William Hoey Kearney Redmond (15 April 1861 – 9 June 1917) (commonly known as Willie Redmond) was an Irish nationalist politician and MP. in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Irish Parliamentary Party member for 34 years, land reform agitator imprisoned three times, determined advocate of Irish Home Rule, barrister and First World War fatality. Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP (commonly called the Irish Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing The Irish Home Rule bills were bills introduced in the British House of Commons during the late 19th and early 20th centuries intended to grant self-government and A barrister is a Lawyer found in many Common law Jurisdictions that employ a split profession (as opposed to a Fused profession) in relation World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All
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Family background
He came from a Catholic family (possibly of Norman descent, but most Wexford Redmonds are actually of Gaelic stock) associated with County Wexford for seven centuries, of a trading tradition. County Wexford (Contae Loch Garman is a maritime county in the southeast of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. His father, William Redmond, was a Home Rule Party MP for Wexford Borough from 1872 to 1880 and was the nephew of the elder John Edward Redmond who is commemorated in Redmond Square near Wexford railway station. William Archer Redmond sat for Wexford as a member of the Home Rule Party led by Isaac Butt from 1872 to 1880 A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Wexford Borough was a former United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland returning one Member of Parliament (MP John Edward Redmond was Liberal MP for the city of Wexford from 1859-1865 Wexford (derived from Old Norse Veisafjǫrðr (in some sources spelled "Waes Fiord" – veisa meaning "mudflat stagnant pool" Wexford railway station (O'Hanrahan Station serves the town of Wexford in County Wexford, Ireland. Willie Redmond's five year elder brother was John Redmond who became leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. John Edward Redmond (Seán Éamonn Mac Réamoinn (1 September 1856 &ndash 6 March 1918 was an Irish nationalist Politician, Barrister, MP He had two sisters.
Early life
Redmond grew up at Ballytrent, County Wexford, the second son of William Archer Redmond and his wife Mary, née Hoey of Protestant stock from County Wicklow. William Archer Redmond sat for Wexford as a member of the Home Rule Party led by Isaac Butt from 1872 to 1880 County Wicklow (Contae Chill Mhantáin is a county on the east coast of Ireland, immediately south of Dublin. William like his father was educated at Clongowes Wood College from 1873-1876, previously attending the preparatory school at Knockbeg College and Carlow St. Clongowes Wood College is a private secondary Boarding school for boys located near Clane in County Kildare, Ireland. St Mary's Knockbeg College is a Roman Catholic, all-boys secondary school located on the Laois / Carlow border approximately 2 Carlow ( is an inland Town in the south-east of Ireland in County Carlow, 84 km from Dublin. Patrick’s College (1871-72). After school he first apprenticed himself on a merchant sailing ship, then took a commission in the Wexford militia the Royal Irish Regiment on 24 December 1879 (Stephen Gwynn commenting “he was an instinctive soldier”) . Stephen Lucius Gwynn (13 February 1864 &ndash 11 June 1950 was an Irish journalist biographer author poet and Protestant nationalist Politician and At first contemplating a regular army career, he became a second lieutenant in October 1880, then resigned in 1881.
