That's
Michael Collins of the Irish Volunteers and minister of finance of the
Irish Republic. The very men they're after.
"Is this a play? Or a dream?"
[Footnote 1. British propaganda, on the contrary, states that the Irish are
not in the physical agony of extreme poverty. They are prosperous. They
made money on munitions, and their exports increased enormously during the
war.
"You could eat shell as easily as make it," was one of the first
parliamentary rebuffs received by Irishmen asking the establishment of
national munition factories at the beginning of the war, according to
Edward J. Riordan. Mr. Riordan is secretary of the National Industrial
Development Association. This is a non-political organization of which the
Countess of Desart, the Earl of Carrick, and Colonel Sir Nugent Everard are
some of the executive members. It was not until 1916 that Ireland secured
consideration of her rights to a share in the war expenditure. In that
year, an all-Ireland committee called on Lloyd George. He said: "It is fair
that Ireland, contributing as she does not only in money but in flesh and
blood, should have her fair share of expenditure.... I should be prepared
to utilize whatever opportunities we can to utilize the opportunity this
gives you to develop Ireland industrially." After persistent effort,
however, all that the all-Ireland committee was able to get was five small
munition factories.
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