Monday 1 June 2015

National Archives releases Secret Police files

The National Archives of Ireland (NAI) has today started to release secret police files dating from 1915–1916.

The Chief Secretary's Office, Crime Branch, Movement of Extremists collection is a series of daily reports by the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Department on the movements and associations of pro-Independence suspects.

They date from 1 June 1915 to 20 April 1916, just four days short of the beginning of the Easter Rising, and detail intelligence gathered at a number of key city centre locations.

As well as reporting on the interaction of suspects at these locations, the forms record attendance at meetings and the drilling and marching of Irish Volunteers and the movements of suspects in and out of Dublin via the five main train stations: Kingsbridge (Heuston), Amien's Street (Connolly), Westland Row (Pearse Street), Broadstone and Harcourt Street, and Dublin Port.

More than 230 individuals are named in the reports.

The reports are being made available online as part of the NAI's plans for the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. They will be released on the NAI's website on a weekly basis from today.

Additional information about some of the individuals can be found via the Who Were the Extremists link on the site.