Land agitation
He immediately joined in the Irish National Land League agitation. The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor Tenant farmers Its primary aim was to abolish In February 1882 he was arrested in possession of seditious literature and sentenced under the Irish Coercion Act and imprisoned for three months in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, with Charles Stewart Parnell, William O'Brien and others. Between 1801 and 1922 the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed over 100 acts of emergency law in an attempt to establish law and order in Ireland. Kilmainham Gaol ( Príosún Chill Mhaighneann) is a former Prison, located in Kilmainham in Dublin, which is now a museum Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Charles Stewart Parnell ( 27 June 1846 &ndash 6 October 1891) was an Irish Protestant landowner nationalist William O'Brien (Irish Parliamentary Party should not be confused with his contemporary William X He never waived in his loyalty to Parnell even after the latter’s fall. He went to the United States in June 1882 with Michael Davitt to collect funds for the Land League He and his brother John Redmond then travelled to Australia in February 1883 to raise funds, collecting £15,000 sterling for the nationalist cause. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Michael Davitt ( Irish name: Mícheál Mac Dáibhéid) ( March 25, 1846 &ndash May 30, 1906) was an Irish For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. They developed close links with James Dalton of Orange, New South Wales, meeting two lady members of his family who later became their wives. James Dalton (died 11 May 1730) was "captain" of a street robbery gang in 18th century London. Orange is a provincial city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Mitchell Highway, west of Sydney at an altitude of. They both then travelled to the United States where they collected a further £15,000 sterling, many others following their example in the next years (Davitt, O’Brien, John Dillon, Eduard Blake). John Dillon (4 September 1851 – 4 August 1927 was an Irish land reform agitator Irish Home Rule activist nationalist politician Member of Parliament
Political career
In his absence in 1883, he was elected MP for his father's old constituency of Wexford Borough. Following the constituencies abolition in 1885, he was returned for Fermanagh North. North Fermanagh was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland Boundaries and Boundary Changes This County constituency comprised the northern part of In 1892, he was elected MP for the Clare East constituency, from which he was returned unopposed from 1900 until his death. East Clare was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland returning one Member of Parliament 1885-1922
In his election address in 1874,Redmond declared "Home Rule is absolutely essential to the good government of the country". He was an ardent, extrovert parliamentarian and like other Irish members "hated British Rule in Ireland with fierce intensity". He was ejected several times from the House of Commons for his verbal excesses and involved in several violent confrontations with Unionist MPs, but nevertheless remained popular even with his political opponents. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords Unionism in Ireland, is a belief in the desirability of a full constitutional and institutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain based on the terms and On Irish platforms he often spoke of insurrection though he remained a constitutionalist at heart. For resisting a tenant’s eviction in 1888 he was imprisoned for three months.
On 24 February 1886 he married Eleanor Mary Dalton (died 31 January 1947), eldest daughter of James Dalton. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They had one son who died early in 1891 at the age of five.
Singular stand
When the Irish Party split after Parnell’s fall and death in 1891, Redmond who had supported Parnell entirely, though a devout Catholic voiced deep grievance at the opposition of his Church to Parnell, which necessitated changing his constituency from Fermanagh to Clare. He was called to the Irish Law bar as a barrister in 1891, after obtaining a law degree from Dublin University, but never practised. The King's Inns (Óstaí an Rí formally known as the Honorable Society of King's Inns ( HSKI) is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law The University of Dublin, corporately designated the Chancellor Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin (since the 19th century located in Dublin, For most of his career he lived on a salary from the Irish parliamentary party. In condemning the South Africa Boer War in 1899 he joined with the younger nationalists such as Arthur Griffith and Maud Gonne. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: Arthur Griffith (Art Ó Gríobhtha 31 March 1872 &ndash 12 August 1922 was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. Maud Gonne MacBride (Maud Nic Ghoinn Bean Mhic Giolla Bhríde 21 December 1866 – 27 April 1953) was an English -born He was co-treasurer of the Irish Transvaal committee. For the Russian theme park see Transvaal Park. The Transvaal (Afrikaans lit The United Irish League (UIL) gave him opportunity to re-unite with the anti-Parnellites in the Irish Party under his brother’s leadership in 1900, when he again travelled to the United States with Davitt to announce the re-unification. The United Irish League (UIL was a nationalist Political party in Ireland.
