Republican Court stamp, 1920-1922

Republican Court stamp, 1920-1922

This seal was used to stamp ‘I. R.’ (Irish Republic) onto legal documents in the Republican, or Dáil, Courts system, around 1920 to 1922.    
Local courts had existed in Ireland for some time, generally dealing with issues around land. The Republican Courts were more formally established by the First Dáil in May 1920 as another arm of government, further challenging British authority in Ireland. These courts dealt with civil and criminal cases and effectively replaced the British judicial system. They were run by Sinn Féin, the IRA, Cumann na mBan and local community leaders, and were soon the main system in use in the country as solicitors quickly began practicing law in these new courts. They were abolished during the Civil War in 1922, when ‘dual power’ came to an end and the Free State asserted sole control over the administration of Ireland.