Anniversary of the belfast anti-catholic riots of 1920

Morlar

In the aftermath of Michael McDowell calling for the 12th July to be a national holiday day in the republic of Ireland and on the anniversary of the belfast anti-catholic riots of 1920 I thought it might be good to start a discussion on this area. These riots are one subject that doesn't seem to get the level of coverage it deserves (though I am sure some would disagree with that)

Here are a few links with background of this :

http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/July%201920%20-%2021-24%20-%20Belfast%20riots%20-%20BGround%20&%20Conseqs.htm

Belfast Riots in July 1920

The immediate causes were the shooting of Smyth in Cork (he was from Banbridge) and the tensions arising from the 12th July (fanned by Carson). The more long term causes were fears about jobs by Protestant workers. Parkinson notes that unemployment was 26% in Belfast at this time after post-war depression. Protestant workers felt they were taking their ‘own’ jobs back.

Parkinson says there was about 93,000 Catholic workers in the city at this time (Parkinson (2004), pgs 33-35) and he estimates that around 10,000 workers expelled including several hundred female textile workers. He says that most of the expulsions occurred within the first few days but some intimidation did occur into the following month and even into early September when Catholic workers would be forced out of work for refusing to sign ‘loyalty’ documents. Also, included were about 1,800 Protestant trade unionists and socialists who were also expelled from their work – the latter were called ‘rotten Prods’ by the unionist leadership (Parkinson (2004), pgs 35-36 & 328). Parkinson further estimates that over the period of the conflict in Belfast (i.e. up to summer 1922), over 20,000 Catholics were displaced (Parkinson (2004), pg 62).

Parkinson also says that there is little evidence that Unionist Party had organised expulsion but that the Unionist leaders failed to condemn them. Carson was later to express his ‘pride’ in the actions of his shipyard ‘friends’ (Parkinson (2004), pg 31). He goes onto say “members of the BPA and other loyalist splinter groups undoubtedly benefited from easy access to their considerable arsenal and were certainly responsible for the initial industrial expulsions and several sectarian murders. Although the unionist establishment may not have co-ordinated the campaign of violence, it is undeniable that the Belfast authorities had been bracing themselves for an outbreak of communal disturbances during the summer of 1920.” (Parkinson (2004), pg 309) He goes on to say that the more incisive deployment of troops in Belfast would have probably reduced the level of violence. McDermott says that “There is no significant evidence that the unionist leadership ordered the expulsions from the shipyards … but … the expulsions mark the beginning of what … the whole of the nationalist community called the ‘pogroms’.” (McDermott (2001), pg 33)
The response by a number of prominent nationalists and republicans in the North in August (including Sean McEntee; Denis McCullough; Bishop McRory and Rev John Hassan) is to set a ‘Belfast Boycott Committee’ which aims to force Belfast businesses to take back expelled Catholic workers by pushing a vigorous boycott of all goods produced in Belfast. They have success with county councils in the South and, while initially reluctant, the Dáil takes responsibility for it from January 1921.

http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/july_1920.htm

21-24 Jul

Major riots in Belfast. On the morning of the 21st July, members of Belfast Protestant Association put up posters on gates of Queen’s Island calling for meeting of ‘all Unionist and Protestant workers’ at lunchtime. Nearly 5,000 meet and afterwards go on rampage attacking Catholic workers. Clothes are torn of potential victims to see if they are wearing any Catholic emblems. Some try to escape by swimming the Musgrave Channel but are pelted by nuts, bolts, rivets, etc (called 'Belfast confetti'). Most Catholics and socialists are removed from yards by afternoon. At least 20 men have to receive hospital treatment. After the expulsions from the shipyards, Catholic workers are ejected from other industrial sites in the city including Sirocco Works, Musgraves, Combe Barbours, Mackies Foundary and several linen mills.