William was very different from his brother John, he was volatile, spontaneous, open-hearted and more radical on many social issues, such as female suffrage. A First World War colleague, Colonel Rowland Fielding, was to describe him as a "charming fellow with a gentle and very taking manner. "
The year 1902 saw him imprisoned again in Kilmainham for an inflammatory speech in support of the UIL, causing "social discord". He was unhappy at the renewed Party split with O’Brien in 1903. A strict teetotaller but committed smoker, he devoted much time to encouraging tobacco growing in Ireland. See also Prohibition, Temperance movement Teetotalism (or T-total is the practice and promotion of complete Abstinence from Alcoholic beverages In the following years he travelled widely visiting Irish communities around the world. Impressed by the dominion status enjoyed by Canada and Australia, it influenced his concept of self-government for Ireland, for which he made impassioned speeches, canvassing for it in 1911 and 1912 across Britain. That William O’Brien’s independent All-for-Ireland League party withheld voting for the third Home Rule Act 1914 was "of great sadness to him". The All-for-Ireland League (AFIL, was an Irish, Munster -based political party (1909-1918 The Home Rule Act of 1914, also known as the ( Irish) Third Home Rule Act (or Bill) and formally known as the Government of Ireland Act 1914
First World War
At the outbreak of World War I, John Redmond called on Irish Volunteers to enlist in Irish regiments of the 10th and 16th (Irish) Divisions of the New British Army in the hope that this would strengthen the cause of later implementing the Home Rule Act, suspended for the duration of the war. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All John Edward Redmond (Seán Éamonn Mac Réamoinn (1 September 1856 &ndash 6 March 1918 was an Irish nationalist Politician, Barrister, MP The Irish Volunteers ( Óglaigh na hÉireann) was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. An Irish regiment is a Regiment (or similar military unit excluding those actually in the Irish Defence Forces, that at some time in its history has or had intentional The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army, was an (initially all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in This caused a split in the Volunteer movement and William Redmond was one of the first to volunteer for the army as a member of the National Volunteers. The National Volunteers was the name taken by the majority of the Irish Volunteers that sided with Irish Parliamentary Party leader John Redmond after the He addressed vast gatherings of Volunteers, Hibernians and the UIL, encouraging voluntary enlistment in support of the British and Allied war cause. The Ancient Order of Hibernians ( AOH) is an Irish-Catholic Fraternal organization. The Entente Powers (from Triple Entente) were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. In November 1914 he made a famous recruiting speech in Cork when standing at the open window of the Imperial Hotel he spoke to the crowd below: " I do not say to you Go - but grey haired and old as I am, I say Come, come with me to the war”. He felt that he might serve Ireland best in the firing line – “if Germany wins we are all endangered”. He was one of five Irish MPs who served with Irish brigades, J. L. Esmonde, Stephen Gwynn, William Redmond and D.D. Sheehan being the others, as well as former MP. Sir John Lymbrick Esmonde 14th Baronet (5 February 1893 – 6 July 1958 was an Irish nationalist politician son of Dr Stephen Lucius Gwynn (13 February 1864 &ndash 11 June 1950 was an Irish journalist biographer author poet and Protestant nationalist Politician and William Archer Redmond DSO (1886 &ndash 17 April 1932 was the son of John Redmond, the Irish nationalist politician and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Daniel Desmond Sheehan, usually known as D D Sheehan ( 28 May 1873 &ndash 28 November 1948) was an Irish nationalist Tom Kettle. Thomas Michael "Tom" Kettle ( 9 February 1880 - 9 September 1916) was an Irish journalist Barrister, writer
He was commissioned as a captain in the Royal Irish Regiment, with whom he had served 33 years before, at the age of 53. He went to France on the Western Front with the 16th (Irish) Division in the winter of 1915–16 and was soon in action, winning a mention in dispatches from Sir Douglas Haig. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining Field Marshal Douglas Haig 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, The Easter Rising of 1916 shattered him, as he seemed to realise that the tide was turning away from constitutionalism. The Easter Rising (Éirí Amach na Cásca was a rebellion staged in Ireland in Easter Week, 1916 He gained his Majority on 15 July 1916 but this promoted him away from the action much to his displeasure. Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year
Redmond was convinced that the shared experience of the trenches was bringing Protestant and Catholic Irishmen together and overcoming the differences between Unionists and Nationalists. In December 1916, he told his friend Arthur Conan Doyle: "It would be a fine memorial to the men who have died so splendidly if we could, over their graves, build up a bridge between North and South. Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the I have been thinking a lot about this lately in France - no one could help doing so when one finds that the two sections from Ireland are actually side by side holding the trenches!"
