1913 Lockout banning order goes on sale

A proclamation banning a demonstration in support of striking Dublin workers during the 1913 Lockout goes on sale in Dublin tomorrow.

Issued by the Dublin Metropolitan Police and signed on August 29th, 1913, by EG Swifte, chief divisional magistrate, the order announced a prohibition on the demonstration due to take place on Sackville (now O’Connell) Street just two days later.

The reason cited for the banning order was that “the object of such meeting or assemblage is seditious” and that it would “cause terror and alarm to, and dissension between His Majesty’s subjects”.

Subsequently known as Bloody Sunday, over 300 were injured when the DMP baton-charged the crowd. Described as "extremely rare," the document features in an auction of 'History, Literature and Collectibles' at Dublin's Whyte's Galleries due to take place tomorrow afternoon.

The proclamation was in private hands until recently and is expected to fetch between €1000 and €1,500, according to auctioneer Ian Whyte.

Despite the scarcity of such material, Mr Whyte said there was not as much interest in labour history in Ireland as there is in republican material.

“We do have some dedicated collectors of labour history in this country but it doesn’t fetch as big a price as, say, something like the 1916 Proclamation. In fact, this proclamation is probably far rarer. I’ve only seen one of these and I’ve seen 10 or 12 1916 Proclamations.”

Other lots include four leather fire buckets which were presented to former Irish Citizen Army member Joe Connolly on the day he retired from the fire brigade. The buckets were saved from Liberty Hall by trade unionist Rosie Hackett who recently had a Dublin bridge dedicated to her memory.

The items can be viewed at Whyte's Galleries, on Molesworth Street, tomorrow morning from 9am to 11.30am. The auction starts at noon.