1916: Inquest held into death of Herbert Lemass who died from a shot fired by brother Seán

FEBRUARY 1ST, 1916

An inquest was held at the Children’s Hospital, Temple Street, yesterday into death of

Herbert Lemass

(2), who died the previous evening from a pistol shot fired by his brother, future taoiseach John (Seán) Lemass (below), in the kitchen of the family home in Capel Street. The inquest jury found the death to be accidental and recommended that something be done to prevent boys getting possession of firearms.

President Woodrow Wilson continues a series of speeches calling on the US "not to prepare for war or for anything smacking of aggression, but for adequate national defence". (IT)

Germany's failure to apologise for the sinking of the Lusitania off Kinsale last May, or to compensate families of the 129 US victims (1,191 died in the sinking) continues to cause tensions between the US and Germans and inflame public opinion. Germany insists the sinking was a legitimate act of war as the ship, it alleges, contained explosives and armaments – Britain, which denies the claims, uses the issue to push the US towards entry in war. (In 2014 a release of official papers revealed that in 1982, the British government warned divers of the presence of explosives on board).

New weapon

The press is very exercised by Zeppelin bombing attacks on the British midlands (54 dead) and Paris. There is debate on how best to deal with this new weapon.

Revolt

Dutch paper

De Telegraaf

gives an account by an eyewitness of a hunger revolt in Dusseldorf last week. Hundreds of women marched through the streets, crying for their husbands and for bread for their children. In many other places, reportedly, similar demonstrations have occurred, “and in some cases the police and the military were only able to disperse the mob with great difficulty”.

(IT)

FEBRUARY 1ST, 2016

1916 :What did the women do anyway?

– talk by Liz Gillis for Irish Women Lawyers Association seminar, Distillery Building, Church Street, 6.30pm (€10 for non-members). An exhibition in Deansgrange Cemetery, curated by historian Conor Dodd, will tell the story of the Rising using personal experiences of people from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. Lectures, Barbican Centre, Drogheda –

Eamonn Ceannt: the Drogheda Connection

, by Mary Gallagher, grandniece of Ceannt, and

191

6 Volunteer Activity in Drogheda

, by Liam Reilly, 7.30pm.