Retro: The peace of Co Fermanagh as ‘anti-partition’ meetings are proclaimed (1938)
Adequate measures had been taken by the police to preserve peace in Newtownbutler, Co Fermanagh, during this week in November 1938, reported the News Letter.
The Minister of Home Affairs had proclaimed an “anti-partition” meeting which Republicans and Nationalists proposed to hold in the village and a counter demonstration which Loyalists proposed to hold was also banned.
The News Letter commented: “No attempt was made to violate the Order. Apart from reporters and photographers there were few visitors in the village.”
County Inspector Jennings had charge of the police arrangements. He had under him about 100 men drawn from the constabulary depot at Enniskillen. Roads in the vicinity were patrolled, and motorists crossing the border were stopped and questioned. The 'B' Specials were not on duty.
Mr Erskine Childers, who had proposed to speak at the “anti-Partition” meeting was among the motorists stopped by the police. He had not got with him a certificate of insurance for his car in Northern Ireland and was accompanied to Newtownbutler barrack where he arranged to forward the document.
Asked, on leaving the barrack, if he intended to speak at Newtownbutler the following Sunday, Mr Childers said that he would speak if a meeting was held but he would not know definitely whether one was being arranged or not till he had discussed the matter with the Reverend T Maguire, the local parish priest.
Mr Childers said that the police showed him the greatest kindness and the sole reason he was stopped at the Border was because he had no certificate of insurance for Northern Ireland with him.
Questioned as to his views regarding the banning of the meeting in Newtownbutler, Mr Childers said: “It is entirely unnecessary and will do no good. It will not succeed in maintaining ‘partition’ any more than the banning of meetings has succeeded at any other time in history.”
Speaking at an Orange reunion in Lisnaskea Sir Basil Brooke, Bt, the Minister of Agriculture, said that the attempt to hold an “anti-partition” meeting in Newtownbutler was an example of “the insidious attacks” that were being made on Ulster. He said: “That meeting has been proclaimed, and I feel that there was no other country in the world which would allow a meeting to be held when the obvious purposes of such an assembly was the disruption of the country.”