When on leave he made a moving parliamentary speech in March 1917 defending Ireland’s involvement and sacrifice in the war, demanding that England introduce the suspended Home Rule Act. The speech concluded: "In the name of God, we here who are about to die, perhaps, ask you to do that which largely induced us to leave our homes; to do that which our mothers and fathers taught us to long for; to do that which is all we desire; make our country happy and contented, and enable us, when we meet the Canadians and the Australians and the New Zealanders side by side in the common cause and the common field, to say to them: 'our country, just as yours, has self-government within the Empire'. "
On 4th June 1917, three days before his death, at a dinner organised by officers of the 7th Leinsters, he made a speech in which he 'prayed for the consumption of peace between North and South'. The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians was an Irish Infantry Regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the
He was as obsessed as Pearse with the idea of a blood sacrifice for Ireland, confiding to an old friend before he returned to the front "I’m going back to get killed". Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig Pearse; Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais An Piarsach; 10 November 1879 &ndash 3 May 1916 was a teacher barrister He believed that by serving together in the trenches the Unionist and Nationalist traditions could be reconciled and was convinced that Irish Protestants would thereby come to accept Home Rule.
Death
During preparations in Belgium for the Battle of Messines Redmond, by now 56 years old, succeeded in obtaining special permission to join his battalion, returning to his beloved 'A' Company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, the night before the planned assault of 7 June 1917. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Battle of Messines was a battle of the western front of World War I. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year During that night Redmond visited every company of the 6th Battalion and, according to his commanding officer Major Charles Taylor, 'spoke to every man'. The Irish troops of the 16th and 36th divisions advanced shoulder to shoulder in the great attack on the Messines Ridge towards the small village of Wytschaete (now Wijtschate) next to Messines. Upon going over the top Redmond, one of the first out of the trenches and leading his men, was hit almost immediately in the wrist and then, when hit in the leg, could do no more than urge his men on. Stretcher bearers of the 36th (Ulster) Division, notably Private John Meeke of the 11th Inniskillings, who was himself wounded, brought him in and eventually he reached the Casualty Clearing Station at the Catholic Hospice at Locre (now Loker) in Dranoutre where he died that afternoon - almost certainly from shock. The 36th (Ulster Division was a division of Lord Kitchener's New Army formed in September 1914 The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish Infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling Loker (unofficial French Locre) is a Small Village in the Belgian province of West Flanders, and a part (" Flanders (Vlaanderen Flandre Flandern is a geographical region located in parts of present day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.
His death caused grief world-wide and made more international impact than any other British Empire fatality in the Great War. Almost all the newspapers in Britain and Ireland, both local and national, reported his death. His wife and his brother John Redmond received over 400 messages of sympathy from all parts of the British Empire and beyond. John Edward Redmond (Seán Éamonn Mac Réamoinn (1 September 1856 &ndash 6 March 1918 was an Irish nationalist Politician, Barrister, MP Among the people who paid tribute to his memory were the Unionist MP Sir Edward Carson and the poet Francis Ledwidge. Edward Henry Carson Baron Carson, PC, Kt, KC (often known as Sir Edward Carson or Lord Carson) ( Francis Ledwidge (19 August 1887 - 31 July 1917 was an Irish Poet from County Meath, sometimes known as the "poet of the blackbirds" killed Irish Major-General William Hickie paid the tribute that Redmond's "presence within the Division and his affection for it were a great asset to me". Sir William Bernard Hickie (21 May 1865 &ndash 3 November 1950 was an Irish born Major General of the British Army and an Irish nationalist The French Government posthumously awarded him the Legion of Honour. He was buried nearby in a single grave which stands on its own outside the Locre Hospice Cemetery where men of his brigade are buried. The men of the Ulster Division made a donation of £100 to a memorial fund for him and formed a Guard of Honour at his grave.
