Irish Volunteers

The Irish Volunteers (Óglaigh na hÉireann) were a paramilitary organization established by Irish Nationalists in 1913 "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland", and to help enforce the imminent Home Rule Act.

Related Topics:
Óglaigh na hÉireann - Paramilitary - Irish Nationalists - 1913 - Home Rule

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The Volunteers were formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force by Edward Carson and James Craig the same year. The Ulster Volunteers were founded by (exclusively) Protestant Unionists in the northeast in order to prevent the enactment of the Home Rule Act. It was seen that with armed men in Ulster threatening force to counter Home Rule, a similar force would be prudent to pressure Britain in the other direction. To this end Eoin MacNeill published an article The North Began, arguing for the necessity of such a force. His friend The O'Rahilly encouraged him to follow through with this idea, and on November 11, 1913, at Wynn's Hotel in Dublin, eleven prominent nationalists sat down to plan the formation of the Volunteers, among them were Patrick Pearse, Eamonn Ceannt, and Sean MacDermott.

Related Topics:
Ulster Volunteer Force - Edward Carson - James Craig - Protestant - Unionists - Ulster - Britain - Eoin MacNeill - The O'Rahilly - November 11 - Dublin - Patrick Pearse - Eamonn Ceannt - Sean MacDermott

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On November 25 the Volunteers had their first public meeting and call for enlistments at the Rotunda in Dublin. The turnout was beyond what anyone expected. The hall was filled to its 4,000 person capacity, with a further 3,000 spilling onto the grounds outside. Over the course of the following months the movement spread throughout the country with thousands more joining every week.

Related Topics:
November 25 - Rotunda

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From its inception, the leadership of the Volunteers was heavily influenced by the radical Irish Republican Brotherhood (although MacNeill was not among them). This was the IRB's plan from the beginning, but it had a major drawback when the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, John Redmond demanded that the Volunteers accept his own personal appointments to the Provisional Committee, effectively placing the organization in his control. While the moderates didn't like the idea, they were prepared to go along with it in order to prevent the very popular Redmond from forming his own similar organization that would draw away most of their support. The IRB was completely opposed, as it would end their control of the Volunteers, but were unable to prevent the motion from being carried in Redmond's favor.

Related Topics:
Irish Republican Brotherhood - Irish Parliamentary Party - John Redmond

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