In the ensuing three days of riots 13 people were killed (says Hopkinson but Macardle says 17; Phoenix says 18 and McDermott says 18 made up of 10 Catholics and 8 Protestants. Parkinson names 21 people as being killed – 11 of whom would seem to have been Protestant. During these riots, hundreds of (mostly Catholic) families are driven from their homes. There was also the destruction of businesses and houses belonging to Catholics in Bangor, Banbridge, Dromore and other small towns

& http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/July%201920%20-%2021-24%20-%20Belfast%20riots%20-%20More%20Detail.htm

Also briefly mentioned today on the historyIreland.com website :

Around this day

21 July 1920
In Belfast, ‘Protestant and unionist’ workers from Workman Clark’s shipyard marched into Harland and Wolff’s yard and forcibly expelled all Catholic and socialist workers. Some were forced to swim for their lives. In three days of violence seven Catholics and six Protestants were killed in the city.

PatsytheNazi

Morlar wrote: »

In the aftermath of Michael McDowell calling for the 12th July to be a national holiday day in the republic of Ireland and on the anniversary of the belfast anti-catholic riots of 1920 I thought it might be good to start a discussion on this area. These riots are one subject that doesn't seem to get the level of coverage it deserves (though I am sure some would disagree with that)

Here are a few links with background of this :

http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/July%201920%20-%2021-24%20-%20Belfast%20riots%20-%20BGround%20&%20Conseqs.htm



http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/july_1920.htm

21-24 Jul


& http://www.dcu.ie/~foxs/irhist/July%201920%20-%2021-24%20-%20Belfast%20riots%20-%20More%20Detail.htm

Also briefly mentioned today on the historyIreland.com website :

Around this day

It shouldn't surprise anyone about McDowell, didn't he allow the Love Ulster charade to come to Dublin sparking off the inevitable riot :rolleyes:

Well done for posting Dublin unionist bigot Edward Carson's role in the pogroms " Carson was later to express his ‘pride’ in the actions of his shipyard ‘friends’ ". I remember when they were building a hotel at the site of Carson's home off Stephen's Green, one of the people to send a protest letter to the papers asking for it to be preserved was Garret Fitzgerlad citing Carson as a diplomat and statesman for the other ' tradition ' on the isalnd of Ireland etc, etc :mad: But then been a typical West Brit Fitzgerald made a career out of ignoring all unionist sectarianism and thuggery.

I see that 20,000 Catholics and 1,800 decent Protestant who spoke out about the pogroms were expelled from Belfast. The Burnings goes into more detail of the pogroms in Lisburn, Banbridge, Dromore etc Usually they were incited by extremely bigoted speeches accompanied by Orange Order bands parading and playing all day and almost always took the form of drunken unionist mobs late at night attacking and looting Catholic pubs first, then shops, then homes. Interestingly, the RIC actually tried in most cases to stop the mobs, probably due to the fact that since it had recuited throughout the 32 counties pre 1916 etc, it would have been 80% Catholic. It should also be noted that their were instances such as in Derry when the IRA defended the nationalist areas successfully, only for the British soldiers to show their neutrality by outshooting the IRA with their much larger numbers and joining in with the unionist mobs in looting and burning Catholic homes across the city. That's the British keeping the peace for you once again.

I would recommend Pearse Lawlor's book the burnings on this subject. It should also be noted that when this ethnic cleansing was going on with up to 465 people been killed in Belfast alone the great founding fathers of the Free State were attacking the IRA in the Four Courts and doing their fair share of shooting, hanging, torturing and imprisoning nationalists around the country.

Denerick

It shouldn't surprise anyone about McDowell, didn't he allow the Love Ulster charade to come to Dublin sparking off the inevitable riot

If you mean that its inevitable for scumbags to riot when given a righteous cause to cower under, then yes, you're right. The riot was inevitable. If you mean that McDowell was wrong to allow Ulster Protestants to march down the main street of this island, then no, you're wrong. How is unification ever going to be possible if nationalists continue to treat Protestants like 'the other'?

PatsytheNazi

Denerick wrote: »

If you mean that its inevitable for scumbags to riot when given a righteous cause to cower under, then yes, you're right. The riot was inevitable. If you mean that McDowell was wrong to allow Ulster Protestants to march down the main street of this island, then no, you're wrong. How is unification ever going to be possible if nationalists continue to treat Protestants like 'the other'?

