Dividing Ireland, 1912-1914

On July 26th, 1914, the Asgard approached Howth Harbour north of Dublin with its cargo of nine hundred antiquated rifles for the Irish Volunteers. Bought in Germany and ferried across by, among others, Erskine Childers, the rifles had an importance more symbolic than practical. Childers had already become known to the public as the author of a mystery novel The Riddle of the Sands and for his conversion to Irish nationalism.

Logical and determined when set upon a course, he planned to do at Howth what the Ulster Volunteer Force had done at Larne in the previous April. At Larne the gun-running had passed off successfully, but at Howth the authorities took a sterner view. A telephone call to Mr. H. V. Harrell, Assistant Commissioner to the Dublin Metropolitan Police, brought out not only the police, but two companies of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers.