On This Day
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Members of the Dáil (parliament) swear allegiance to the Irish Republic at their first meeting, held at Dublin's Mansion

Members of the Dáil (parliament) swear allegiance to the Irish Republic at their first meeting, held at Dublin's Mansion House

The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919 to 1921. It was the first meeting of the unicameral parliament of the revolutionary Irish Republic. In the December 1918 election to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Irish republican party Sinn Féin won a landslide victory in Ireland. In line with their manifesto, its MPs refused to take their seats, and on 21 January 1919 they founded a separate parliament in Dublin called Dáil Éireann ("Assembly of Ireland"). They declared Irish independence, ratifying the Proclamation of the Irish Republic that had been issued in the 1916 Easter Rising, and adopted a provisional constitution.

Its first meeting happened on the same day as one of the first engagements of what became the Irish War of Independence.

Historical Significance

The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919 to 1921.

Events Before

  1. Isaac Asimov is born

    Isaac Asimov, American writer and biochemist, known for american writer and biochemist, was born on 1920-01-02.

  2. Byelorussian Communist Organization is founded as a separate party

    The Byelorussian Communist Organisation was a communist group in Belarus, led by Usievalad Ihnatoŭski.

  3. League of Nations holds its first council meeting in Paris

    The League of Nations (LN or LoN; French: Société des Nations [sɔsjete de nɑsjɔ̃], SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace.

  4. First day of alcohol prohibition comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution

    The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) to the United States Constitution established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.

  5. Baseball Hall of Famer "Rube" Foster and seven other team owners create the first Negro National League (NNL) at a meeti

    Baseball Hall of Famer "Rube" Foster and seven other team owners create the first Negro National League (NNL) at a meeting in a Kansas City YMCA

Events After

  1. British Columbia, Canada, starts driving on the right-hand side of the road

    British Columbia, Canada, starts driving on the right-hand side of the road

  2. Insulin is first used on humans when Frederick Banting injects 14-year-old Canadian Leonard Thompson to treat his diabet

    Insulin is first used on humans when Frederick Banting injects 14-year-old Canadian Leonard Thompson to treat his diabetes

  3. James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" is first published by Sylvia Beach in Paris (1,000 copies)

    Ulysses is a modernist novel by the Irish writer James Joyce. Partially serialised in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, the entire work was published in Paris…

  4. American founder of the Chicago Bears football team George Halas (27) weds Minnie Bushing

    American founder of the Chicago Bears football team George Halas (27) weds Minnie Bushing

  5. Great Britain issues the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence, ending its protectorate over Egypt and grantin

    Great Britain issues the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence, ending its protectorate over Egypt and granting the country nominal independence while reserving control over military and diplomatic matters

More from the 1920s

birth

Isaac Asimov is born

Isaac Asimov, American writer and biochemist, known for american writer and biochemist, was born on 1920-01-02.

birth

Charlie Munger is born

Charlie Munger, American businessman, known for american businessman, was born on 1924-01-01.

birth

Vernon L. Smith is born

Vernon L. Smith, American economist and nobel laureate, known for american economist and nobel laureate, was born on 1927-01-01.

Byelorussian Communist Organization is founded as a separate party

The Byelorussian Communist Organisation was a communist group in Belarus, led by Usievalad Ihnatoŭski.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 16, 1921?
The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919 to 1921. It was the first meeting of the unicameral parliament of the revolutionary Irish Republic. In the December 1918 election to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Irish republican party Sinn Féin won a landslide victory in Ireland.
Why is Members of the Dáil (parliament) swear allegiance to the Irish Republic at th... significant?
The First Dáil (Irish: An Chéad Dáil) was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919 to 1921.

Explore More

August 16 in HistoryYear 1921