Constitution of The Irish Volunteers

The Constitution of the Irish Volunteers was adopted at their first convention, in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 25 October 1914. It set out the force’s objects, the form of enrolment, and how the Volunteers were to be organised and governed, and it bound them to defend Ireland themselves, to resist partition, and to refuse military service under Britain until an Irish national government could decide the question.

ABBEY THEATRE, DUBLIN, 25 OCTOBER 1914

Constitution of the Irish Volunteers

Adopted at the First Irish Volunteer Convention, Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Sunday, 25th Oct., 1914.

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I. OBJECTS

1. To secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to all the people of Ireland.

2. To train, discipline, and equip for this purpose an Irish Volunteer Force.

3. To unite in the service of Ireland, Irishmen of every creed and of every party and class.

II. ENROLMENT FORM TO BE SIGNED BY ALL IRISH VOLUNTEERS

I, the undersigned, desire to be enrolled for service in Ireland as a member of the Irish Volunteer Force. I subscribe to the constitution of the Irish Volunteers and pledge my willing obedience to every article of it. I declare that in joining the Irish Volunteer Force I set before myself the stated objects of the Irish Volunteers, and no others.

III. SCOPE AND SYSTEM OF ORGANISATION

1. The organisation of the Irish Volunteers will extend throughout all Ireland.

2. Every body of Irishmen, whether in Ireland or abroad, who band themselves together to attain the stated objects, who sign the enrolment form, and who subscribe to the constitution of the Irish Volunteers, will be eligible for recognition as a corps of Irish Volunteers, and may, on payment of Company affiliation fees, be recognised provisionally as a corps of Irish Volunteers.

3. A Corps will, upon affiliation, be divided into Companies according to strength.

4. No second Company will be affiliated or recognised in a district in which there already exists a recognised Company of Irish Volunteers until the first affiliated Company has recruited up to full strength, or permission has been granted by the Governing Body of the Irish Volunteers to establish a second Company.

5. The annual affiliation fee, per Company, payable in advance to Headquarters, will be £3. This may be paid in one sum, or in quarterly instalments. When circumstances require it, Half-Companies may be affiliated at half fee.*

* This scale of fees will come into force from the 1st January, 1915, till which date the scale hitherto in force—a payment of one penny per man, per month—will continue.

6. No Company will be recognised as permanent until it has been in existence for two months and has fulfilled the requirements of the Military Organisation of the Irish Volunteers.

7. The recognised Companies will be formed into battalions according to the scheme of the Military Organisation of the Irish Volunteers.

8. The Companies in each county will, until the completion of Military Organisation in each area, be under the jurisdiction of a County Board. This temporary County Board will be formed of Delegates, one from each Company in the county, together with two members of the Irish Volunteers in the county nominated by the General Council of the Irish Volunteers and three co-opted members.

9. Apart from the regular payment of fees, in order to ensure the continuance of affiliation, each company must carry on constantly all the military exercises ordered by the properly constituted governing authorities of the Irish Volunteer Force.

10. Each company will in all things submit to the examinations, inspections, inquiries, and orders of the properly constituted governing authorities of the Irish Volunteer Force.

11. In the Irish-speaking districts, the words of command will be given only in Irish.

IV. GOVERNMENT OF THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS

1. All power of making, modifying, and amending the Constitution of the Irish Volunteers will reside in the General Convention, which will be held annually, and which will be composed of Delegates, one from each Company, or one from a combination of two Half-Companies of Irish Volunteers, together with all the members of the General Council of the Irish Volunteers.

2. A Special Convention will be held at any time on requisition of at least one-third of the affiliated Companies, or by resolution of the General Council.

3. The General Council of the Irish Volunteers will consist of sixty-two members (62), namely:—One delegate from each of the thirty-two counties of Ireland (32); one delegate direct from each of the following nine cities—Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Derry, Waterford, Galway, Sligo, and Kilkenny (9); and the twenty-one members now acting as the Provisional Committee (21).

4. This General Council will meet monthly. The General Council may add to its numbers by giving to counties, cities, or to larger areas outside Ireland, the same representation on the General Council as the counties and the nine cities of Ireland.

5. The members of the General Council who are to act as Delegates of the Irish Volunteers direct from the counties and cities will be chosen by the Delegates voting county by county, and city by city.

6. The President, the Treasurer, and the members resident in or within ten miles of the City of Dublin will be chosen by all the Delegates to the General Council, voting by ballot.

7. Those members so elected will form the Central Executive, to meet weekly, or more frequently, and carry on the work of the Organisation.

8. The officers of the Irish Volunteer Force, other than the President and the Treasurers, will be elected by the Central Executive.

9. The scope of duties of the Central Executive will be defined by the General Council.

10. All functions and powers, not herein otherwise expressly assigned, will be held by the General Council, and any of them may be assigned by the General Council to the Central Executive.

11. An audited Balance Sheet of Accounts will be submitted to the Annual General Convention by the General Council.

DECLARATION OF POLICY

Adopted by the Irish Volunteer Convention, 25th October, 1914.

The following declaration of policy was unanimously adopted by the Convention:—

1. To maintain the right and duty of the Irish Nation henceforward to provide for its own defence by means of a permanent armed and trained Volunteer Force.

2. To unite the people of Ireland on the basis of Irish nationality and a common national interest; to maintain the integrity of the nation and to resist with all our strength any measures tending to bring about or perpetuate disunion or the partition of our country.

3. To resist any attempt to force the men of Ireland into military service under any Government until a free National Government is empowered by the Irish people themselves to deal with it.

4. To secure the abolition of the system of governing Ireland through Dublin Castle and the British military power, and the establishment of a National Government in its place.