Eamon de Valera to run for vacant East Clare seat

Ennis, 20 June 1917 - Eamon de Valera has been selected to represent the party in the forthcoming East Clare by-election at a meeting of about 200 Sinn Féin delegates at the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis.

The election was caused by the death in France of Major Willie Redmond who was killed at the Battle of Messines.

There were five candidates proposed initially, including Austin Stack from Tralee, but the others withdrew in favour of de Valera, who, until earlier this week was serving a sentence of penal servitude in England for his involvement in last year’s rebellion. 

The Irish Party selected Clare native Patrick Lynch, who, while popular locally, is faced by a serious Sinn Féin challenge, the party having already ‘instituted a vigorous canvass’.

Sinn Féin – and Mr de Valera – are undoubtedly helped by the fact that the Irish Party organisation in the county is weak owing to the absence of any contested election in the constituency in 22 years.

[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.]