French newspaper articles about Terence MacSwiney's hunger strike

Starting today, 1 October 2020, I will tweet a newspaper article everyday about Terence MacSwiney's hunger strike. The articles will come from the French press and will be taken from Gallica (the digital library of the National Library of France).  

1 October 1920, L'Echo de Paris. Image source.

Terence MacSwiney (1879-1920) was the Lord Mayor of Cork. In August 1920, he was arrested and charged with sedition. He went on hunger strike in protest at his internment and the fact that he was tried by a military court. He died in Brixton prison in London on 25 October 1920. 

During the seventy-four day long hunger strike, much of the French press reported daily on the state of his health and his prospects for survival. It was not all positive and supportive of MacSwiney's choice to go on hunger strike. Some newspaper articles questioned whether he was actually taking some water or food and said that it was not possible to survive for so long without eating or drinking anything at all. 

You can read more about the French press coverage of his case in one of my previous blog posts. There is also a useful article on the Century Ireland website here and an article from the Irish Examiner newspaper if you want to learn more about MacSwiney. 

MacSwiney's hunger strike and death had an impact on the War of Independence and how it was perceived abroad. Historian Paul Bew says that "Terence MacSwiney's 'martyrdom' constituted a huge triumph for Sinn Fein, attracting widespread attention in the United States and Europe" (Ireland: The Politics of Enmity, 1789-2006, p. 407).

1 Oct 1920 L'Echo de Paris 

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k810113n/f3 

2 Oct 1920 Journal des Débats 

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k489469x/f2 

3 Oct 1920 Le Figaro

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2926245/f1

4 Oct 1920 Le Journal

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k7602527v/f1

5 Oct 1920 L'Intransigeant

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k789407q/f2

6 Oct 1920 Le Petit Parisien

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k604433q/f3

7 Oct 1920 Paris-Midi

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k4733717x/f1

8 Oct 1920 La Lanterne

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k75123454/f3

9 Oct 1920 Le Matin

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k573386g/f3

10 Oct 1920 Le Populaire

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k817473k/f2 

11 Oct 1920 Le Radical

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k7619640h/f2

12 Oct 1920 Le Figaro

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2926334/f2

13 Oct 1920 L'Oeuvre

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k4616083n/f4

14 Oct 1920 L'Intransigeant

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k789416p/f1

15 Oct 1920 Le Radical

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k76196445/f2 

16 Oct 1920 La Lanterne 

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k75123528/f3 

17 Oct 1920 Journal des Débats

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k489484q/f1 

18 Oct 1920 Le Petit Parisien

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k604445t/f3

19 Oct 1920 Le Matin

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k573396t/f3

20 Oct 1920 Le Temps

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2441705/f2

21 Oct 1920 Le Journal

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k7602544c

22 Oct 1920 Le Petit Parisien

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k604449b/f3

23 Oct 1920 L'Echo d'Alger

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k75784524/f1

24 Oct 1920 Paris-Midi

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k47337331/f1

25 Oct 1920 L'Intransigeant

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k789427d.item