It wasn't a Protestant march, they were loyalists and orangemen .

mikemac

PatsytheNazi wrote: »

It shouldn't surprise anyone about McDowell, didn't he allow the Love Ulster charade to come to Dublin sparking off the inevitable riot :rolleyes:

It wasn't wrong to allow the march.
I thought Ireland was mature enough to allow it, I'll admit I was wrong but I'd say the majority of the rioters hadn't a clue of the history of this nation or how partition happened. Any excuse for a go at the gardai.
And a lot of those rioters couldn't point to Belfast on a map! There was nothing political about the riots, more an easy go to cause mayhem and go shoplifting

Anyway, since this is the History forum, did the Dáil in Dublin send any help up North.
As we had the Arms Trial decades later were any guns or even IRA brigades sent to protect Catholic areas?
Or was the North abandoned?

Denerick

feelingstressed wrote: »

Anyway, since this is the History forum, did the Dáil in Dublin send any help up North.

The War of Independence was highly localised and there was very little central direction (If any)

GHQ in Dublin was highly adept at gathering intelligence. Somebody once said that if Richard Mulcahy or Michael Collins ever got shot, the Republic would be doomed - it was all kept up in their heads! Outside of intelligence gathering, and the occasional re-allocation of a few rifle, GHQ had little or nothing to do with the war as it occured in its few hotspots (Such as west Cork, Tipperary, Clare, Longford etc.) The most they would do would be to send somebody like Ernie O'Malley to regulate training schedules and practise. Near the end of the war, when the divisional command structure was established, the amount of co-operation between brigades across county lines was fairly minimal. In fact Tom Barry was critical of the new Divisional structure and lamented the loss of perfectly good men like Liam Lynch to military buraucracy.

So no, the Dáil didn't do anything about the North mainly because it had very little clout during the war. The IRA GHQ would have sent the occasional rifle north but very little. The IRA were practically non existant in the North during 1920.

Morlar

Here is some background to the appeals for help:

http://www.historyjournal.ie/archives/war-in-ulster/145-sectarian-violence-in-ulster-1920-1922.html

Sectarian Violence In Ulster 1920-1922

Vioelnce in Belfast and around the six counties that made up Northern Ireland was intense in the period fro 1920-1922. Robert Lynch writing in the Journal of British Studies writes that:

Belfast had a higher per capita death rate than any other part of the country between 1920 and 1922, including the legendary fighting areas of Munster, so famed in Republican tradition (1). Although debates continue over the exact figures involved, it is estimated that between 453 and 463 people were killed in Belfast during this two year period, with over 1,100 wounded.

The People’s Protectors? The Irish Republican Army and the “Belfast Pogrom,” 1920–1922, Robert Lynch, Journal of British Studies 2008 47:2, 375-391

Events like the killing of District Inspector Swanzy of the RIC in Lisburn in August 1920 sparked anti-catholic riots in Lisburn, Bangor, Banbridge and Belfast that resulted in families being chased from their homes, businesses being burnt out and up to 22 deaths. That Swanzy'z death had been ordered by Collins and his associates for the role he played in the death of Cork's Lord Mayor, Tomas Mac Curtain shows how complex the events of the War of Independence were and how interlinked the 26 counties and the six northern counties really were even though we have grown to think of them as separate entities.

Just weeks before the terrible events in Lisburn, Bangor, Banbridge and Belfast, the Dail had received a call for help from members of the Belfast Corporation:


SEAN MACENTEE (Monaghan South) presented the above memorial signed by representative citizens of Belfast, which he had been asked to lay before the Dáil. [source]

We, the undersigned, members of the Belfast Corporation, and others, representing the views of Irish Republicans (and many others) in that city, beg to call the earnest attention of the Dáil to the war of extermination now being waged against us, and we appeal to you to stand by us in the struggle.

We assume that you have read the press reports of the pogrom which started on July 21st with the violent expulsion from work of well over 5,000 people; of the murders wrecking, looting and wholesale eviction of families. The situation for expelled workers grows worse daily, and all signs go to show that the persecution is to be continued with unabated vigour. No one, not being in Belfast can have any adequate idea of what our people are suffering now and must continue to suffer.

