The President desires to make a special statement before Questions.
THE COBH OUTRAGE.
I regret to inform the Dáil that on last Friday evening an outrage unparalleled in our history was committed at Cobh. Four men dressed in the uniform of the Army drove in a powerful touring car through Cobh and pulled up at the landing-stage a minute or two prior to the arrival of a launch carrying a number of unarmed British soldiers of the Spike Island Garrison, who were coming on shore leave to Cobh. These soldiers were accompained by civilian friends. Immediately that the occupants of the launch disembarked two machine guns opened fire on them from the car, with the result that one soldier was mortally wounded, and an officer and 17 soldiers were wounded—some dangerously and others seriously. Five other persons, including two women, were also wounded. The occupants of the car then drove back towards Cork at a furious pace, having opened fire on H.M.S. "Scythe" when they had proceeded about 400 yards on their journey. Fortunately, no casualties occurred as a result of this latter firing.
It is impossible to find words to describe this dastardly outrage. In its deliberation, and in its savagery it has no parallel. The soldiers were unarmed and defenceless. They were on the most friendly terms with the people of Cobh. They have been stationed at Spike Island for a considerable time, and have earned the goodwill of all the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. And when they come ashore to spend their few hours' leave amongst our people, they are mown down by machine-gun fire from four murderous ruffians wearing Army uniform.
It is almost inconceivable that any civilised country could produce even four men who could plot and carry out a deed so foul and so callous. The annals of savagery may be searched, but I doubt if any worse instance of murderous cowardice can be found. It is a stain upon the honour of our country which has made our people at home and our friends abroad hang their heads in shame. This terrible crime has evoked universal reprobation. All parties and all creeds in Ireland have given expression to their horror at the infamy. The one consolation we have is the knowledge that, outside the murderers themselves, there is no citizen who does not realise and abhor the enormity of the crime.
In the name of the Irish people I have tendered sympathy to the victims of the outrage and to the British Nation. The Government will leave no stone unturned to bring the criminals to justice. A reward of £10,000 for their detection has been offered, but I am confident that our people do not require any such incentive to induce them to give their whole-hearted cooperation in the hunt for the murderers. Every possible step is being taken; the personal attention of the highest officers of the State is being given to secure that they will not go unpunished.
The Irish nation is bound to do all in its power to alleviate the sufferings of the victims of this horrible crime committed on Irish soil, and the Government will see that such reparation as is possible will be made to the sufferers.
The murderers could have had only one motive in their murderous minds— that of embroiling our people in a struggle with Great Britain. The generosity of the British Nation in their references, both in the Press and in Parliament, to the crime, and their sympathy to our country in the disgrace and humiliation which this abominable outrage has cast upon us is a comforting assurance of the strength of the friendship between our peoples which has followed the Treaty between the nations.
I realise that no remarks of mine adequately could represent the feelings of the Government and of the Dáil on this occasion. I can only ask the Dáil to join with me in expressing its abhorrence of the foul deed and in tendering to the relatives of the dead and injured, and their relations, the sympathy of the Irish Nation in this wanton and murderous outrage.
I move that the Dáil do now adjourn as an expression of that sympathy and as an evidence to the British Nation and to the civilised world of the regret and humiliation which we feel that such a crime should be committed in our country.
Question proposed: "That the Dáil do now adjourn until 3 o'clock to-morrow."
I would like to say that the sympathy of the Dáil and the country undoubtedly goes out to all the people affected, to the relatives and friends of those injured, as well as to the British people, in this horrible and very awful affair. I do not think it requires strong language. I think that we all feel the shame; and it is rather an occasion for shame being expressed than for mere denunciation. As regards the question of the adjournment, I suggest that if we have very heavy business to-morrow, we ought not to adjourn until 3 o'clock, but rather adjourn until 11 o'clock.
I agree.
I wish to associate myself with the remarks of Deputy Johnson. When I read of this occurrence on Saturday morning I do not think I ever felt so humiliated and degraded in my life; I felt ashamed of being an Irishman. Wherever I have gone in the past I have held up my head and I have been proud of being an Irishman. For the first time in my existence, when I read of the Cobh outrage, I felt ashamed of being an Irishman. I am ashamed that among our section of the human family four men could be found capable of doing what was done on that occasion at Cobh. I am ashamed that four men could be found to get below the level of the worst kind of the brute creation. I wish to join in the expression of sympathy with the relatives of the soldier who was killed and with those who have been so seriously injured. The expression of sympathy must go further. We all sympathise with each other and with the nation in the degradation and the shame that has been brought upon us. My feeling in the matter is more a feeling of shame than anything else, and with Deputy Johnson I join in tendering to the President, as the head of the nation, our sympathy in the shame that has been brought upon us.
I would like to associate myself with what has been said by Deputy Johnson and Deputy Gorey, and to associate myself particularly with the view that has been expressed by President Cosgrave.
Motion, as amended—"That the Dáil adjourn until 11 o'clock on Wednesday, March 26th"—put and agreed to.
The Dáil adjourned at 3.15 p.m.