the Defence of the Realm Act
/ðə dɪˌfens əv ðə ˈrelm ækt/
/ðə dɪˌfens əv ðə ˈrelm ækt/
(abbreviation DORA)
- a law introduced by the British government in 1914 to give special powers to the authorities in Ireland. At that time, after the beginning of the war between Britain and Germany, the British government feared a revolution in Ireland with German support. After the Easter Rising (1917) against British rule in Ireland, the Act was used to arrest and put in prison many people who had supported the rising.
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the Defence of the Realm Act