Helene O'Keeffe

Helene O'Keeffe is a historian, author and project manager, based in UCC's School of History.

Crowds gathered outside the Mansion House to witness the opening of the First Dáil

How the First Dáil was viewed at home - and in Britain

First Dáil • 03 Apr 20

The First Dáil established its own alternative legal system

Underground justice: the Dáil Courts

The Ban • 02 Apr 20

Count Plunkett, Cathal Brugha, Father Michael O'Flanagan, Sean O'hAodha, E. J. [Éamonn] Duggan, Eoin Mac Neill, George Gavan Duffy, Piaras Beaslaí and Alderman Tom Kelly at the Dáil in June 1919, by Frank Leah. Image courtesy of National Library of Irelan

"No robes, no mace, no velvet": Organising the first Dáil meeting

The first T.D.s were faced with a massive challenge when organising the first Dáil, from finding the perfect location to choosing the best way to declare Ireland's independence to the world. Here's how they did it.

First Dáil • 02 Apr 20

First Dáil Loan stamps, 1919. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Funding the revolution: how the First Dáil was financed

Posters, newspaper ads, canvassing and even a short film starring Michael Collins - the first T.D.s came up with ingenious ways to encourage the people of Ireland to buy bonds to fund the new counter-state.

First Dáil • 03 Apr 20

Desmond Fitzgerald, the First Dáil's Director of Propaganda, drawn by Ernest Forbes. Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Driven underground - how did the banned Dáil operate in secret?

On 11 September 1919, Dublin Castle declared that Dáil Eireann was an 'illegal assembly'. So how did the first T.D.s carry out their duties? With a lot of subterfuge and a bit of theatrical flair...

The Ban • 29 Jan 20