Arthur Griffith claims that arrest of Dáil members has no parallel in history

Dublin, 13 November 1919 - Arthur Griffith, founder of Sinn Féin and current MP for Tyrone North West and East Cavan, has described the raid on the headquarters of Dáil Éireann and the arrest of its members, as having no parallel in history. Not even Germany acted in such a way with the elected representatives of Belgium during the Great War, he said.

Nine people were arrested at the premises at 76 Harcourt Street on 11 November, Armistice Day, and were sentenced yesterday to two months' imprisonment at the Southern Police Court. Among those sentenced were MPs Seán O’Mahony, John Hayes and Frank Lawless. The other men have been named as Diarmuid O’Hegarty, Michael Lynch, Fintan Murphy, Dan O’Donovan, Patrick Sheehan and Richard McKee. The men were convicted of two counts membership of illegal organisations: Dáil Éireann and Sinn Féin. They were also convicted of unlawful assembly.

The three MPs arrested at Dáil Éireann headquarters on Harcourt Street on 11 November. L-R: Frank Lawless, Seán O'Mahony, and John Hayes (Image: Freeman's Journal, 13 November 1919)

When the police arrived and told the defendants they were to be taken into custody, Seán O’Mahony told them that they did not recognise the court and that it had no authority over them.

Reacting to the convictions, the Irish Independent said that they seemed ‘harsh and unreasonable’ and said that there was no evidence produced to connect the men to any suppressed association.

Any casual visitor to the building at 76 Harcourt Street might just as easily be convicted: ‘If this constitutes unlawful assembly then no man is safe entering any house but his own.’

Scenes from the raid on 76 Harcourt Street, Dublin, on 11 November 1919. Left: Seán O'Mahony acknowledges cheers from the gathered crowd as he is arrested. R: Dan O'Donovan (L) and Frank Lawless observing proceedings from the back of a police lorry  (Images: Irish Independent, 12 November 1919)

[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.]