I have written about the Bureau of Military History 1913-1921 one before but I am adding more content in this article.
An aspect of oral history would be on the voice recordings in the BMH however some people were reluctant to be recorded. Photographs down through the years were donated to the BMH giving the historian a visual aid of the events. Such as action sights during the Easter Rising of 1916 taken by the Air corps during the 1950’s to illustrate the military aspects of the positions taken by the rebel garrisons in the 1916 Rising.
Some photographs are also contained in the collection of the contemporary documents.Interestingly, the BMH initiative attracted the attention of other countries and resulted in visitors from England, Israel, and South Africa who wished to embark on similar projects. The policy of the Bureau was to collect every fact whether favourable or unflattering.
Information in the BMH of the Irish Volunteers involved in typical battalion training activities included subjects such as muskerty, arms, drill, foot drill, signalling; first aid; equipment ready for mobilisation; a pack; haversack; water bottle; bandolier; belt and arms; if any. Other aspects documented of their training were railway demolitions, general demolitions, communications, road mining, as well as map reading, field sketching, single and double lock bridge building, tree felling by explosives and manual means and the use of firearms including automatic weapons and machine guns.
Some photographs are also contained in the collection of the contemporary documents.Interestingly, the BMH initiative attracted the attention of other countries and resulted in visitors from England, Israel, and South Africa who wished to embark on similar projects. The policy of the Bureau was to collect every fact whether favourable or unflattering.
Information in the BMH of the Irish Volunteers involved in typical battalion training activities included subjects such as muskerty, arms, drill, foot drill, signalling; first aid; equipment ready for mobilisation; a pack; haversack; water bottle; bandolier; belt and arms; if any. Other aspects documented of their training were railway demolitions, general demolitions, communications, road mining, as well as map reading, field sketching, single and double lock bridge building, tree felling by explosives and manual means and the use of firearms including automatic weapons and machine guns.
An estimate of 3000 Irish men and women in jails and internment camps in Ireland and Britain. Among these were Ballykinlar Internment Camp, the Curragh, Spike Island, Kilmainham Jail, Stafford Jail, Wakefield Prison, Lincoln Prison, Wandsworth Prison and Glasgow Prison.
The plan of the IRA desired to draw attention to its freedom fighters fighting activities, but also to develop international links, which would be important for developing the economic position of emerging state J. J. Moran, member of the Irish Republican Association of South Africa relates ‘Mr de Valera’s decision to send and envoy to South Africa to tour under the auspices of the Association was warmly welcomed when he (Mr. P. J. Little) arrived the resources of the Association were at his disposal. he , acting as an Irishman; we, as irish South Africans. His lectures ‘The Truth about Ireland’ were organised in each centre by the Association and they focussed interest on Ireland and Ireland’s case for independence’.
Some other aspects of BMH are ordinary people who were not involved in any of the military or nationalist organisations, but who were occupied in the provision of services to the RIC and British Military who were also encouraged to help the nationalist cause by divulging information about patrol movements.
Workers in the railway and postal services were of particular value so that mails could be made available for IRA censorship, which was an integral part of intelligence gathering.
Women in the movement there are twenty-seven contemporary document collections written and compiled by women, providing a valuable insight into women’s participation in the Nationalist movement throughout the early decades of the twentieth century.
Leading member of the Irish Volunteers Bulmer Hobson testimony which refers to the formation of Fianna Éireann, refers to the noticeable reluctance among the membership against the election of Constance Marievz as a Fianna officer ‘Principally on the ground that she was a woman, and I had on many occasions to point out privately that they could not accept her financial help and refuse her membership of office. This feeling against the presence of women in the organisation continued in varying degrees of intensity for many and probably never completely disappeared’ [sic]
The plan of the IRA desired to draw attention to its freedom fighters fighting activities, but also to develop international links, which would be important for developing the economic position of emerging state J. J. Moran, member of the Irish Republican Association of South Africa relates ‘Mr de Valera’s decision to send and envoy to South Africa to tour under the auspices of the Association was warmly welcomed when he (Mr. P. J. Little) arrived the resources of the Association were at his disposal. he , acting as an Irishman; we, as irish South Africans. His lectures ‘The Truth about Ireland’ were organised in each centre by the Association and they focussed interest on Ireland and Ireland’s case for independence’.
Some other aspects of BMH are ordinary people who were not involved in any of the military or nationalist organisations, but who were occupied in the provision of services to the RIC and British Military who were also encouraged to help the nationalist cause by divulging information about patrol movements.
Workers in the railway and postal services were of particular value so that mails could be made available for IRA censorship, which was an integral part of intelligence gathering.
Women in the movement there are twenty-seven contemporary document collections written and compiled by women, providing a valuable insight into women’s participation in the Nationalist movement throughout the early decades of the twentieth century.
Leading member of the Irish Volunteers Bulmer Hobson testimony which refers to the formation of Fianna Éireann, refers to the noticeable reluctance among the membership against the election of Constance Marievz as a Fianna officer ‘Principally on the ground that she was a woman, and I had on many occasions to point out privately that they could not accept her financial help and refuse her membership of office. This feeling against the presence of women in the organisation continued in varying degrees of intensity for many and probably never completely disappeared’ [sic]
Even Brighid O’Mullane mentions the discrimination faced by women in the organisation of Cumman Na mBan ‘I had a good deal of prejudice to overcome on the part of parents, who did not mind their boys taking part in a military movement, but who had never heard of and were reluctant to accept, the idea of a body of gun women’ [sic[
There were duties women did during the Irish volunteers such as carrying dispatches, preparing meals, and caring for the injured.
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