July 1913
Hueston wanted out of the Irish Review. Plunkett accepted the financial burden of the Review when Colum and Stephens were let go. Plunkett assumes the editorship and works with Thomas on the Review.
November 1913
Thomas becomes a founder member of the Irish Volunteers. He was also part of a provisional committee of 30 set up shortly after the Irish Volunteers held a rally at the Rotunda in Dublin.
Feb. 1914
Thomas traveled through Derry and Killkenny giving political speeches.
May 1914
Edwin Martyn, a wealthy land owner of Connacht, agreed to put up money and partner with Thomas and Plunkett to start the Irish Theater. Thomas’ brother Jack would return from New York to manage, act and teach at the theater. The theater over the years would perform “Metempsychosis” and “Pagans”
Early July 1914
Thomas was elected Commandant of the 2nd Battalion of the Dublin Brigade. He would hold this position till his execution in 1916.
July 26, 1914
Roger Casement’s arms shipment came into Harbor at Howth. Word of the arrival of arms had gotten out. En route back the Irish Volunteers came upon a detachment of Dublin Police and two companies of British soldiers in Clontarf. Hobson, Darrel Figgis and MacDonagh all spoke to Mr. Harrel, Assistant Commissioner of the Dublin Police. Mr. Harrel decided against taking any action to prevent any violence and returned to Dublin.
August 12, 1914
England enters into World War I. The state of war in England created a split in the Irish Volunteers between the followers of John Redmond and followers of the original founders. The Redmond contingent believed if the Volunteers aided England in the war against Germany, that after the war a grateful English government would grant home rule. Meanwhile many of the original founding members of the Volunteers felt that it was the time to act as England was occupied with the war against Germany.
October 1914
The first Irish Volunteers Convention was held. The members and officers who had joined early were reelected to the committee. The Redmond supporters were expelled and the Irish Volunteers manifesto of 1912 was re-endorsed. With Redmond’s supporters gone and Irish men being drafted the Volunteers saw their membership numbers drop.
Remainder of 1914
The Irish Volunteers appointed seven members as the Head Quarters staff. Thomas was made director of training which occupied much of his time until the uprising.
In England the government was conscripting men. Soon many Irish men started returning from England and needed employment. Thomas helped start an employment office, which Nell Gifford Donnelly would run. The employment office would also act as a recruitment center for the Volunteers. Of those who came through the employment office would be Michael Collins.
March 24, 1915
Thomas’s wife Muriel gives birth to Barbara. Thomas writes a poem for her.