How we got here
The Proclamation
Proclamation of the Irish Republic, 1916
This Proclamation was born out of the frustration of the oppressed people of Ireland, who had been under British occupation for approximately 700 years. It was the Irish people's first real step towards nationhood, sovereignty and self-determination. The Proclamation of The Irish Republic was recited on the steps of the GPO by Pádraig Pearse on Easter Monday 24th April 1916, on which day they also raised the tricolour, our national flag .
Details below are from Wikipedia, are about the 1916 proclamation.
For the 1948 statute, see The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 (an Act of the 'Crown Establishment & British Commonwealth) - not to be confused with Irish Declaration of Independence. Note that these are two different jurisdictions: '
The Proclamation of the Republic (Forógra na Poblachta), also known as the 1916 Proclamation or the Easter Proclamation, was a document issued by the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising in Ireland, which began on 24 April 1916. In it, the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, writing as the "Provisional Government of the Irish Republic," proclaimed Ireland's independence from the United Kingdom. The reading of the proclamation by Patrick Pearse outside the General Post Office (GPO) marked the beginning of the Rising.
Although the Rising failed in military terms, the principles of the Proclamation to varying degrees influenced the thinking of later generations of Irish politicians. The document consisted of a number of assertions:
POBLACHT NA hEIREANN.
A FHEARA AGUS A MHNÁ NA hÉIREANN : In ainm Dé agus in ainm na nglún a chuaigh romhainn agus óna bhfuair sí seanoideas na náisiúntachta, tá Éire, trínne, ag gairm a clainne faoina bratach agus ag bualadh buille ar son a saoirse.
Tar éis di a fir a eagrú agus a oiliúint ina heagraíocht rúnda réabhlóideach, Bráithreachas Phoblacht na hÉireann, agus ina heagraíochtaí míleata poiblí, Óglaigh na hÉireann agus Arm Cathartha na hÉireann, agus tar éis di a riailbhéas a thabhairt go foighneach chun foirfeachta agus feitheamh go buanseasmhach leis an bhfaill chun gnímh, tá sí ag glacadh na faille sin anois, agus, le cabhair óna clainn ar deoraíocht i Meiriceá agus ó chomh-ghuaillithe calma san Eoraip, ach, thar gach ní, le muinín as a neart dílis féin, tá sí ag bualadh buille i ndóchas iomlán go mbéarfaidh sí bua.
Dearbhaímid gur ceart ceannasach dochlóite ceart mhuintir na hÉireann chun seilbh na hÉireann, agus chun dála na hÉireann a stiúradh gan chosc gan cheataí. Níor cuireadh an ceart sin ar ceal leis an bhforghabháil a rinne pobal eachtrannach agus a rialtas air le cian d’aimsir ná ní féidir go brách a chur ar ceal ach trí dhíothú mhuintir na hÉireann. Níl aon ghlúin dá dtáinig nár dhearbhaigh pobal na hÉireann a gceart chun saoirse agus ceannas a náisiúin; sé huaire le trí chéad bliain anuas dhearbhaíodar faoi airm é. Ag seasamh dúinn ar an gceart bunaidh sin agus á dhearbhú arís faoi airm os comhair an tsaoil, fógraímid leis seo Poblacht na hÉireann ina Stát Ceannasach Neamhspleách agus cuirimid ár n-anam féin agus anam ár gcomrádaithe comhraic i ngeall lena saoirse agus lena leas, agus lena móradh i measc na náisiún.
Dlíonn Poblacht na hÉireann, agus éilíonn sí leis seo, géillsine ó mhuintir uile na hÉireann, idir fhir agus mhná. Ráthaíonn an phoblacht saoirse creidimh agus saoirse shibhialta, comhchearta agus comhdheiseanna, dá saoránaigh uile, agus dearbhaíonn sí gurb é a rún séan agus sonas a lorg don náisiún uile agus do gach roinn di, le comhchúram do chlainn uile an náisiúin, agus le neamhairt ar an easaontas a cothaíodh d’aontoisc eatarthu ag rialtas eachtrannach agus lér deighleadh mionlucht ón tromlach san am atá imithe.
Go dtí go dtabharfaidh feidhm ár n-arm an t-ionú dúinn Buan-Rialtas Náisiúnta a bhunú ó theachtaí do phobal uile na hÉireann arna dtoghadh le vótaí a cuid fear agus ban, déanfaidh an Rialtas Sealadach, a bhunaítear leis seo, cúrsaí sibhialta agus míleata na Poblachta a riaradh thar ceann an phobail.
