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From: "conaught" <>
Subject: [MAYO] Easter Week Series #27
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 16:20:23 -0700


Arthur Griffith - Born in 1872 and died suddenly August 12, 10 days before
Michael Collins death on August 22,1922. He was a journalist, politician,
and Irish leader. He was the editor of the weekly newspaper called United
Irishman. He was the father of Sinn Fein. In a series of articles Griffith
advocated the abandonment of Parliamentary methods (this was after the fall
of Charles Stewart Parnell). Instead he proposed passive resistance to
English rule. He founded Sinn Fein in 1905. He was a Fenian and a member of
the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood) until 1906. He wanted to see a free
and independent Ireland with its own strong economy. He was involved in the
Howth gun-running episode (see Erskine Childers article). He opposed
conscription during World War I and actively campaigned against Redmond on
this issue. It was during this campaign that the press labeled Griffith's
Republican Volunteers - Sinn Fein Volunteers versus Redmond's forces. As
Griffith's idea of dual monarchy was fading the term of Sinn Fein to
identify Republicans, was emerging in Irish history. Although he did not
fight with the Irish Volunteers in 1916 he was imprisoned after the Uprising
because of his threat as a journalist. Many of the more militant
Republicans during the War of Independence did not fully support him because
of his lack of participation in the Uprising of 1916, as well as his
moderation. Evidently Griffith did not broadcast that he had shown up at
the GPO (General Post Office) during that fateful Easter week and was told
by Sean MacDiarmada (business manager for his newspaper Nationality) that he
was going to be needed after the Uprising and to return home. Griffith was
doubtful that the Uprising was going to be successful thus he was not in
favor of it, but yet still showed up at the GPO to lend his support to his
fellow patriots.

In 1917 as de Valera was emerging as one of the strongest Irish leaders,
Griffith was pressured (according to some historians) to withdraw his name
for the presidency of Sinn Fein. Since he did not have the support of the
Volunteers he would not have won the election, so in a show of unity he
withdrew his name and was elected as Vice President of the organization he
had founded.

At the close of the War of Independence Arthur Griffith with Michael Collins
headed the delegation that went to London to work out a Treaty in 1921.
Lloyd George knew the way to achieve what he wanted with the Treaty would be
to divide the delegates and have them disagree with each other. He knew
that Arthur Griffith was a man of honor and always kept his word. Lloyd
George craftily set out to entrap Griffith. Griffith had warned many times
in his journals that in negotiations the English could not be trusted, yet
he did not heed his own warnings. He also stated that no Irishman could
have the authority to give away "an inch" of Irish land. Eventually during
the negotiations Lloyd George painted Griffith into a corner and Griffith
was forced to support the Treaty.The delegation split down the middle.
Griffith said he would sign the Treaty, Collins also agreed as did Duggan
Barton would not sign until it was pointed out to him that he would be
taking on the responsibility of bringing war to Ireland again. Lloyd George
had threatened an "immediate and terrible" war against Ireland if the Treaty
was not agreed upon. Duffy and Barton had been astonished at Collins
acquiescence to the Treaty. Collins had a private meeting with Lloyd George
and not all of what was said is known. But George had said Ireland would be
annihilated, and Collins was in the position to know best the strength of
the Irish Republican Army and if it could sustain another prolonged war, a
war that would have been much fiercer than the War of Independence. Duffy
had not believed Lloyd George's threat of all out war against Ireland, but
when he heard Collins say that the I.R.A. could not protect the Irish people
against the British Army he agreed to sign the Treaty. Just a couple of
days prior to this, Griffith told de Valera and the Dail Eireann cabinet in
Dublin that he would never sign anything that agreed to the partitioning of
Ireland. The Treaty granted Dominion status to Ireland such as in Canada,
it also allowed for the partitioning of Ireland and required the Irish
Members of Parliament to take an Oath of Allegiance to the Crown.

In Dail Eireann when the Treaty was being discussed, Arthur Griffith was the
last speaker for those in favor of the Treaty. The speech followed a verbal
attack on Michael Collins by Cathal Brugha.

"He was the man (referring to Michael Collins) that made the situation; he
was the man, and nobody knows better than I do how, during a year and a half
he worked from 6 in the morning until 2 the next morning. He was the man
whose matchless energy, whose indomitable will carried Ireland through the
terrible crisis and though I have not now, and never have had an ambition,
about either political affairs or history, if my name is to go down in
history I want it associated with the name of Michael Collins. Michael
Collins was the man who fought the Black and Tans for twelve months until
England was forced to offer terms."(1)


January 7, 1922 was the fateful day that resulted in the tragic split
between Irishmen and Irishwomen who had just completed a successful war
against the Black and Tans. January 7, 1922 was the day that Dail Eireann by
a very thin margin (64-57) voted to accept the Treaty. It resulted in de
Valera resigning as President of the Republic. Arthur Griffith was elected
as President of the Provisional Government. The following June the infamous
attack on the Four Courts took place plunging Ireland into a nightmare of
Civil War and by August, Arthur Griffith was dead.

The following is a poem written by Oliver St. John Gogarty about Arthur
Griffith.

"He made the loud tyrannical foe dumb-founded
And to relax his yoke.
Inglorious in the gap: by man a hater
The scoffing word was said.
He heard from those who had betrayed him, 'Traitor!'
The cross-grained and cross-bred
He shook from off him with grand impatience,
The flesh uncomforted,
And passed amoung the captains of the nations
Live when these men are dead." (2)


© 2001
Margaret Kristich

All rights reserved

References:

A Dictionary of Irish Biography by Henry Boylan;Roberts Rinehart;
1998;Niwot, Colorado

The Anglo-Irish Treaty by Frank Gallagher; Hutchinson of London, 1965

The Green Flag Volune III - Ourselves Alone; by Robert Kee;Penguin Books,
London, 1972

The Irish Republic by Dorothy Macardle; Corgi Books 1968; London

Michael Collins, The Man Who Made Ireland by Tim Pat Coogan;Roberts Rinehart
Publishers, Boulder Colorado, 1996
Ref #1 taken from Michael Collins, The Man Who Made Ireland page 306
Ref # 2 taken from Michael Collins, The Man Who Made Ireland page 398

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