Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

Background details and bibliographic information

The Constitution of Sinn Féin

Author: Irish Commandants (whose signatures are appended)

File Description

Electronic edition compiled by Audrey Murphy

Funded by University College, Cork and
Professor Marianne McDonald via the CELT Project

2. Second draft.

Extent of text: 1264 words

Publication

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork
College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt

(2005) (2010)

Distributed by CELTonline at University College, Cork, Ireland.
Text ID Number: E900007

Availability [RESTRICTED]

Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only.

Sources

Dorothy Macardle, The Constitution of Sinn Féin in Dorothy Macardle The Irish Republic: a documented chronicle of the Anglo-Irish conflict and the partitioning of Ireland, with a detailed account of the period 1916-1923. Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, (1937) page 915–916

Encoding

Project Description

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts

Sampling Declaration

The whole text.

Editorial Declaration

Correction

Text has been proof-read and parsed using SGMLS.

Constructive criticism and corrections are welcome and will be credited to scholars making them.

Normalization

The electronic text represents the edited text.

Quotation

There are no quotations.

Hyphenation

Soft hyphens are silently removed. When a hyphenated word (hard or soft) crosses a page-break or line-break, this break is marked after the completion of the hyphenated word.

Segmentation

div0=the constitution; div1=section; div2=numbered subsection. Page-breaks are marked.

Interpretation

Place names, organisational names, and personal names are not tagged.

Canonical References

The n attribute of each text in this corpus carries a unique identifying number for the whole text.

The title of the text is held as the first head element within each text.

div0 is reserved for the text (whether in one volume or many).

A canonical reference can be constructed from the sections and subsections of the text.

Profile Description

Created: Sinn Féin party members (October 1917)

Use of language

Language: [EN] The whole text is in English apart from 'Árd-Fheis' and 'Sinn Féin'.
Language: [GA] The terms 'Árd-Fheis' and 'Sinn Féin' are in Irish.

Revision History

Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition: E900007

The Constitution of Sinn Féin: Author: Irish Commandants (whose signatures are appended)

Sinn Féin aims at securing the international recognistion of Ireland as an independent Irish Republic.

Having achieved that status the Irish people may by Referendum freely choose their own form of Government.

p.915

As adopted by the Árd-Fheis which met in Dublin on October 25th, 1917.

1

The name of this organisation shall be Sinn Féin.

2

Sinn Féin aims at securing the International recognition of Ireland as an independent Irish Republic.

Having achieved that status the Irish people may by referendum freely choose their own form of Government.

3

This object shall be attained through the Sinn Féin Organisation.

4

WHEREAS no law made without the authority and consent of the Irish people is or ever can be binding on their conscience

Therefore in accordance with the Resolution of Sinn Féin adopted in Convention, 1905, a Constituent Assembly shall be convoked, comprising persons chosen by the Irish Constituencies as the supreme national authority to speak and act in the name of the Irish people and to devise and formulate measures for the welfare of the whole people of Ireland.

Such as:

  1. The introduction of a Protective System for Irish industries and Commerce by combined action of the Irish County Councils, Urban Councils, Rural Councils, Poor Law Boards, Harbour Boards, and other bodies directly responsible to the Irish people.
  2. The establishment and maintenance under the direction of a National Assembly or other authority approved by the people of Ireland of an Irish Consular Service for the advancement of Irish Commerce and Irish interests generally.
  3. The re-establishment of an Irish Mercantile Marine to facilitate direct trading between Ireland and the countries of Continental Europe, America, Africa, and the Far East.
  4. The industrial survey of Ireland and the development of its mineral resources under the auspices of a National Assembly or other national authority approved by the people of Ireland.
  5. The establishment of a National Stock Exchange.
  6. The creation of a National Civil Service, embracing all the employee of the County Councils, Rural Councils, Poor law Boards, Harbour Boards, and other bodies responsible to the Irish people, by the institution of a common national qualifying examination and a

    p.916

    local competitive examination (the latter at the discretion of the local bodies).
  7. The establishment of Sinn Féin Courts of Arbitration for the speedy and satisfactory adjustment of disputes.
  8. The development of transit by rail road and water, of waste lands for the national benefit by a national authority approved by the people of Ireland.
  9. The development of the Irish Sea Fisheries by National Assembly or other National authority approved by the people of Ireland.
  10. The reform of education, to render its basis national and industrial by the compulsory teaching of the Irish language, Irish history and Irish agricultural and manufacturing potentialities in the primary system, and, in addition, to elevate to a position of dominance in the University system Irish agriculture and economics.
  11. The abolition of the Poor Law System and substitution in its stead of adequate outdoor relief to the aged and infirm, and the employment of the able-bodied in the reclamation of waste lands, afforestation and other national and reproductive works.

A special meeting of the Executive may be summoned on three days' notice by the President on requisition presented to him signed by six members of the Executive specifying the object for which the meeting is called.

In case of an urgent emergency the President shall call all members of the Executive to an urgency meeting, and may take action in the name of the Executive in case he secures the approval of an absolute minority of the entire Executive. The action taken is to be reported for confirmation at next ordinary meeting of the Executive.

That where Irish resources are being developed, or where industries exist, Sinn Féiners should make it their business to secure that workers are paid a living wage.

That the equality of men and women in this Organisation be emphasised in all speeches and leaflets.