Cuirimid cúis Phoblacht na hÉireann faoi choimirce Dhia Mór na nUile-chumhacht agus impímid A bheannacht ar ár n-airm; iarraimid gan aon duine a bheas ag fónamh sa chúis sin do tharraingt easonóra uirthi le mílaochas, le mídhaonnacht ná le slad. San uair oirbheartach seo is é dualgas náisiún na hÉireann a chruthú, lena misneach agus lena dea-iompar agus le toil a clainne á dtoirbhirt féin ar son na maitheasa poiblí, go dtuilleann sí an réim ró-uasal is dán di.
Arna shíniú thar ceann an Rialtais Shealadaigh,
TOMÁS Ó CLÉIRIGH SEÁN MAC DIARMADA
TOMÁS MAC DONNCHADHA PÁDRAIC MAC PIARAIS
ÉAMONN CEANNT SÉAMUS Ó CONGHAILE IÓSEPH Ó PLUINGCÉAD
Proclamation of the Irish Republic, 1916.
POBLACHT NA H EIREANN.
THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT
OF THE
IRISH REPUBLIC
TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND.
IRISHMEN AND IRISHWOMEN : In the name of God and of the dead generations from which she receives her old tradition of nationhood, Ireland, through us, summons her children to her flag and strikes for her freedom.
Having organised and trained her manhood through her secret revolutionary organisation, the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and through her open military organisations, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army, having patiently perfected her discipline, having resolutely waited for the right moment to reveal itself, she now seizes that moment, and supported by her exiled children in America and by gallant allies in Europe, but relying in the first on her own strength, she strikes in full confidence of victory.
We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Irish people. In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades in arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and of its exaltation among the nations.
The Irish Republic is entitled to, and hereby claims, the allegiance of every Irishman and Irishwoman. The Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens, and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally, and oblivious of the differences carefully fostered by an alien Government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.
Until our arms have brought the opportune moment for the establishment of a permanent National Government, representative of the whole people of Ireland and elected by the suffrages of all her men and women, the Provisional Government, hereby constituted, will administer the civil and military affairs of the Republic in trust for the people.
We place the cause of the Irish Republic under the protection of the Most High God, Whose blessing we invoke upon our arms, and we pray that no one who serves that cause will dishonour it by cowardice, inhumanity, or rapine. In this supreme hour the Irish nation must, by its valour and discipline, and by the readiness of its children to sacrifice themselves for the common good, prove itself worthy of the august destiny to which it is called.
Signed on behalf of the Provisional Government,
THOMAS J. CLARKE
SEAN Mac DIARMADA
THOMAS MacDONAGH
P. H. PEARSE
EAMONN CEANNT
JAMES CONNOLLY
JOSEPH PLUNKETT
A rare copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, 1916.
Article 4 The State
Éire is the name of the State or, in the English tongue, Ireland.
Points to Consider:
There are actually two jurisdictions running side by side within the State.
1. Éire is the official de jure / lawful constitutional jurisdiction, which recognises the status and rights of each national as a man or a woman.
2. IRELAND / REPUBLIC OF IRELAND is the de facto / legal jurisdiction which treats citizens as commercial entities in the eyes of the law.
Bunreacht Na hÉireann translates as 'primary law of, and belonging to Éire. Then, some major questions arise,
The State that administered the government on the island of Ireland was called Saorstát Éireann / Irish Free State from Dec 6th 1922 until December 11th 1939.
See Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act, 1922
BBC Article
Date: 17th September 2021
Michael D Higgins refuses to attend centenary of partition of Ireland and the creation of Northern Ireland and insists that he is called by his correct title, The President of Ireland
The UK Government statute book refers to the 'Ireland Act 1949', as "An Act to recognise and declare the constitutional position as to the part of Ireland heretofore known as Eire".
The Republic of Ireland Act, 1948 "was TO DECLARE THAT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE SHALL BE THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, AND TO ENABLE THE PRESIDENT TO EXERCISE THE EXECUTIVE POWER OR ANY EXECUTIVE FUNCTION OF THE STATE IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH ITS EXTERNAL RELATIONS. [21st December, 1948.]"
This was never put to the Irish men and women in a referendum therefore it has not affected the constitutional name of the State, Éire, as per Irish law.
A question arises whether An tUachtarán Na hÉireann, Michael D Higgins, recognises The Republic of Ireland (Act) 1948. He declined to attend the Armagh church service that was organised to "mark the centenaries of the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland".
During an interview with the Irish Times, President Higgins also said he had been incorrectly referred to as the president of the Republic of Ireland in the invitation rather than the president of Ireland.
If the Irish President doesn't recognise 'The Republic of Ireland', from where does it derive it's authority?!
Éire
Éire has been the official name of the State since the adoption of Bunreaċt Na hÉireann on July 1st 1937, and remains so until the present day. Link to An Bunreacht Na hÉireann 1937, the only Constitution in the Irish Statute Book, albeit in standardised text.
