Waterford in 1918 – A Centenary Commemoration
As part of an ongoing programme for the Decade of Commemorations, Waterford City and County Council are hosting a number of events to mark the centenary of 1918 and historic events that took place in Waterford.
1918 was a highly significant year in Waterford that saw the death of John Redmond (March 6th), a By-election that arose following his death (March 22nd) with continuing Redmondite support through the election of his son Captain William Redmond and a General Election in December 1918, the first general election to be held after the Representation of the People Act (February 6th ) which tripled the electorate and allowed women over 30 to vote for the first time in a general election.
In the general election Waterford was unique in that it was one of the few counties that returned a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party in the City with the re-election of Captain William Redmond while in the County the election was won in a landslide for Sinn Féin candidate Cathal Brugha. In essence, Waterford represented a microcosm of Ireland at that time in history in terms of the huge reduction but not complete expiration of support for the Irish Parliamentary Party and Home Rule and the huge rise in support for Sinn Féin and a new approach to gaining Irish independence.
To honour and remember John Redmond on the 100th anniversary of his death Waterford City and County Council will host the following events in the Large Room of City Hall.
- 9th March at 6pm 2018 Launch of a new book by Dr. Pat McCarthy, The Redmonds and Waterford – A Political Dynasty 1891-1952
- 10th March 9am-5pm 2018 Conference The Redmondite Tradition in Waterford.
Speakers include Professor Roy Foster, Dr. Pat McCarthy, Dr. Eugene Broderick, Dermot Meleady, Emmet O’Connor, Claire McGing and former Taoiseach, John Bruton. The conference is free to attend but pre-booking is required. To book a place at the conference please register on www.eventbrite.ie – The Redmondite Tradition in Waterford or by e-mail to archivist@waterfordcouncil.ie or telephone 0761 10 2144. Find more information on commemorations for the Decade of Centenaries in Waterford at http://www.waterfordcouncil.ie/departments/culture-heritage/commemorations.htm