From the first, the promoters of these outrages have been publicly declaring that they are out to fight Sinn Fein, and drive it from the North-Eastern Pale. Already thousands of young men from every county in Ireland have been forced to fly, and thousands of others are idle here with destitution staring them in the face. The only condition on which they will be permitted to work is that they sign a declaration of loyalty to the British Government.

We earnestly appeal to Sinn Fein, through the Dáil to take up this straight challenge, and fight Belfast—the spear head of British power in Ireland. The ‘Loyalists’ have repeatedly declared at public meetings and in the Town Council that this time they are not fighting Popery as such, but Sinn Fein, so that mere sectarianism does not enter in.

We suggest that Sinn Fein can strike back with powerful effect by a commercial boycott of Belfast. Drastic action of this kind has already been taken spontaneously in various places, but the movement ought to be made national and thorough. The chief promoters of Orange intolerance here are the heads of the distributing trade throughout Ireland.

We further suggest that the most effective action Sinn Fein can take (to make Belfast realise that it is in Ireland and must be of Ireland) is to secure that its supporters throughout the country immediately withdraw all accounts from Banks having their Headquarters in Belfast, and transfer them to Banks with Headquarters in other parts of Ireland. This action is of vital importance. It will deprive Belfast merchants who mostly either support or assent [192] to this war on Irish Nationalism, of the fluid capital on which their business, through the medium of Belfast Banks, is largely run.

Other additional measures will doubtless suggest themselves to some of the gentlemen of the Dáil. The above will meet with the fullest approval of nearly 100,000 people in Belfast.

It should be strictly enjoined that Protestants in other parts of Ireland are not to be molested in any way on account of the actions of their co-religionists in Belfast. But, of course, those of them who are in business must be given to understand clearly that if they continue to get their goods from Belfast firms they cannot dispose of them to Sinn Feiners.

(Signed),


Joseph Cosgrove, T.C.
D. McCullough, T.C.
A. Savage, T.C., P.L.G.
Jer. Barnes, T.C.
Jas. McEntee.
Dr. Moore.
Dr. Jn. Doherty.
Mrs. A. McCullough, P.L.G.
Jas. Connolly.

Dated, August 5th 1920

Morlar

It's also interesting how a thread about loyalist sectarianism and anti-catholic rioting / agitation oh so innocently becomes about sectarian republicans.

brianthebard

Morlar wrote: »

It's also interesting how a thread about loyalist sectarianism and anti-catholic rioting / agitation oh so innocently becomes about sectarian republicans.

Agreed, off topic posts split into a new thread. Keep discussion to the 1920 riots or information that pertains or is relevant to the topic. mod.

PatsytheNazi

The OP quotes “The immediate causes were the shooting of Smyth in Cork (he was from Banbridge) “. So I thought I’d post some relevant details on Smyth from the book The Burnings. Colonel Smyth was the son of wealthy linen family from Banbridge. His wealthy cousins Charles and James Murland were founding members of the County Down UVF in 1913. After his infamous Listowel speech which sparked mass resignations by the RIC, he was tracked down to the Country Club in Cork city and shot dead by an IRA unit which timed the shooting to coincide with the end of a film at a nearby cinema and so escape mingling with the crowd.

Within a few days of the funeral the Orange Order and bands of course made the most of it in Banbridge to whip up sectarianism with statements like “the Church of Rome was behind all the trouble”. Smyth’s mother “ made it known that she no longer wanted Roman Catholics to be employed in any of the factories associated with her family “ (P67)*. This sparked thousands of unionists onto the streets marching behind Orange bands playing sectarian tunes resulting in assaults and expulsions of Catholics from their places of work. This continued into the evening and night until the unionists, most of them drunk at this stage, looting Catholic owned pubs firstly, then shops and businesses and finally homes. It wasn’t until WW2 before Catholics were employed in the linen mills controlled by the Smyth family again.

Smyth had one brother, George Osbert Smyth was a memebr of the infamous Cairo gang, who was also shot dead in Novenber trying to catch Dan Breen and Sean Tracey in Drumcondra, Dublin, several months later. However their was no rabble rousing from the Orange Order this time as their thuugery had been completed in the Banbridge area.

