Ernie O’Malley Lecture: The Treasonous Irish

The Treasonous Irish: Vigilantes, Conspiracies and the Mainstream Press, 1917-1918

Mick Mulcrone, Emeritus Associate Professor at University of Portland, delivers “The Treasonous Irish: Vigilantes, Conspiracies and the Mainstream Press, 1917-1918”. Introductions by Cormac O’Malley and Marion R. Casey.

During World War I, editions of five Irish-American newspapers were barred from the mail by the United States Post Office. Two newspapers and a magazine were forced to permanently suspend publication. These actions were ostensibly taken for reasons of national security under powers granted by the Espionage Act. This paper suggests that a public mood of vigilantism bordering on hysteria contributed to the suppression of the Irish-American press. Many mainstream daily newspapers inflamed public sentiment against Irish-Americans through the use of rumor, innuendo and unsubstantiated reports of German-Irish plots. Such coverage served to endorse and encourage the anonymous censors who monitored the Irish-American press.