Sinn Fein Banks Raided and Barricaded March 1920

By March 1920 Dublin Castle, under pressure to control the growing support of Sinn Fein and prevent further outrages from occurring all across the country, set their sights on how the organisation was financed. Over the course of eleven days in early March that investigation became apparent and there were two raids on the Sinn Fein bank on Harcourt Street. There were also raids on other banking firms in an attempt to establish any connections to the Sinn Fein movement. In the second raid on the Sinn Fein bank, which had been established in 1908 by Arthur Griffith and others, the military and police proceeded to board up the windows and doors of the building with wooden planks. Money and documents were also seized during the raid. It has been estimated that perhaps as much as £20,000 was seized during the month of March, a huge blow to the republican movement. At the instruction of the Attorney-General, an inquiry was established, and all of the banking sector were forced to comply. The move came as a surprise to those employed in banking in Dublin. Significantly, the order which formalised the inquiry was signed by a man named Alan Bell, Resident Magistrate in Dublin. In doing so, Bell would not have to wait long for retribution from the IRA as will be discussed in a post later this month. This intense scrutiny on Sinn Fein's finances was a major setback to the movement and one which they struggled to overcome.   Download Source: Irish Examiner, 8 March 1920, page 5. See also Irish Examiner, 10 March 1920, page 5.                                            Irish Examiner 1841-current, Wednesday, March 10, 1920 page 5 Irish Examiner 1841-current, Monday, March 08, 1920 page 5