A vignette from the Dublin Police Court of 1917 as twenty youths arrested for illegal drilling repeat their alleged offence in the Dublin Police Court while singing the Soldier’s Song – just one of many political protests which took place in Irish courtrooms during the period 1917-1925. There was much public support for the accused, and an interesting sentencing outcome:
“The imprisonment at first was to be with hard labour, but as the lads declared they would do no labour the sentence was modified.”

Clipping from the Daily News (London) 10 November 1917.