ABSTRACT
Sinn Féin's electoral promises to withdraw from Westminster and establish an alternative constituent assembly in Ireland were put into force on 21 January 1919 when the First Dáil Éireann was convened in Dublin's Mansion House (the official residence of the city's Lord Mayor). Only 27 of the party's elected members attended as many were still in prison as a result of the German plot arrests of the previous year. The proceedings of the First Dáil's inaugural sitting, held in public, were largely ceremonial. In de Valera's absence, Cathal Brugha was elected president and an interim cabinet was elected. The four foundation documents of the assembly were also issued. The constitution of Dáil Éireann was a short document comprising only five articles and declared the legislative supremacy of the Dáil: ‘all legislative powers shall be vested in Dáil Éireann’ [Doc. 11]. An executive was to be formed consisting of five departments (President, Finance, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs and National Defence). The ministers who held these posts were appointed and could also be dismissed by the Dáil. The Dáil had ultimate responsibility for finance and the constitution could only be altered by the Dáil.
