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The First Dil (pronounced 'dawl') was the first independent Irish parliament, formed by Irish MPs elected in Ireland in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland general election of 1918. A majority of the MPs, who were members of Sinn Fin, refused to take their seats in Westminster but instead set up an illegal Irish parliament in Dublin.Among its primary decisions were
- A Declaration of Independence (see Ireland Declaration of Independence full text).
- A Message to the Nations of the World
- The passing of a temporary Dil Constitution
- The formation of a ministry called the Aireacht
The First Dil met intermittently until it was replaced by a new Dil, called the Second Dil, formed by MPs elected to the House of Commons of Southern Ireland in 1921. All modern Dla (pronounced 'dawla', plural for Dil) are counted as successors to that First Dil of 1919-21. The first Dil elected Cathal Brugha as President of Dil ireann in January 1919. He was replaced by Eamon de Valera in April 1919. De Valera also used a variation on the title, namely 'President of Dil ireann.'
Though more recent Irish politicians (notably current Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern have suggested that Irish independence only really began in 1922 with the foundation of the Irish Free State successive Dla [plural for Dil] have been numbered from the 1st Dil formed in 1919. The current Dil, elected in 2002, is as a result, the Twenty-Ninth Dil.
First Dil
Michael Collins (second from left, front row),
Cathal Brugha (third from left, front row)
Arthur Griffith (fourth from left, front row)
Eamon de Valera (centre, front row),
Eoin MacNeill (third from right, front row)
W.T. Cosgrave (second from right, front row)
Kevin O'Higgins (first on right, third row)
The First Dil's most prominent members included:
- Eamon de Valera
- Michael Collins
- W.T. Cosgrave
- Count Plunkett
- Eoin MacNeill
- Arthur Griffith
- Eoin MacNeill
- Cathal Brugha
- Eoin MacNeill
- Kevin O'Higgins
- Constance Markeivicz