Newry Urban District Council and

the 1922 Dissolution

Shane McGivern

Following the Irish War of Independence (1919 - 1921) a truce was agreed in July 1921, which eventually allowed negotiations to take place between the Dáil and Westminster leading to the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and the creation of Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State.

Newry Urban District Council intended becoming part of the new Irish Free State. On 19th December 1921 a motion was passed, “That we, the Urban District Council of Newry, refuse to recognise the authority of the Northern Parliament and pledge our allegiance to An Dáil Éireann”. Newry Urban District Council was not alone in its views; Newry Board of Guardians, Newry No.1 and No.2 Rural District Councils, Warrenpoint Urban District Council, Kilkeel Rural District Council and Board of Guardians, Downpatrick Rural District Council and Keady Urban District Council all openly refused to recognise the authority of the Belfast Parliament.

Patrick Lavery was elected the first Sinn Féin Chairman of Newry Urban Council in January 1922. Mr. Lavery represented the Council at Dublin City Hall where he met with President Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins and assurances were given that northern Nationalists would not be let down.

Constabulary and the Council was dissolved under special orders extending from the Local Government Act, 1921. Major James Hanna McCormick was appointed as Commissioner to perform the duties of the Council. One of McCormick’s first acts was to rescind the resolutions of the Newry Urban District Council which had repudiated the authority of the Government of Northern Ireland. This commissioner continued in power until January 1923.

The Council continued to ignore circulars sent from the Belfast Parliament. This changed on Saturday 22nd April 1922 when the Town Hall was occupied by the Special

In January 1923 nominations took place for the newly reinstated Newry Urban District Council. As no more candidates than the full complement of the 18 seats had been put forward, no election was held. Sinn Féin refused to put candidates forward as they saw it as the best policy to ignore the Belfast Parliament. A policy which was to continue until the 1985 Council elections. The result was 12 Anti-Partitionists and 6 Partitionists being returned. At the inaugural meeting of the new Council, the anti-Partitionist Chairman and Vice-Chairman passed a resolution stating, that “the vast majority of the inhabitants of Newry are strongly opposed to the partition of Ireland, and they desire to be relieved at the earliest possible date from the authority of the Belfast Partition Parliament”.

The majority of the newly elected Urban Council opposed Partition and hoped that that the Boundary Commission would ensure their eventual transfer into the Irish Free State. The Commission concluded in 1925 without any changes being made to the border.