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1918 February 1st: Dr. Patrick Mac Cartan, representing the Sinn Fein Party, now also known as the Irish Republican Party, was defeated at the bye - election held in South Armagh in the south - east of the Ulster Province. - Edward Carson, the leader of the Ascendancy Unionists in the Ulster Province proposed to David Lloyd - George, the British Prime Minister, that they should set up a Federation that would include England, Scotland and the 6 Counties, to be Artificially Partitioned from Ireland, to retain the Ascendancy, in the Ulster Province, the other 3 Counties not required by them from the Ulster Province, and the remaining 23 Counties in the rest of Ireland. John Redmond, the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party wanted no part of it, as all this arrangement really meant was the Partition of Ireland.

March: There was still a movement in England to bring in Conscription in Ireland, and the Irish Catholic Bishops warned the British Imperial Government against implementing it, but that same evening David Lloyd - George the British Prime Minister, announced in the British House of Commons that Ireland would no longer be excluded. The reaction in Ireland was immediate, with the Irish Parliamentary Party in a state of shock and the Irish people as a whole, were ready to come out against it, and despite all of the previous notice, the political Sinn Fein Party was the only organization that was really prepared to meet the challenge. Laurence O Neill the Lord Mayor of Dublin, called a meeting at the Mansion House, were he invited all interested parties to attend to discuss the Irish Conscription issue. March 6th: John Redmond, the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, died as a very broken hearted man, and Joseph Devlin, declined to take over his position as the Chairman of the Irish Parliamentary Party, so John Dillon instead became their leader in the Westminster House of Commons, and he too warned David Lloyd - George against introducing Conscription into Ireland. Meanwhile Cathal Brugha / John Burgess had travelled to England and had intentions of killing the British Parliament members if they introduced Conscription in to Ireland. March 22nd: John Redmond's son, Captain Redmond won his father's vacant seat in the bye - election for Co. Waterford in the south - east of the Munster Province, defeating Dr. Vincent White from the Sinn Fein Party.

April 2nd: Sean Milroy, standing for the Sinn Fein Party, was also defeated in the bye - election for East Tyrone in Central Southern Ulster, which was the territory of Bishop Logue, where the Orangemen and the Hibernians showed they could combine if it suited their common interest. April 3rd: Michael Collins, was arrested and imprisoned for 3 months for making a Seditious Speech, and placed in a prison in Co. Sligo in the north - west of the Connacht Province, where they still had no idea who they were holding. April 18th: The meeting on British Conscription in Ireland, organized by Laurence O Neill the Mayor of Dublin, took place at the Mansion House were the Irish Parliamentary Party was now represented by John Dillon, and Timothy Healy and the old Labour stalwart, William O Brien were present. They were now open to recognizing the viewpoints of other political Parties, and Eamonn de Valera and other Sinn Fein Party leaders, together with the Irish Labour Party was also in attendance, and they all came to the same conclusion that British Conscription would be resisted by all means possible. The Catholic Bishops, were holding their own meeting at the same time elsewhere, and a deputation was sent from the Irish political group to meet with them to discuss the situation, and they issued a joint statement, that they were all in agreement that British Government's Conscription would be resisted by all means possible. The Irish National Defence Fund was now set up to countermand the British Government's efforts to suppress support against their intended Conscription in Ireland, and the British Imperial Government had finally, "united," Ireland in a common cause, which had once again brought up the old human proposition, "To persecute is to unite any opposition." April 26th: The Irish Volunteers, then issued their own public statement, that they would resist the British Imperial Government Conscription by force, if it was necessary.

May: An Irish Convention was held in America, and Diarmait Lynch, who had been deported by the British Government from Ireland, was elected there as the National Secretary of the Friends for Irish Freedom. May 11th: The British Imperial Government appointed Lord French to take over their British Military control in Ireland, and by May 15th: Michael Collins had penetrated the "G" Division of the Dublin Castle's Metropolitan Police, which was in reality a British Imperial Government political spy operation. May 16th: John Dillon, the new leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, led the parliamentary members in a withdrawal from the British House of Commons at Westminster, when they passed their Conscription Act / Military Service Bill for Ireland. He had joined in with the Irish Labour Party, the Sinn Fein Party and the Catholic hierarchy, in drawing up the anti - Conscription Pledges signed by thousands at the Sunday Masses, and the Irish Labour Party called a one day strike throughout Ireland, except in Belfast in the north - east of the Ulster Province, to protest against it's introduction in Ireland. May: The Irish Parliamentary Party had by now well and truly run it's political race in the eyes of the majority of the people of Ireland, and they were not able to stand a candidate against Dr. Patrick Mac Cartan representing the Sinn Fein Party, and he won the Co. Offaly / North King's Co. bye - election in the mid - west of Southern Leinster, as the tide was now turning, due to the continuing obstinate actions again of the British Imperial Government in England. May: Eamonn de Valera, who was now the President of the Sinn Fein Party also, wanted to use only passive resistance against the coercion of the British Imperial Government, and together with John Dillon the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party they appeared on the same platform at Ballaghadereen, against the introduction the British Government's Conscription in Ireland. David Lloyd - George the Prime Minister of the British Coalition Government, then released the results of his own Irish Convention but no one was interested, as it was considered to be just further English window dressing.

