75 arrested at celebration ceilidh for Frank Aiken in Dundalk

Dundalk, 4 September 1923 -  On the 2nd of September  Seventy-five men were arrested at ceilidh in Dundalk organised to celebrate the election success of anti-treaty republican, Mr. Frank Aiken, who topped the poll in the Louth constituency and was declared elected on the first count.

Those arrested included Mr. Philip J. Daly, a County Councillor and Mr. Coffey, a solicitor who had acted as Mr. Aiken’s election agent. The arrested men were taken from the Town Hall, where the ceilidh was being held, to the military barracks and they were released from custody the following morning. 

Different accounts have emerged as to the reason for the arrests.  According to one, National army soldiers entered the hall after a volley of shots were fired from the side of the Town Hall, the bullets penetrating the premises of a neighboring stationary business. The shots were fired, it is claimed, at a couple of National Army officers who were passing the Town Hall at the time with three civilian friends.

On arrival of the soldiers, the women in attendance were ordered to an upstairs location and the men retained for searching

Another account, unconfirmed according to the Dundalk Democrat, told that a search of coats that were hung up in a separate room returned an empty revolver. It is said that it was a women’s jacket in which it was found. 

A notice promoting the ceilidh celebration for Mr. Aiken had been published in the local press in advance. Entry for gentlemen was 5s and for ladies, 3s 6d.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]