1914] 'The Irish Situation 



We were especially impressed with the wisdom and 

 self-restraint of Dublin's foremost citizen, Sir Horace 

 Piunkett, whom I had previously met on one of his 

 frequent visits to the United States. He introduced 

 us to his chief co-worker, the poet and publicist, 

 George Russell, 1 equally well known as "A.E.," a 

 big, handsome, tously-haired, brown-bearded Ul- 

 sterman, Protestant, and strong advocate of home 

 rule; "Ireland's North Star," his friends call him. 

 Sir Horace assured us that Russell was "the best 

 man in Ireland," but others assign the same value 

 to Piunkett. Of the soundness of their views, so 

 widely discussed, I am fully convinced. These 

 involve, in brief, dominion status for all Ireland 

 essentially like that of Canada, foreign relations 

 remaining under the control of the Empire. 



We were, moreover, convinced that the longer this Effect of 

 inevitable settlement was delayed, the more difficult h ^f asures 

 and dangerous the problem would become. The 

 question has been much aggravated by half measures, 

 by "fawning kindness" met by reckless attempts at 

 "direct action." The very fact that every move 

 toward Irish freedom has taken the form of " redress 

 of grievances" has itself been always a grievance of 

 the first magnitude. "Men may take injustice 

 standing up, but few will take justice lying down," 

 says Francis Hackett. 



"Plunkett's scheme is feasible," observed Russell 

 to us; "that is what damns it, though not eternally, 

 we hope." 



Sir Horace has been the most helpful citizen of 

 Ireland. Through his agency was passed the Land 



1 "I began to see that a poet could be also a wise and straightforward human 

 being, something which before had seemed true only of 'A.E.' " SIGNE TOKSVIG 



