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This letter is from a file in the Eamon De Valera Papers (P150/512) with the title ‘British Documents Re: 1916’.

The file consists of intelligence reports and despatches between Irish Command [i.e. successive Commanders-in-Chief of British Forces in Ireland–Major-General L.B. Friend, (Lieutenant)-General Sir John Maxwell and (Lieutenant)-General Sir Bryan Mahon] or their various officers; the Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces and his staff; the War Office; M.I.5.G. and the Royal Irish Constabulary. Michael Comyn KC was in communication with Sir John Maxwell and Lieutenant Friend but I cannot find details, can you assist

Thought for 2m 36s

The Eamon De Valera Papers file P150/512, titled “British Documents Re: 1916,” primarily consists of British military intelligence reports, despatches, telegrams, memos, and related materials from October 1915 to November 1917 (with some later annotations). It focuses on pre-Rising intelligence, the suppression of the Easter Rising, surrenders, interrogations, courts-martial, executions, prisoner transfers, martial law, and post-Rising analyses.

Key correspondents include Major-General L.B. Friend (Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in Ireland until April 1916), Lieutenant-General Sir John Maxwell (who took over in late April 1916), Lieutenant-General Sir Bryan Mahon, the War Office, M.I.5.G., the Royal Irish Constabulary, Lord French, Lord Kitchener, Lord Wimborne, and others. The file does not contain any mentions of Michael Comyn KC or communications involving him. Based on biographical sources, Michael Comyn KC (1871–1952), an Irish barrister and nationalist, was in Kansas City, USA, during the Easter Rising itself (April 1916). He returned to Ireland shortly afterward and became involved in defending republican prisoners before military courts under martial law, which were overseen by Maxwell until his departure in November 1916. This defense work likely involved communications with Maxwell or his staff in the context of appeals, trials, or commutations for prisoners sentenced in May–June 1916 (e.g., around 90 death sentences were issued, with 15 executed and the rest commuted due to political pressures). However, no specific details of direct communications between Comyn and Maxwell or Friend have been found in historical records, including the P150/512 file, UCD Archives catalogues, or secondary sources like the Dictionary of Irish Biography and contemporary accounts.

Comyn’s more documented legal and political roles appear in later periods, such as the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), where he defended prisoners and advised on republican matters, and post-Treaty activities (e.g., in De Valera Papers files like P150/1287, P150/1647, and P150/1811, involving litigation, peace proposals, and legal opinions). If you have additional context about the communications (e.g., a specific date, case, or prisoner), I can search further. Otherwise, you may want to contact UCD Archives directly for access to the full digitized P150/512 collection (currently limited online due to platform redevelopment) or explore Comyn’s mentions in other De Valera Papers files.