Harold Smith-Wright to the Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, 31 May 1916Letter from J. Smith Wright to Edward O'Farrell, 5 June 1916.Letter from Edward Joseph McWeeney to Robert Chalmers, 10 May 1916Letter from Stanislaus Murphy to Robert Chalmers, 10 May 1916Letter from William H. Welply to Edward O'Farrell, 10 May 1916.Letter from Matthew Nathan to J. G. Swift Mac Neill, 20 April 1916.Letter from William Phillip Miles to Robert Chalmers, 13 May 1916Letter from the Resident Medical Superintendent of Kilkenny to William Richard Dawson, 21 June 1916Letter from Thomas W. Delaney to Sir Matthew Nathan, 11 April 1916Note from the Chief Crown Solicitor to Sir Matthew Nathan, 16 February 1916Letter from A. P. Lynch to Sir Reginald H Brade, 12 May 1916.Letter from Charles P. O'Neill to Matthew Nathan, 30 Mar 1916Letter to the Chief Secretary, 9 May 1916.Letter from J. Simpson, for the Assistant Financial Secretary in the War Office, London to the Chief Crown Solicitor, Dublin Castle, 22 February 1916