Dáil announces ambitious new plans for Ireland

Sinn Féin rallies support for republican loan scheme

Dublin, 22 August 1919 - A number of noteworthy projects were revealed at the annual meeting of the Árd Comhairle of Sinn Féin which took place in Dublin’s Mansion House yesterday.

A consular scheme was announced by Michael Collins MP, the Minister for Finance. Dáil Éireann has allocated £10,000 to be used to finance the service over the course of the next year.

The meeting also heard that sums of money were earmarked for (a) the development of a national civil service scheme applying to the offices in the gift of the local authorities; (b) the carrying out of a scheme of afforestation; and (c) aiding and advising on the development of fisheries.

The active cooperation and support of the local authorities is seen as essential to the implementation of these schemes, so the Sinn Féin organisation feels it necessary to exert all its efforts to secure that the personnel of the local boards will reflect the will and purpose of the people.

Dáil loan
All of these projects will depend on the new Dáil Loan, the details of which were also explained by Collins at the meeting yesterday.

The success of the loan fund in America has been all but assured, courtesy of the efforts of Éamon de Valera who is currently involved in an extensive fundraising mission in the United States with fellow Sinn Féin MP, Harry Boland.

Now the ambition of the Dáil is to ensure that support for the loan will be equally enthusiastic in Ireland. Copies of a prospectus are to be distributed amongst delegates of the party, building on an instruction already issued to key Sinn Féín supporters for the purposes of advertising the loan scheme and raising money in every parish in the country.

Prof Fearghal McGarry explains the international dimension of the first dáil.

Sinn Féin organisation
The meeting of the Árd Comhairle also heard that there currently 1,822 Sinn Féin cumainn, 60% of which had been affiliated.

Yesterday’s meeting was attended by delegates from 47 constituencies, as well as delegates from England and Scotland and several members of Dáil Éireann. Apologies were received from Fr Michael O’Flanagan for his absence, as well as from Hanna Sheehy Skeffington who wrote to say that she would be unable to resume her duties for some time owing to a wound to her head. A vote of sympathy was passed with her.

[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.]