An appeal to the government by three nationalist MPs for guns to protect their constituents in Belfast was rebuffed in August 1969 by the Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch.
The State papers record that Mr Paddy Devlin (NI Labour, Belfast); Mr Paddy O'Hanlon (Independent, South Armagh); and Mr Paddy Kennedy (Republican Labour, Central Belfast) arrived at the Department of External Affairs on August 16th seeking to meet the Taoiseach to obtain arms for Belfast Catholics.
They told the Department secretary, Mr Hugh McCann, that if Irish troops were not sent into the North then they wanted guns. "As regards guns, nothing need be done openly or politically. A few hundred rifles could easily be `lost' and would not be missed," according to the memo written by Mr McCann.
After their concerns had been communicated to the Taoiseach, they were told he was not in a position to meet them. As for guns, they were advised this was a matter for the government ail, to decide on. The three responded that this was a "fob-off", and Mr Devlin said he would see the Taoiseach before he left Dublin. A note on the memo refers to extra security on Mr Lynch's home.