Historians of the Irish revolution are well aware that few records survive which shed light on the operation of republican courts which as we have already seen this month commenced in earnest all across the country in June 1920.

  The Irish Bulletin frequently reported on the outcome of these court cases. A report in mid-June highlighted some 41 cases, 84 arrests by Republican police, which had taken place in twenty-four counties. These included the arrest of a pickpocket at Tipperary Races who was found to have money and jewellery on this possession; the arrest of two men in Bandon, county Cork who had stolen £200 from a farmer, and the recovery of stolen goods from a shop in Wexford town. The Republican courts were also used to settle industrial disputes and to enforce the by-laws of urban and district councils. In Sligo men were charged for stealing post, while in Westmeath the republican courts settled land disputes. In some cases they made provision for the protection of property which had come under attack. Perhaps the most controversial local issue was the regulation of the closing hours of public houses by the republican police as they tried to maintain law and order.  

Download Source: The Irish Bulletin 1918-1921, Thursday, June 17, 1920; Section: Front page, Page: 1

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