Report of 23 July 1915

(NAI, CSO/JD/2/42)

The report of 23 July 1915 records visits to the shop of Thomas J Clarke, 75 Parnell Street, by Thomas Byrne and Countess Markievicz, followed at various stages by Thomas Dolan, Con Colbert, Patrick H Pearse, Seán T Ó Ceallaigh, Edward Daly, James Murray, Diarmuid Lynch, Charles J Kickham, William O’Leary Curtis and Arthur Griffith.

Bulmer Hobson, Herbert ‘Barney’ Mellows and Michael O’Hanrahan are observed in the office of the Irish Volunteers, 2 Dawson Street.

The arrest of Liam Mellows at Courtown Harbour, County Wexford, and his subsequent transfer to Mountjoy Prison is noted.

Thomas J Clarke, Patrick H Pearse, Diarmuid Lynch and Edward Daly are observed meeting at 41 Parnell Square and details are provided of the march of ‘about 45 members of the Sinn Fein Volunteers’ without rifles towards Clonliffe under the command of Joseph McGuinness.

Countess Markievicz is noted to have paid a visit to Mrs O’Donovan Rossa at the Gresham Hotel.

A detailed account is given of attempts to uncover intelligence about the proposed demonstration and march from Howth to Bachelor’s Walk to mark the first anniversary of the Howth gunrunning. With reference to the funeral of the Fenian Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, planned for the following week, it is noted in annotations that ‘it looks as if the O’Donovan Rossa rather than the Bachelor’s Walk demonstration was to be the troublesome one’. A request by the Chief Secretary to be kept informed of any developments is also shown in the annotations.

The report concludes with details of a planned memorial meeting under the auspices of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union where it is expected the Citizen Army ‘with full equipment’ will attend.

A copy of the socialist newspaper The Workers’ Republic is included.

For the full report, please see Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Department report on the movement of Dublin extremists on 22 July 1915.