May 17th: Joseph Kavanagh, a detective in the Dublin Castle's "G" Division became aware of the British Government's intention to arrest members of the Sinn Fein Party, and it was passed onto Michael Collins, who had Joseph O Reilly warn as many of the Sinn Fein Party members as he could, and at the meeting of the Sinn Fein Party executive that night Michael Collins notified all the members present, including Eammon de Valera, which of them were to be taken into custody by the British Government's Dublin Castle Military Forces. They decided to let the event take place, and set up a group under Cathal Brugha / Charles Burgess to carry on if they were arrested, as they considered the adverse publicity, which would once again occur against the British Imperial Government would also ensure Irish and World wide sympathy for the imprisoned members of the political Sinn Fein Party. They also felt Arthur Griffith, representing the Sinn Fein Party at the coming Co. Cavan election in the south of the Ulster Province, could also benefit from these negative actions, once again being carried out by the British Imperial Government. To try and get him out of the way first, for the coming General Elections, Eammon de Valera the President of the Sinn Fein Party was picked up by the British Government's Military Forces on his way home to Greystones by rail and taken to Dun Laoghaire / Kingstown were he was imprisoned on a British Government Naval ship.

May 18th: The British Imperial Government Cabinet, who were now desperate over the growing popularity of the political Sinn Fein Party in Ireland, were once again still not willing to face political reality, and they frantically introduced a German Plot to try and save face, which was also mainly done to suite their propaganda purposes for consumption in America, and in the stupidity of it all they had General French their appointed British Military Commander - in - Chief in Ireland, to also begin arresting many more of the members of the Sinn Fein Party.

May 19th: By now General French, on behalf of the British Imperial Government, had not only arrested Eamonn de Valera the President of the Sinn Fein Party, but also Arthur Griffith / Art O Griofa their Vice - President, together with 72 other members, including William T. Cosgrave, Dr. Brian Cusack, Joseph Mac Guinness, Dr. Richard Hayes, Sean Milroy, Countess Constance Markievicz and Count Plunkett. They were all placed on board a British Government Naval gunboat at Dun Laoghaire near Dublin, where they were then taken away from Ireland altogether, to be interred in prisons again in England at Usk and Gloucester, and Maude Gonne, the wife of the executed John Mac Bride (The parents of Sean mac Bride,) and Tomas Derrig were also among those arrested and imprisoned. The British Imperial Government, due to their usual lack of common sense, had unwittingly expanded the profile of the Sinn Fein Party now, for the whole World to see, which gave out clear signals of recognition that they were now the democratic political force to be reckoned with in Irish politics. Michael Collins, decided it was now time to turn his attention to the Irish Volunteers, who had been basically left intact, and they continued on with their drilling exercises, during which many of them were also arrested and charged by the British Government Court Martials.

May 27th: Ernest O Malley, the future Anti - Treaty IRA activist and Irish Independence fighter, managed to escape from the Dublin Castle's R.I.C. police custody.

Cathal Brugha / Charles Burgess, who had now been left in charge of the Irish Republic, wanted to concentrate on the Irish Conscription debate, and Richard Mulcahy was then appointed the Deputy Chief of Staff, and subsequently took over much of his responsibilities in the Irish Volunteers. Previously, Cathal Brugha had desperately wanted to bring the Irish Volunteers under the control of the elected Dail Eireann / Irish Assembly / Irish Republic also, but Michael Collins would not agree to an Irish Volunteer Convention to bring this about, as he had considered that to hold a Convention would only openly play into the British Government's hands. Because of this refusal the staid Cathal Brugha had been upset with him, and he was never to really get over it. Among the Irish Volunteer officers were, M.W.O Reilly who was their Director of Training, Michael Staines their Director of Equipment, and Diarmuid O Hegarty / Ua hEigceartaigh who was their Director of Communications, and Richard Mac Kee / Mheic Aoidh was now their overall Dublin Brigade Commander, who was play a big part in the forming of the successful Flying Columns under Michael Collins later on.

The arrests of the 73 members of the Sinn Fein Party by the British Imperial Government, was meant to leave them totally leaderless, but with Michael Collins, Richard Mac Kee and Harry Boland their acting - Secretary, they were in good hands, and Harry Boland and Tom Kelly assisted by Michael Collins, also ran what was left of the political Sinn Fein Party. Meanwhile, John A. Murphy of the Clann na Gael in America, ensured the collection of 60,000 pounds on behalf of the Irish National Aid Association for the dependents of those who were imprisoned or effected by the continual British Imperial Government's oppression, and by now had also joined forces with the Irish Volunteer Dependents Fund. They also decided to stay independent of any political activity, to ensure the continuation of the good work they were carrying out for the oppressed general population in Ireland, and that they would now have to let the services of Michael Collins go as their Secretary due to his association with the various Irish Republican elements.

June: John Dillon, the new leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party had wanted the Sinn Fein Party to let the Lord Mayor of Dublin stand for the seat of East Co. Cavan in the south of the Ulster Province, to represent both the Irish Parliamentary Party and the Sinn Fein Party, but Eamonn de Valera the President of the Sinn Fein Party had said no. Arthur Griffith the Vice President of the Sinn Fein Party was now put up for the seat instead, and won it although he was still imprisoned in a jail in England, which also gave his success much greater emphasis. June 3rd: The British Government's Dublin Castle (The Devil's 1/2 Acre), which now under the control of Lord French, called for 50,000 Irish men to join the British Imperial Army by October 15th, and he continued on with his suppression of all things Irish, including the Sinn Fein Party and their Sinn Fein Clubs, the Irish Volunteers, the Cuman na mBan, and even the Gaelic League. June 6th: The Sinn Fein Party prisoners, who were being held in Lincoln Jail in England, were finally allowed to write to their relatives, and Eamonn de Valera the President of the Sinn Fein Party informed Dublin that he and 12 others were being held by the British Government in Lincoln Prison.

+On to 1918 / 2 - July to December

Situated on the western bank of the Hunter River, midway between Muswellbrook and Denman the doorway to the Heart of Australia's "Horse Capital" in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales., Australia.

John & Sue Markham

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