Untitled 1

January: The Irish Free State Parliament, under the leadership of William Thomas Cosgrave was dissolved, and Eamonn de Valera during the coming campaigning for the General Election there, maintained his policies of removing the Oath of Allegiance to the British King and the return of the Land Annuities to the Government of Ireland. Their catch phase in the election was, "Put Them Out," the same one that would be used against them, to also remove them from office 16 years later on in 1948. (When the candidate for the Cuman na nGaedhal Party in Co. Sligo - Co. Leitrim was killed before the Elections, they were to be put back a fortnight.)

February: The Irish Free State General Elections were held, and the Cumann na nGaedheal Party under William T. Cosgrave, were ousted after 10 years as the the first Irish Government, as the Fianna Fail Party (Warriors of Destiny), under Eamonn de Valera finished up with a 15 seat majority over them, giving the Fianna Fail Party 72 seats, and they now became the largest party in the Dail Eireann / Irish Assembly, but still needed the 7 seats, also won by the Irish Labour Party. The Anti - Treaty IRA, who were still pushing for a United Ireland, composed of the original 32 Counties, had used some intimidation and false voting practises to assist the Fianna Fail Party, who they were now also co - operating with them to bring about their common goal of a total Irish Republic.

March 8th: In the Irish Free State, Eamonn de Valera, Sean T. O Kelly and Gerald Boland, met with Tom Johnson, William Norton and William Davin, from the Irish Labour Party, to obtain their co - operation, and they formed a Fianna Fail Coalition Labour Government, and Eamonn de Valera was to now become the Irish Taoiseach / leader in Ireland until 1948, and then be successful again in 1951 to 1954, and then again in 1957 to 1959 for a total overall period of 21 years.

March 9th: Michael Kilroy, put forward the nomination of Eamonn de Valera for Taoiseach / leader of the Irish Free State, and Oscar Traynor seconded his motion, and by a vote of 81 votes to 68 he became the second Irish Taoiseach of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State until 1937 as the leader of the Fianna Fail Party Coalition, combining the Irish Labour Party and 3 of the Independents. He took the portfolio of External Affairs also under his wing, and was also to become the President of the Council of the League of Nations, while Sean T. O Kelly was appointed the Minister for Local Government until 1939, with Sean Lemass to be the Minister for Industry & Commerce, and Frank Aiken the Minister of Defence. One of Eamonn de Valera's first measures in government, was to repeal the Act passed by William T. Cosgrave, which had banned the Anti - Treaty IRA members from wearing uniforms and owning arms, and some even joined up with the Irish Free State Army.

March 10th: All IRA political prisoners, imprisoned by the previous Cuman na nGaedhal Party Government under the leadership of William T. Cosgrave in the Irish Free State, were released from the Arbour Hill Barracks and Mountjoy Prison, except for those who had carried out any actions on their own initiative.

March 18th: In the Irish Free State, the previous Cuman na nGaedhal Government Military Tribunal was also suspended, and the IRA and the Saor Eire Party / Republican Workers Party were now made legal organizations again.

April 20th: The Fianna Fail Coalition Party introduced a Bill into the Irish Free State Parliament, to do away with the Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown, which was supported by the Labour Party.

May 19th: The Bill to do away with the Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown was passed in the Irish Free State Parliament.

June 6th: J.H. Thomas, and Lord Hailsham the British Labour Government's Minister of War arrived in Dublin, to meet with Eamonn de Valera, who was now the Taoiseach of the Irish Free State, to sort him out over the denial of the Oath to the British Crown, and the 5,000,000 pounds of Land Annuities previously being paid Annually to the British Government to buy back the land in Ireland, by William T. Cosgrave.

June 9th: Eamonn de Valera, as the Fine Fail Coalition Irish Free State Taoiseach, went to London to discuss the problems with Ramsay Mac Donald the new Labour British Government Prime Minister and his Cabinet, hoping to solve both of the problems of the removal of the Oath of Allegiance to the British Crown, and the Annual payment of the Land annuities by negotiations and arbitration.

