Untitled 1

July 4th: Eamonn de Valera the President of the 2nd Dail Eireann - 2nd Irish Assembly - held a meeting with the leading Unionists at the Mansion House in Dublin where the Earl of Midleton suggested a Truce and undertook to see David Lloyd - George while Sir James Craig the leader of the Official Unionists did not even bother to turn up.

July 5th: General Smuts arrived in Dublin were he personally met with Eamonn de Valera, Arthur Griffith, Robert Barton and Eamonn Duggan and he put forward his proposition for Ireland to accept Dominion status as he had done and not push for an Irish Republic but Eamonn de Valera was not interested.

July 8th: The Unionist leaders once again attended a meeting at the Mansion House in Dublin, except again for Sir James Craig the leader of the Ulster Unionists, but Eamonn de Valera, Arthur Griffith, Eamonn Duggan and Robert Barton who had all previously been released by the British Government from Mountjoy Jail were now also able to attend. The Earl of Midleton the leader of the Unionists who did attend, advised all those present that David Lloyd - George had agreed to a Truce and the British Commander in Chief in Ireland, General Mac Cready then arrived. He was to clear up any outstanding difficulties and David Lloyd - George then responded by arranging for him and Sir Alfred Cope, his Under- Secretary in Ireland, to meet with the executive of the I.R.A. Volunteers. Robert Barton and Eamonn Duggan were appointed as the Irish Volunteers' Liaison Officers, which also meant the I.R.A. was also officially recognized as the Irish Republican Army.

July 9th: Eamonn de Valera announced that the hostilities were to cease on the 11th July due to an "official" Anglo - Irish Truce being agreed upon with the British Government.

July 10th: On this day the Unionists in the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province in an Ethnic Sectarian rampage of a further show of their siege mentality killed 15 more Irish Catholics there and wounded 68 and burnt down 161 Irish Catholic homes. 3,000 people in Ireland had been killed or injured there during the "Troubles" up until this date.

A Military Conference was then held at the British Military H.Q. between Eamonn Duggan and Robert Barton representing the Irish Volunteers - I.R.A. Irish Republican Army forces and Sir Alfred Cope and Lt. Brind representing the British Government forces to enable the terms of the Anglo - Irish Truce to be worked out.

July 10th: Cathal Brugha and Robert Barton brought a telegram to Eammon de Valera from David Lloyd - George the British Prime Minister who wanted to fix a date for a meeting to discuss the Anglo - Irish Truce to which he sent a reply that he would be in London on the next Thursday.

July 11th: The Anglo - Irish Truce began, which was to last 6 months before any final conclusions were to be actually reached after a series of Conferences were to be held in London with the British Government still under the control of David Lloyd - George. The casualties for the Anglo - Irish War now stood at British Government Forces 600 killed and 1,200 wounded while the Irish forces had lost 752 killed and 866 wounded.

July 12th: Eamonn de Valera took Arthur Griffith, Austin Stack , Robert Barton, Dr. and Mrs. Farnan, Kathleen O Connell and Erskine Childers over with him to London to begin the Anglo - Irish negotiations. The British Government wanted Ireland to remain in the British Imperial Empire, with no coercion of the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province in which there where an Irish Catholic minority of 1/3rd that had been by now handed over to the Ascendancy Official Unionists, to do with as they liked, in their own ancient territory there to be known as "Northern Ireland."

July 14th: Eamonn de Valera had a private meeting with David Lloyd - George who tried to impress on him the Military might of the British Imperial Empire and that Ireland should accept Dominion status but Eamonn de Valera stood firm for Irish Self - Determination.

July 18th: The Irish and British Government delegates held their second meeting were the 6 Counties from the 9 in the Ulster Province Artificially Partitioned from Ireland by the British Government were discussed and the matter of a Saorstat - Irish Free State, which David Lloyd - George the British Prime Minister accepted instead of the word, Poblacht - Republic.

July 19th: James Craig the leader of the Official Unionists put forward the argument that the 6 Irish Catholic minority Counties Artificially Partitioned in the 9 in the Ulster Province and the whole 32 Counties of Ireland should be able to have Self - Determination too after meeting with David Lloyd - George, and Eamonn de Valera could see no purpose in pursuing the matter any further and he wrote to Michael Collins informing him to be prepared for a breakdown in the negotiations. Michael Collins advised him that the British Government were already preparing for that particular outcome in Ireland.

July 20th: David Lloyd - George then put forward proposals for an Irish settlement on behalf of the British Imperial Government who would be willing to grant Dominion status to Ireland subject to various qualifying clauses to suite the British Government and Eamonn de Valera met with the other Irish delegates to discuss this proposition further.

July 21st: The Irish delegates then rejected the proposal of Dominion status only, at the next meeting with David Lloyd - George who then threatened them that he would continue on with the War on Ireland while informing Eamonn de Valera that he alone would be responsible who then replied," No, you will be the aggressor." David Lloyd - George the British Prime Minister in further Imperialistic fashion then informed him that he could put a British soldier into Ireland for every Irish man, woman and child who lived to which Eamonn de Valera replied, "You would have to keep them there." David Lloyd - George then said that he would publish his proposals for all the Irish people to see what was on offer but Eamonn de Valera got him to agree to a further extended Anglo - Irish Truce instead so that he could discuss the British Government proposals with the 2nd Dail Eireann but the discussions with David Lloyd - George had lasted over a week and Eamonn de Valera was well aware of what he would or would not accept and he was to act later on this knowledge to suite his own particular agenda.

While in England, Eamonn de Valera through the intercession of General Smuts had tried once again to have a meeting with Sir James Craig the Official Unionist leader in the 6 Catholic minority Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province but he once again refused to meet with him so they then returned to Ireland.

July 25th: Eamonn de Valera actually only advised the 2nd Dail Eireann Ministers in the Irish Cabinet of David Lloyd - George's proposals and the members of the elected 2nd Dail Eireann and they were not involved at all and besides this he also drafted a new proposal of his own based on a principle of "External Association" of which the Irish Cabinet was not the least interested in, as it was not actually clear what he was really trying to put forward.

July 27th: The 2nd Dail Eireann Cabinet Ministers met again where Eammon de Valera put forward his new "External Association Theory" with the Commonwealth of Nations but would still not be actually a member, explaining that the Commonwealth members would be in the inner circle and Ireland would be attached outside the circle.

Sir Edward Carson the previous leader of the Official Unionists told Austen Chamberlain that he was unworthy of his father and he retorted that he was tired of the "Troubles" in Ireland and even more of those in the Ulster Province. - David Lloyd - George and Sir Edward Carson had hoped eventually for reunion of the 32 Counties in Ireland. - Winston Churchill, as the British Colonial Secretary, was to eventually bring Michael Collins and the new Official Unionist leader, Sir James Craig together for a meeting.

+On to 1921 - 6 - August - September

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

RAINBOW FARMS 603 Roxburgh Road., Muswellbrook., 2333.

02 65 479 100 - Fax: 02 65 479 102 E - Mail: www.rainbowfarms@bigpond.com