Willie Redmond was the 'Grand Old Man of the Irish Division' and the most typical representative figure of the Irish nationalists who fought in the 1914-18 war. His 'lonely grave' is emblematic of the distance and alienation most Irish Catholics continue to feel for their fellow countrymen who chose to take part in the war.
The local people of Loker continue to attend to his symbolic grave with great respect, organising Commemorations, the last in 1987 and 1997, refusing to allow the grave to be moved. Redmond's Bar, an 'Irish' pub in Loker is named after him.
In the town of Wexford there is a bust of him in Redmond Park which was formally opened as a memorial to him in 1931 in the presence of a large crowd including many of his old friends and comrades and political representatives from all parts of Ireland. Wexford (derived from Old Norse Veisafjǫrðr (in some sources spelled "Waes Fiord" – veisa meaning "mudflat stagnant pool"
All Irishmen who died in the war are commemorated at the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Dublin and the Island of Ireland Peace Park, Messines, Belgium. The Irish National War Memorial Gardens (Gairdíní Náisiúnta Cuimhneacháin Cogaidh na hÉireann is an Irish War memorial in Dublin dedicated "to Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. The Island of Ireland Peace Park and its surrounding park (Páirc Síochána d'Oileán na h'Éireann also called the Irish Peace Park or Irish Peace Tower in
Fictional Reference
The novel 'A Long Long Way' by the Irish author Sebastian Barry was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2005. Sebastian Barry (b 5 July 1955, Dublin) is an Irish Playwright, Novelist, and Poet. The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known in short as the Booker Prize, is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length Novel It is a historical novel dealing with the experiences of a private in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the First World War. The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was an Irish Infantry Regiment of the British Army, one of eight Irish regiments raised and garrisoned Although Willie Redmond does not appear in it as a character, he is referred to several times. Part Three of the novel includes the reactions of the characters to his final speech in Parliament, his presence with the soldiers in the front line and the shock of the news of his death in action.
Writings
- W. H. K. Redmond, Through the New Commonwealth, Dublin, 1906
- William Hoey Kearney Redmond, Trench pictures from France, A. Melrose, 1917
References
- Terence Denman, A lonely Grave - The Life and Death of William Redmond, Dublin: (Irish Academic Press)
- Sebastian Barry, A Long Long Way, London: (Faber and Faber Ltd)
- Tom Burke MBE, A Guide to the Battlefield of Wijtschate - June 1917, The Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association, ISBN 0-9550418-1-3, (pub June 2007)
Great War Memorials
- Irish National War Memorial Gardens, Dublin. The Irish National War Memorial Gardens (Gairdíní Náisiúnta Cuimhneacháin Cogaidh na hÉireann is an Irish War memorial in Dublin dedicated "to
- Island of Ireland Peace Park Messines, Belgium. The Island of Ireland Peace Park and its surrounding park (Páirc Síochána d'Oileán na h'Éireann also called the Irish Peace Park or Irish Peace Tower in
- Menin Gate Memorial Ypres, Belgium. The Menin Gate Memorial at the Eastern exit of the Town of Ypres (known as "Ieper" in Dutch) in Flanders, Belgium
External links
- Maj. W H K Redmond, The Western Front Association
- Review of Trench Pictures from France
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission Casualty details
- Locre Hospice Cemetery
- Department of the Taoiseach - Irish Soldiers in the First World War
Political offices
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Timothy Michael Healy | MP for Wexford Borough 1883–1885 | Succeeded by Abolished |
| Preceded by New creation | MP for Fermanagh North 1885–1892 | Succeeded by Richard Martin Dane |
| Preceded by Joseph Richard Cox | MP for Clare East 1892–1917 | Succeeded by Éamon de Valera |
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