Page "Tom Clarke (Irish republican)" Paragraph 25

The IRB instructed all their officers that Redmond must not be ‘ allowed to get his tentacles ’ on the Volunteers.

On Sunday, June 7, MacNeill, Casement and Patrick McCartan met in Dundalk to discuss the response they would have to give to the demand by Redmond, John Dillon and Devlin.

McCartan obeyed his instructions, telling how dangerous it would be to allow Redmondites in, and both MacNeill and Casement dreaded the dilemma.

On June 10, Redmond ’ s ultimatum appeared in the Press.

While the IRB Executive and the Supreme Council would remain irreconcilable to the idea of surrender to Redmond, Hobson, despite his instructions, took an opposing course.

Writing in An t-Oglach ( Free State Army monthly ), March, 1931, he wrote “ I set to work and … succeeded in convincing a majority of the Committee of the necessity of our giving way for the moment .” When Clarke was told about Hobson ’ s exertions, and that the decision to accept Redmond ’ s nominees would not have been possible but for Hobson, he nearly broke down.