Desmond and Mabel FitzGerald Papers
© University College Dublin 1993 – 198 –
P80/769 20 September 1922
2pp

Copy of a document captured at Ernie O’Malley’s retreat, 36
Aylesbury Road, Dublin, consisting of a letter from Michael
Comyn [Senior Counsel for the IRA] to A de S [Austin Stack]
enclosing a summary of recent events, discussing resolutions
before the Provisional Parliament and considering how best to
deal with the Provisional Government’s establishment of Military
Courts. ‘In my judgement we, on the legal side should face it
exactly as we faced the Military Courts in Cork [established by the
British in December 1920]. We should go in and defend the
prisoners. Then we should apply to the Master of the Rolls for a
Habeas Corpus and in case he refused, we should appeal to the
Lords. Of course we could not do this officially as Republicans but
when we were fighting the Military Courts in Cork, you know we
were not recognised by the Republican Party. The Republican
Government merely allowed the prisoners charged … to retain
Counsel for their defence’.

Grok3 AI

The document you referenced is part of the Desmond and Mabel FitzGerald Papers held at University College Dublin, specifically cataloged as P80/769, dated 20 September 1922. It is a copy of a captured letter from Michael Comyn, Senior Counsel for the IRA, to Austin Stack, written from Ernie O’Malley’s retreat at 36 Aylesbury Road, Dublin. The letter includes a summary of recent events and discusses strategies for addressing the Provisional Government’s establishment of Military Courts.Comyn suggests approaching these courts similarly to how the IRA dealt with British Military Courts in Cork in December 1920. He advocates for defending prisoners in these courts and pursuing legal avenues, such as applying for a Habeas Corpus to the Master of the Rolls, with an appeal to the Lords if refused. He notes that, while acting as Republicans, they could not officially engage in this manner, drawing a parallel to the Cork situation where the Republican Government permitted prisoners to retain counsel for their defense without formal recognition.For further details or access to the full document, you may need to consult the archives at University College Dublin, as the document is part of their collection. If you have specific questions about the content or need additional analysis, please let me know!