Liam de Róiste Papers Descriptive List Ref. U271

Reference:

U271/A/1/16

Date:

1 Nov 1914 - 9 Jan 1915

Title: Level:

Diary/Journal of Liam de Róiste

Item

Extent: Part of:

110pp

U271/A/1

Scope and Content: (There are no diaries extant from 16 Jun 1910 – 31 Oct 1914) Entries are almost daily and are mainly in English, but daily dates, locations and headings are often in Gaelic. De Róiste refers in the first page to the fact that he ceased to keep a diary for the past 5 years. He finds it his '...misfortune , perhaps a common one, to be generally misunderstood.' Comments on events of that year, such as, 'It is a '...wonderful year: a remarkable, an exciting, a disturbing year...There are hopes, hopes high as the stars for those who love Ireland. But dangers too and despairs....Men are no longer masters of themselves, neither of their minds nor bodies. The huge giant- state or government - claims them....The expression of thought, of ideas, of ideals is attended with dangers. The Great War has come....the Great World War....there was no doubt that a big struggle was inevitable...' (1 Nov 1914, pp1-3). de Róiste writes of his ‘wandering sort of life' as 'itinerant Commercial Instructor under the Co. Cork Technical Instruction Committee. Bandon last night: Skibbereen to-night: Kinsale, le [cúnamh] Dé, to-morrow night'. (3 Nov 1914, p8) Detailed descriptions and comments on a variety of events relating to politics; such as, a court-martial in Spike Island of Michael Murphy, a 'poor lame shoemaker' tried because he 'uttered some words supposed to be pro-German' and he 'handed a copy of 'Irish Freedom' to a soldier stationed at Shanbally camp' (5 Nov, p14); and such as, the striking off of German Celtic scholar Kuno Meyer from the roll of Freemen of Cork City, '...on the motion of Redmondite Councillor Wm. Hart, supported by a Unionist. Voting was 24 for, 3 against there are 55 or 56 men in the Corporation.' (9 Jan 1915 p110); and such as, the establishment of the Ulster Volunteers, and the resurrection of the 'old idea of physical force' nationalism in the form of the Irish Volunteers, with an account of their inaugural meeting in Cork (10-24 Nov pp20 etc); and such as, reference to a conversation between J.L. Fawsitt, Secretary of the Industrial Development Association, and J.J. Walsh, Chairman of the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The G.A.A was, in de Róiste's mind, '...the very body to take up the [Irish Volunteer] movement. It was a non-party association...it was founded as a sort of training ground for an Irish army'. (11 Nov p24) Other entries feature: the ‘Nationalist’ Press – The Leader; Sinn Féin; The Irish Worker; The Irish Volunteer; The National Volunteer; Freedom; An Claidhearmh Solus; Fianna Fail; The Cork Celt; Catholic Bulletin; Eire-Ireland (8-9 Nov) From 10 Nov. onwards, he recounts the events relating to the Irish Volunteers during 1914; On 11 Nov. –Cork Industrial Development Association. –J. L. Fawsitt Sec. 24th Nov. –Bandon –Dead March for Allen Larkin & O’Brien –Redmond’s Speeches, MacNeill Casement, Walsh, Diarmaid Fawsitt –