City & County Council commemorates centenary

As part of the ongoing programme for the Decade of Commemorations, Waterford City & County Council is hosting a number of events to mark the centenary of 1918 and the 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. This was followed by 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.

John Redmond and the Redmond family will be discussed over a weekend of commemoration in Waterford city on March 9th and 10th.

John Redmond and the Redmond family will be discussed over a weekend of commemoration in Waterford city on March 9th and 10th.


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 & County Council will host the following events in the Large Room at City Hall.
Friday, March 9th (6pm): A new by Dr Pat McCarthy, titled ‘The Redmonds and Waterford – A Political Dynasty 1891-1952’.
Saturday, March 10th (9am-5pm): A conference titled ‘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 at www.eventbrite.ie, by email at archivist@waterfordcouncil.ie or telephone (0761-10-2144).
Find more, visit http://www.waterfordcouncil.ie/departments/culture-heritage/commemorations.htm