11 April 2012: John Redmond memorial address, Waterford

11 April 2012 was the centenary of the introduction of Third Home Rule Bill for Ireland in the Westminster parliament.

 

To mark the anniversary of this historic event, Waterford City Council hosted a commemorative evening in the Large Room, City Hall on Wednesday 11 April 2012. Arranged in the context of the National Commemorative Programme for the Decade of Centenaries, prepared under the direction of Mr Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, this event featured a memorial lecture presentation on John Redmond and the achievements of the Irish Parliamentary Party. Minister Deenihan opened the proceedings, and welcomed the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Hugo Swire MP.

 

Mr Dermot Meleady spoke on ‘John Redmond and the leadership of the Irish Parliamentary party to 1912′, and Mr Frank Callanan SC addressed ‘Redmond and the Third Home Rule Bill’. Mr Swire and Dr Maurice Manning, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Commemorations, responded to these presentations.

 

Speaking about the event, Minister Deenihan said that ‘the decade that commenced from the introduction in the parliament at Westminster of the Home Rule Bill in April 1912 remains the most momentous of our modern history. I am proud to be beginning the Decade of Commemorations in Waterford, and I look forward to the opportunity to mark the milestones in our country’s history with a series of events over the coming months and years’.

 

For Hugo Swire’s speech, click here

 

 

For Dr. Manning’s speech, click here

 

 

For Frank Callanan’s speech, click here

 

 

View the Redmond Papers on the National Library website click here

 

 

From History Ireland: A Wexford perspective on Redmond.

 

From BBC History: Dr. James McConnell on Irish Home Rule. 

 

From Century Ireland: What was Home Rule?

 

Click here to listen to the History Ireland Hedge School: ‘Home Rule: lost opportunity or sell-out?’ 

 

Or watch the recording here.