Members of the First Dáil Wikimedia Wikimedia

A JOINT SITTING of Dáil and Seanad Éireann is set to take place on 21 January to mark 100 years since the First Dáil met, it was announced today. 

Part of centenary commemorations to mark the first public meeting of Dáil Éireann – which met in the Round Room of the Mansion House on the 21 January 1919 – the joint sitting is made up of three parts. 

Firstly, there will be an address from President Michael D Higgins followed by a reflection from a descendant of a member of the first Dáil followed by a full joint sitting which will feature the signing and presentation of a “Centenary Declaration”. 

The Mansion House will also be open for three days (18-20 January) so that members of the public can view the rooms where early government meetings were held, Lord Mayor Nial Ring announced yesterday. 

The first Dáil met when Sinn Féin MPs elected to the House of Commons met at the Mansion House on Dawson Street. The Irish MPs abstained from taking their seats at Westminster and established their own parliament.   

That same day in 1919 two Royal Irish Constabulary officers were killed in an ambush by Irish Volunteers at Soloheadbeg in Co. Tipperary, kicking off The War of Independence.

The 1918 General Election saw over 70 Irish representatives elected to Westminster, essentially wiping out the Irish Parliamentary Party, the dominant voice in Irish nationalism at the time. 

The joint sitting on 21 January will be broadcast live on Oireachtas TV from 3.30pm – 5.30pm.