Back from the USA

In this newsreel Mary MacSwiney (older sister to Republican Terence MacSwiney) and Harold Boland (Sinn Féin) pose for the camera upon their return from the USA.

Mary MacSwiney, T.D., Nationalist and Educationalist, supported the Irish War of Independence in 1919–21. In 1921, after the death of her brother Terence in October 1920, during the height of the war whilst on hunger strike, she was elected for Sinn Féin to the Cork Borough constituency. She gave evidence in Washington, D.C., before the American Commission on Conditions in Ireland and toured the U.S. for nine months. She started the tour in Madison Square Garden in New York on January 7th 1921. During the trip, she attracted large crowds and submitted detailed reports to Harry Boland and John O’Mara on a regular basis outlining successes and problems areas.