More Irish-themed covers of Le Petit Journal - Abbey Theatre Riot Feb 1926

I have previously written here about Irish-themed covers of the French illustrated periodical Le Petit Journal illustré. Another one to add to the list was published on this day (28 February) in 1926. It concerns the Abbey Theatre riot that took place in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin on 11 February 1926 when some audience members reacted angrily to a staging of Seán O'Casey's play The Plough and the Stars. You can find out more about the incident here.

 

Back cover of Le Petit Journal 28 February 1926. Image source. 

 

Page 2, Le Petit Journal 28 February 1926. Image source.  

The illustration of the riot was accompanied by a short description of what happened on the night. It was, according to the newspaper, 'something that could only take place in Ireland'. 'Things came to blows and the women grabbed each other's hair', it went on. 

W.B. Yeats tried in vain to separate the fighters and address the crowd but his efforts failed. The theatre was eventually cleared and closed. According to the newspaper, 'with the tenacity that marks the Celtic race, the directors of the Abbey and their actors claim that they will go on staging the play as they had planned'. 

WW1 Memorial Cross in Ieper/Ypres Belgium - RTÉ Brainstorm article

A tall stone Celtic Cross in the Belgian city of Ieper (Ypres) commemorates men from Cork in Ireland who died there during the First World War. I have just written a short article about the history of the cross for the RTÉ Brainstorm website. Read it here.

 

Photograph of the memorial with the cathedral in the background.

Ieper, known as Ypres during the War, was held by the forces of the Allied Powers right throughout the War. The cost of holding this strategic location was high for the Allies as well as the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire). Many hundreds of thousands died during the Three Battles of Ypres in 1914, 1915 and 1917.  

 

Photograph of the memorial showing a carving to represent the crest of Munster (three crowns) with some Celtic knot motif on the bottom.

After the War, Ieper was seen as 'holy ground' by ex-servicemen on account of all the lives lost there during the War and the near utter destruction of the town. I have previously written about the destruction and rebuilding of the town here. The memorial cross was unveiled in 1924 and by that stage, Ireland had gained its independence from Britain. 

The sacrifice of the Irishmen who fought in the British army during the War was remembered by their family and the community they came from. However, with independence came a fresh perspective on the Irish who fought and died during the War. 

 

Photograph showing the detailed carving of the Celtic motif on the shaft of the cross.

This article by Fionnuala Walsh on the 1914-1918 Online Encyclopedia covers how the attitude of Irish people to the War evolved over the years. This article by Edward Madigan deals with how the centenary of the War was marked in Ireland and how this provided a chance to look back on that period with a more objective outlook. The renewed interest in the story of the Irishmen who fought in the War that was prompted by events such as the Decade of Centenaries can be seen in the renewed links between Cork City Council and Ieper City Council that I mention in the Brainstorm piece.