June 19th: In the Irish Free State, the Anti - Treaty IRA was now under the control of Sean Russell, who had a big turnout of 15,000 members attend at Wolfe Tone's grave at Bodenstown in Co. Kildare in Central Southern Leinster. (Theobold Wolfe - Tone had been the original founder of the Irish Republican movement in Ireland.)

July 1st: In the Irish Free State, Eamonn de Valera and the Fianna Fail Party Coalition Government, laid claim to, "The whole of Ireland, it's islands and territorial seas," and withheld the Land Annuities of 5,000,000 pounds a year, that was previously paid to the British Government in England, to buy back Irish land.

July 11th: The British Westminster Parliament's House of Commons, retaliated against the Irish Government's two decisions of removing the Oath of allegiance to the British Crown and not paying the Land annuities for Irish land, by allowing an extra 20 % duty on all Irish imports although the Irish Land Annuities were actually in a Suspense Account still awaiting Arbitration.

July 15th: Eamonn de Valera, as the Taoiseach of the Irish Free State attended a meeting again with Ramsay Mac Donald, the British Labour Prime Minister, who demanded that the Irish Land Annuities be handed over, and Eamonn de Valera gave him a definite "No."

July 16th: The British Labour Government increased the duties further on Irish imports again, and the Economic War with the British Government was in full swing, which was to last until 1938.

July 23 rd: The Irish Free State Fianna Fail Coalition Government now did the same to the British imports.

The Fianna Fail Party members, were now completely in control in the Irish Free State, and some of the Anti - Treaty IRA feeling more confident, now formed themselves into an auxiliary police group, who went about disrupting and preventing the political opposition, the Cuman na n Gaedhal Party members, from holding their rallies and also from speaking to the general Irish population. This basically then forced the private Army Comrades Association to come out and implement the National Guard to try and protect them from any further harassment.

September: Eamonn de Valera, now the Taoiseach of Ireland, held meetings throughout Ireland to explain to the Irish people that due to the British Government's increased duties, they would have to become more self - sufficient in their own right and provide goods mainly for Ireland and buy more Irish products.

September 9th: J. Whelan - Dulanty the High Commissioner for the Irish Government in London, presented a submission from Eamonn de Valera to the British King George V, to terminate the appointment of Mac Neill as his representative in the Irish Free State.

October: Eamonn de Valera, also met with the British Labour Government representative, W.J. Thomas, but no progress was made, as they continued to demand the Irish Government must accept the terms of the original Anglo - Irish Treaty, and also informed the Irish Government that there was to be no more questions about the Financial Settlement, no further discussions on the Oath of Allegiance nor appointment of their Governor General. The Irish Government representative, Joseph P. Walshe, told them the Irish Government was not going to accept that, and instead he put forward Irish Free State requests to modify the Oath, mitigate the financial burden and the Treaty Agreement. A few days later, in further retaliation, the British Government once again increased the import duty on Irish products.

November 1st: Mac Neill was removed as the British Governor General in Ireland.

November 30th: As there was now no British Government representative to sign the Government Appropriation Bill to run the Irish Free State, Domhnall O Buachalla / Donnell O Buckley, was put forward by Eamonn de Valera, and he filled in for the Governor General in Ireland until 1937, representing the British King, and kept a low profile.

It was during this year, that Arthur Vincent gave Muckross Estate in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province, containing 10,000 acres near Killarney Lakes to the people of Ireland. - Lady Augusta Gregory (1859 - 1932) a supporter of the Abbey Theatre, and Playwright, died this year. - Sir Horace Plunkett (1854 - 1932) died this year.

In the 6 Counties, Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, who were still under the control of the British Government and the Ascendancy Official Unionist Stormont Government, the British Prince of Wales opened the new Stormont Parliament building, paid for by the British Government, and there were riots in Belfast in Co. Antrim in the north - east of Ulster by the numerous underprivileged population there. Sir James Craig, now known as Lord Craigavon, the Official Unionist leader, advised Joseph Lyons, the Australian Prime Minister, "To watch out for his Catholic population in Australia as they breed like rabbits," as it never entered his head that Joseph Lyons could be Catholic and hold down such an important position.

+On to 1933

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