Refer to the national coinage, official seals and postage stamps for confirmation, as they remain with the name Éire in the national script including the 'fada' (- accent on the É).
The Role of Edward VIII's Abdication in Making Way for Éire's Independence and Sovereignty
On his abdication from the throne and the British Empire, on 11th December 1936, King Edward VIII left the throne vacant and therefore the Irish 'Free State' without it's jurisdictional powers.
Eamon De Valera, as head of the republican party, Fianna Fail, seized this golden opportunity where there was no sitting monarch and he struck for 'her' freedom.
This was as pursuant to The Proclamation of The Irish Republic (which was recited on the steps of the GPO by Pádraig Pearse on Easter Monday 24th April 1916).
The Democratic Programme
This momentous and historic document was read out in the first Dáil Éireann on January 21st 1919, together with the 1919 Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and a message to the free nations of the world.
Miontuairisc 1919 - 1921
Dáil Éireann Minutes of proceedings commencing 21st January 1919,
including the 1919 Constitution, BUNREACHT DALA ÉIREANN
Read here
First Dáil Éireann minutes of proceedings Democratic Programme
First Dáil Éireann minutes of proceedings
Democratic Programme
The influence of politics on the language, the 1937 Constitution, being very much Éamon de Valera's and Fianna Fáil's Constitution as against the pro-Treaty 1922 Constitution (Irish Free State Constitution 1922), must be borne in mind.
We can see in the above attachments how, as regards to both script and orthography, there was a deliberate return to pre-1922 period, and this appears to be in some cases to be paralleled in the language itself.
Note that the 5 articles that comprised the Constitution of Dáil Éireann, 1919, are given in Irish alone in the Minutes of proceedings of the First Session, 21st January 1919.
On his abdication from the throne and the British Empire, on 10th December 1936, King Edward VIII left the throne vacant and therefore the Irish 'Free State' was was not under the power of the British Empire. It was because of this abdication that Ireland is no longer a dominion under the British Empire.
Eamon De Valera, as head of the Irish republican party, Fianna Fail, seized this window of opportunity where there was no sitting monarch and he struck for 'her' freedom.
It should be noted that 'The Government of Ireland Act', 1920, the 'Anglo Irish Treaty', 1921 and the 'Constitution of the Irish Free State Act', 1922' each left the Irish Free State, and therefore, 'Ireland', as a dominion of the Crown. Éire however is free.
Why are the two sets of signatures so different?
Was the Anglo Irish Treaty lawful when Eamonn Duggan's signature is a fraudulent addition? The signature page in colour makes it evident that Duggan's signature is on a different paper was pasted onto the document later.
The rumour was that Eamonn Duggan's signature was obtained by deceit from restaurant staff and applied onto the document. The version that has been widely publicised in black and white does not demonstrate this signature as an afterthought as clearly.
Also, Michael Collins, George Gavan Duffy, and Robert Barton signed the document under duress, as the British delegates, Lloyd George and Winston Churchill threatened to wage war on Ireland if the treaty was not signed. This alone would nullify the agreement.
(For info. it seems that Arthur Griffith (founder of Sinn Féin) had already agreed to sign before this threat).
And another signatory, Robert Barton, repudiated the document and voted against it in the Dáil when he was free of the intimidation (threat of war) and pressure that made him sign it in the first place in Downing St.
Robert C. Barton, in his signed statement dated 27th July 1954 stated the following on what transpired during the vote in the Dáil:
“Gavan Duffy voted for the Treaty after making a speech against the Treaty, but he felt bound to do so, having signed it. That was also my position.” In London Gavan Duffy was in very much the same position as I was in.”
Barton’s statement can be downloaded from the Military Archives website, document number “W.S. 979” The above information is on page 41.
Note that Barton failed to mention that Collins and Griffiths were in the same predicament!
And the British government refused to recognise the Irish Republic, with which they signed terms for a 'Treaty'
'The Anglo-Irish Treaty' was not a ‘Treaty’. Treaties are signed between equal states and the UK would never sign a Treaty with one of its Dominions – an inferior entity. It never did. That is why it is called ‘Articles of Agreement’ for a Treaty but no actual Treaty was ever agreed.
Mná Na Poblachta
A timeline of Irish Independence and the path to Bunreacht Na hEireann, 1937 the Irish Constitution - to be verified
Irish Independence
The aim of this website is to educate Irish men and women on their rights and to have them question their preconceived ideas on their powerlessness in this regard, when in essence it is the people of Éire (Ireland) who truly hold the power. It is not legal or lawful advice.
Maxim of Law:
"He who fails to assert his rights has none".
