Report of 28 February 1916

(NAI, CSO/JD/2/218)

The report of 28 February 1916 records visits to the shop of Thomas J Clarke, 75 Parnell Street, on Saturday 26 February by Charles J Kickham, Piaras Béaslaí, John McGarry, John O’Hanrahan and Jeremiah [Diarmuid] Lynch. On Sunday 27 February, Clarke’s shop is visited by Joseph McGuinness, Éamonn Duggan, James J Buggy and Ben Parsons. It is noted that Clarke is absent from his shop on both days and has not yet returned from Limerick.

The departures on Saturday of James O’Sullivan by train to Crossdoney [County Cavan], James Connolly to Belfast and Patrick H Pearse to Cork are noted.

A meeting in the office of the Irish Volunteers, 2 Dawson Street, is attended by Bulmer Hobson, Jeremiah Joseph O’Connell, Michael O’Hanrahan, George Irvine, Thomas MacDonagh, Eimar O’Duffy and Thomas Ashe. MacDonagh is observed later that evening in the same location in the company of Éamon de Valera.

On Sunday, the departure of John Neeson by train to Drogheda [County Louth] is noted.

A report is provided of the march of around 150 members of the ‘Sinn Fein Volunteers, 80 of whom carried rifles’ towards Glasnevin under the command of Edward Daly and Joseph McGuinness.

The report concludes with details of those involved in organising a rally to oppose the introduction of a war tax on Ireland. The meeting is scheduled to take place on 29 February in the Round Room of the Mansion House. An annotation on the report states ‘The Lord Mayor’s desire to stand [well] with everyone accounts for his allowing the Mansion House to be used for the purpose of this Sinn Fein meeting’.

A copy is included of a leaflet advertising the rally and a return of searches for arms carried out by police at the North Wall, Dublin, between 21 February and 26 February 1916.

For the full report please see Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Department report on the movement of Dublin extremists on 26 and 27 February 1916.