Remembering those who sat in the first Dail 100 years ago today



Three people from Sligo who were members of the first Dail which met 100 years ago today were remembered by councillors from the Tubbercurry Municipal District at their meeting this morning.

The first Dail met in the Mansion House after those elected to the House of Commons in London refused to their seats.

The first Dail declared Irish independence, ratifying the Proclamation of the Irish Republic that had been issued in the 1916 Easter Rising, and adopted a provisional constitution.

Among those present at that gathering were John Joseph Clancy representing Sligo North, Alexander McCabe from Sligo South and Constance Markievicz, who represented a Dublin constituency.

Clancy, a native of Collooney, was selected as a candidate while in prison. He defeated Thomas Scanlan of the Irish Parliamentary Party who had been an MP since 1909.

Clancy died at the age of 42, when he drowned in the River Shannon.

Alexander McCabe had been arrested for possession of explosives before the Rising. He was acquitted, despite being found with 42 gelignite cartridges, 20 detonators and six coils of fuse.

He sat in the first four Dails and was pro-Treaty before resigning from Cumann na nGaedheal in 1924.

Also in that first Dail was Constance Markievicz, who had grown up in Lissadell.

The sitting of the first Dail 100 years was recalled at the meeting of councillors in Tubbecurry this morning by Cllr Jerry Lundy.



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