CDfm

But you also had the Dunmanway Massacre and the exodus of protestants following that.

http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/4168012

Reprisals were not the sole property of Northern Unionists and the victims of both should be remembered,I was looking for the details of a relative killed by the Black and Tans only to discover details of another killed in the Civil War.

Denerick

CDfm wrote: »

But you also had the Dunmanway Massacre and the exodus of protestants following that.

http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/4168012

Reprisals were not the sole property of Northern Unionists and the victims of both should be remembered,I was looking for the details of a relative killed by the Black and Tans only to discover details of another killed in the Civil War.

You are correct. Republicans willfully overlook the atrocities perpetuated on Protestants during the Civil War. The protestant population decreased by 25% - far higher than any parallel decrease in the northern catholic population.

PatsytheNazi

CDfm wrote: »

But you also had the Dunmanway Massacre and the exodus of protestants following that.

http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/4168012

Reprisals were not the sole property of Northern Unionists and the victims of both should be remembered,I was looking for the details of a relative killed by the Black and Tans only to discover details of another killed in the Civil War.

Denerick wrote: »

You are correct. Republicans willfully overlook the atrocities perpetuated on Protestants during the Civil War. The protestant population decreased by 25% - far higher than any parallel decrease in the northern catholic population.

:rolleyes: To repeat Morlar form thread #8 " It's also interesting how a thread about loyalist sectarianism and anti-catholic rioting / agitation oh so innocently becomes about sectarian republicans. " :rolleyes:

The Dunmanway ' Massacre ' has been done to death :rolleyes:.
As for the decline in the Protestant population in the 26 counties (which was actually in decline in these areas pre partition going back to the mid 1800's anyway ) please use the search function at the top. Again, it's been done to bloody death :rolleyes:

CDfm

There is a party in John Murphy's in Cork. I didnt get an invite -did you.

I use Dunmanway as an example but also because I grew up knowing about it before it was fashionable. Action & reaction in a tribal way. I dont think you can look at them in isolation. Its how life is. Tit for tat.

The protestant exodus in the 1920s concerned the emerging middle class chemists trades people and the like that considered Ireland their home.

Denerick

PatsytheNazi wrote: »

:rolleyes: To repeat Morlar form thread #8 " It's also interesting how a thread about loyalist sectarianism and anti-catholic rioting / agitation oh so innocently becomes about sectarian republicans. " :rolleyes:

The Dunmanway ' Massacre ' has been done to death :rolleyes:.
As for the decline in the Protestant population in the 26 counties (which was actually in decline in these areas pre partition going back to the mid 1800's anyway ) please use the search function at the top. Again, it's been done to bloody death :rolleyes:

For a start, chill out with the smilies.

Secondly, you are incredibly insensitive to make light of the demise of Peter Hart. I met him on one occassion and he was an intelligent and erudite man. His claims were not 'fiction', they were disputed. I've read the relevant chapters in both Ryans book on Tom Barry and Harts book on the war in Cork. Hart makes contentious claims based from anonymous sources but Ryan did not prove there was a fiction. my personal hunch was that he stretched the truth.

As for the demise of the Protestants, are you genuinely saying that the reduction of their population by 25% was not motivated in any way by the cruel and heartless wave of arson, intimidation and murder? The gradual decline of the Protestant population is incongruent with the subsequent collapse following the Civil war - which suggests something similar to an exodus, not a long term pattern.

brianthebard

Off topic posts deleted. Next time infractions and bans will be issued. If the Dunmanway discussion goes too far off topic I'll simply delete those posts too, and issue appropriate punishments, so lets just leave those posts in place as evidence of a discussion and move back to the original topic post haste. Mod.

CDfm

I heard McDowell on Today FM this morning. I had not realised he was Eoin MacNeills grandson.

Thought provoking stuff and not up on podcast yet.

This thread has made me think of a lot of stuff in a way I couldnt ask during my school days.

Kev_ps3

I think its shocking the fact that Irish people voted for that criminal. Just shows what a dumb ignorant population we have here.