IRLchess

On June 10, 1922, one hundred years ago today, John O’Hanlon, Irish champion since 1913, was arrested in Portadown. A report appeared in the Belfast News-Letter the following Monday (page 5):

ARRESTS IN PORTADOWN

In the early hours of Saturday morning military and police in Crossley and Lancia cars visited Portadown and arrested a number of well-known residents who are supposed to be associated with the Sinn Fein movement. The prisoners included Mr. J. J. O’Hanlon (Irish chess champion), proprietor of the Queen’s Hotel; Richard Brophy, Frank Lapping, and Patrick Lynch, publicans; Peter Connolly, Thomas Foy, mill-worker; and John and Henry Sharkey, horse-dealers. It is understood that the prisoners were removed to Belfast.

An update appeared in the same source on July 1 (page 6):

Hotel Proprietor’s Arrest

Mr. T. J. Campbell, K.C., with whom was Mr. C. L. Shiel (instructed by Mr. McCullen, solicitor, Portadown), applied for a writ of habeas corpus, directed to the governor of the prison at Belfast requiring him to bring John James O’Hanlon, hotel proprietor, Portadown, before the court. Counsel moved on the affidavit of Vera O’Hanlon, of Ashdown, Portadown, who said that in the early hours of Saturday, 10th June, forces of the Crown went to Ashtown while she was in Belfast, and took her husband into custody, giving no reason for their action. He had since been detained in prison, though no charge had been made against him; nor had he been informed that a charge would be preferred. He had done or said nothing to justify his arrest or detention, and had lived in Portadown all his life. His absence from the hotel was a very serious loss.

His Lordship gave notice to serve notice of motion for a writ of habeas corpus, and directed that the matter should come up for argument on Thursday next.

A further update appeared in the same source on July 11 (page 7), under the headline “Portadown Man Interned”, providing a long discussion of the court proceedings the previous day, which were contentious. Ultimately, the Lord Chief Justice, one of two judges hearing the application, “made an order for the production of the prisoner on that day week and to have a commissioner present to take his affidavit”.

On July 18, the same source reported (page 7) on the continuation one week later. “The case had been adjourned from Monday last for the production of the prisoner, and he was now present in court under escort.” An affidavit of Colonel C. G. Wickham (Inspector-General Royal Ulster Constabulary) stated that reliable information had been received that O’Hanlon was a member of an unlawful association and part of a widespread and highly organised conspiracy whose object was the overthrow of the established Government of Northern Ireland, and on this basis O’Hanlon was interned.

In response, O’Hanlon’s counsel read his affidavit, in which he denied the allegations:

He was not, and never had been, a member of any unlawful association, or a party to the conspiracy; nor did he at any time act, nor was he at any time about to act in a manner prejudicial to the preservation of peace. Any information to the contrary was absolutely false and malicious. He was a native of Portadown, where both his father and grandfather lived, and he was aged about 45. He had lived all his life in Portadown. All his life had been passed in Portadown, and he was well-known to the residents of all denominations there. He had been engaged in the licensed trade in Portadown for 25 years. Since April, 1921, he had owned the Queen’s Hotel, Portadown, for which he paid £8,000. He had been a director of the Portadown Gas Company for the past five years, and had also been financially interested in a number of English industrial concerns. Outside his home and his business, his chief interest in life had been chess, and he had held the Irish Chess Championship for the past nine years. He had never, by word or act or conduct, given the slightest ground for the allegations against him, and was totally at a loss to know on what ground he was suspected. He believed that no such conspiracy existed in Portadown, which had been peaceful for years and free from offences against law and order. The affidavit concluded by a reference to a number of postcards written from prison to his wife authorising her to take the legal proceedings, and in one of which he said he was always a Constitutional Nationalist, and never a Sinn Feiner.

Decision of the court.
The Lord Chief Justice said that the only question the court had to decide in an application of this kind was whether at the moment Mr. O’Hanlon was legally held. … They now decided that the warrant was within the powers of the Minister of Home Affairs. It was not their province to express an opinion on the facts, and they refused the application.

Mr. Justice Wilson—I concur and have nothing to add.

On August 21, the Irish Times had a short item (page 7):

CHESS CHAMPION RELEASED

Mr. J. J. O’Hanlon, Queen’s Hotel, Portadown, the Irish Chess champion, who had been interned by the Northern Government authorities in June last, along with several hundred other persons suspected of conspiring against the Government, has been released. Mr. O’Hanlon recently brought an application in the Northern High Court for a writ of habeas corpus, and entered an affidavit against the charge made against him. His release has given much satisfaction to Irish Chess players.