Women’s International League visits Ireland to examine conditions
Dublin, 12 October 1920 - British members of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom are visiting Ireland on a mission to see firsthand the conditions currently prevailing in the country.
They have come, they say, as pacifists and intend to address meetings on Irish issues in major cities on their return to Britain. Led by Helena Swanwick, President of the British section of the League, and Agatha Watts of the Manchester branch, the group have visited Cork and Limerick and have interviewed a number of prominent people in Dublin.
Swanwick, speaking to a reporter from the Irish Times, made clear that as Englishwomen, the visiting group did not feel that it was their business to propose compromises in the current Irish situation. She added that the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom held firm to the view that there could be no peace in Ireland without freedom. Towards that goal, the League favoured two policy proposals: the withdrawal of the ‘army of occupation’; and the right of the Irish people to decide their own form of government. Ms Swanwick added that the League was opposed to partition and viewed the Irish nation as a single territory, but she stressed that ‘minorities must have their freedom too.’
Ms Swanwick, when questioned on the security threat an independent Ireland might pose to Britain – an issue raised in a recent speech by Prime Minister David Lloyd George – said she did not think a free Ireland would ‘desire to be of any menace to Great Britain.’
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom has national sections in 18 countries, including Ireland. The president of the organisation is Jane Addams from Chicago, USA and the Honorary Secretary of the Irish section is Louie Bennett.
Lloyd George referred to Ireland as the ‘gateway of Britain’ in a recent speech and referred to this map, which shows the locations where British ships were sunk by German u-boats during the Great War, as evidence of Ireland's strategic importance to the UK. When asked about this, Helena Swanwick stated that she didn't believe that an independent Ireland would be a threat to Britain (Image: Illustrated London News, 23 October 1920)
[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.]
