Fianna Fáil Tulla Centenary Celebration

0:00But we're kicking off this hour of the show by looking ahead to this weekend when Fina Fall and E.S. Claire will mark a very significant milestone, 100 years of political and community involvement in the area. Special centenary celebrations take place on Saturday evening in Knok Naguiha and Tuller with the look back at the people and events that have shaped local political life over the past century and the evening will also feature a special presentation on Aime and Devilera, who was first elected in E.S. Claire back in 1918. So to tell us more about the centenary celebrations and the history behind them, I'm joined in studio by the vice chair of E.S. Claire Fina Fall. That's PJ Conningham and on the line we have Neil O'Donovan, who'll be presenting on the history of both the party and Aime and Devilera on the day in question. So you're both very welcome to the show and PJ. I'll come to yourself first. I mean, this is quite a milestone, a century of Fina Fall political and community involvement in the E.S. Claire area. What does a centenary like this mean when you look back at the history of the organization

1:02locally? I mean, you look back at it locally. I mean, if you, you see it, they said that without having Devilera, you wouldn't have been a fall. And E.S. Claire, the first people to recognize Devilera and the talent that he had. And from there, once they were formed, you know, if you look at it locally and nationally, I mean, locally, when we came less insular, which Sean and Mass on that here, with the geology of the Shannon Duster, the state, your Shannon airport, and these raw reasons, but he's Claire itself has been the rock bedrock of Fina Fall. Even to this day, we still have a minister there in Timmy Dulley. And we have three excellent counsellors and a club crowd on the lot. So basically, it's, it's, it has been good for you, Claire. And his Claire has been good to Fina Fall. But I suppose the, what you're going to be commemorating, it's not just the party, it's, it's the, you know, for your, your kind of lane out the case for Fina Fall, having a strong presence in not just E.S. Claire, but the county at large. That comes about through the dedication of party, local party members and people.

2:03Yes. And they'll be celebrated as well. Well, yes, we're also celebrating everyone who has represented the, the county, some of the foundation, the counsellors, the CDs, all those, the past present. Not a lot of them are dead. Probably good to them, but they'll be all remembered and commemorated on the night as well. Plus, we have a, I mean, a Queen, Devs grandson down to us, our guest of honor. So we have a broad range of, of celebration and the night. We also have a very, with a very young committee at the moment, actually, which is a great sign. I mean, we take me out of it. And the rest of them, I tell about between 20 and 40, which is a great sign that the youthers are still with us and coming in and helping out as officers. Okay, very good. And let's bring Neil in at this point. And Neil, you've a, a big job ahead of you on the night because I take it, given a presentation on the history of being a father, a name and devil area, if you were to do those individually, you know, planting material to choose from. It's probably going to be hard to know what include, what to leave out.

3:04Absolutely. That's the problem. You know, you know, you live in the middle of 92 years of age. And that's what the presentation will farm a timeline. It's very visual. It's based on PowerPoint. And it's, I'll just talk to that time and trim and develop a life really. And I suppose it would be excellent to play together revolutionary and statement aspects, which are right. I mean, the issue with it is to edit it really down to, you know, something that's made in half an hour. I mean, you could each, each those topics revolutionary, you could talk for an hour and develop a loan. And I mean, these representations are clear. If you could easily do an hour. So yeah, it's interesting. It's a farmer that walks. It's a very visual. And it focused on the key aspects, but again, we'll be focusing on players, you know, an amateur player and obviously of the one county in Ireland. There's a series ties there, you know, back from when he was elected in 1917. And I mean, you fought to the first three lessons of Washington, failed 1917, 18 and 22. And then, for the fall, as Peter mentioned, for 12 elections, he was constantly electors.

4:08And then, right to the presidency for two as well. So that's 17 elections. He was elected primarily in clear. And I think when you look at that, it's remarkable really because that's 56 years of consecutive being electors. Yeah, that's an incredible, incredible track record. So I wish you well and trying to cover all of that because it'd be one thing. It was just the man and the history of the party, but his, his election, his first election in East Claire was an extraordinary moment for Irish political history. Can you just bring us back Neil and I guess remind listeners the circumstances surrounding that election 108 years ago and what, what devil is victory represented? Well, I suppose it, you know, which is study and I suppose the primarily do a study that period myself. And the well-trodden fact that I'm in the bloodline in the volunteers as exception 19, totally in the rotunda. And then, you know, it'd been in more than 15, 19, 16.

5:09But, you know, so he was one dependent figures left. But possibly a reluctant politician, some respects initially. But so 1917 then, I mean, he was, he found out he's been nominated for Claire on the board back from England after being released. You know, so that's the state he was. And remarkably in that year as well, he was led the leader of Sinn Fein and Irish volunteers. So the two prime organizations in the country, like you must remember, up to that redmond and the party, the Irish party were really dominating. The supposed to numbers of employees at that stage, bought into all the violent. And this was, I mean, a shock to the whole system really that in 1917, these care elected em and devilera for a quite a majority really, even more than two to one. And that really, the impact that that was felt the nixio nationwide when the 1918 elections, the whole country, more or less, far if you pocket zero in there, elected Sinn Fein nationally.

6:11And that gave it, in effect, gave the whole thing the, the, I mean, you know, from the best way they started again, the popularity of after 1860 and really they felt like we have a mandate now. And from there on, but again, care led that in some respects, and by given the em and devilera that majority. And I mean, there's some great forces there outside in this quarters. The em and devilera can be speech with TV honan. And the mathematical thing was in my studio of this, I suppose really, I've done other counties as well. Care is very different in that when Finn Fowl came into being, the organization was already there from 1917, 1822. So really, they were laid on a main center to a center's after center, my partner center, calmly TV honan and TD's Pat Hoonan, Matt and sex to Sean O'Gradio and Pugia Luckin. And these were all involved in the revolutionary struggle in care. East, mid and the West precaise. And so that's, that's where it's clear, it's quite unique with your study. It's an outlier really in that the organization,

7:12the inner fall of the nation was more or less there overnight really. Whereas in other areas, it had to be kind of built up and you can see that, which is remarkable. And again, that's, I think we should mention devilera, you know, Finn Fowl and devilera are totally intertwined, obviously at that stage. I suppose aside from hearing, you know, the fascinating to presentation on the party and devilera, it will be a display of photos and historical memorabilia. I'm sure there were great efforts made, Neil, in terms of gathering all that together. What could give us a bit of insight into what people can, can look at over the weekend. Yeah, well, I suppose we've, there's a lot of representatives, which we have a, actually, physical display open doors and we've taken each, got the photographs for all. And you give me a bit of profile then at what they were and what they were involved and what they achieved as well. So that's done by, and again, it's quite unique and it's in that you've two prisons. You've had a piece, TD, Sanitras and the killer and, and the members of the county councils.

8:15But also we've gathered the photos, we're back from whatever different memorabilia. And these have gone up all point presentation on, you know, display trope tonight. And this is getting back down to the grassroots, really. The common meetings they call our counter meetings. And all the meetings up along as far back as we can go. And it's involved the members really all along at different aspects. What are the meetings, conventions, promising and all aspect of that we cover. And then we just a presentation of one should evening. And, you know, and that to me is the half of this. That's we want to, that's what the celebrations about is bringing the odd begin to meet each other again. And as future mentors, the committee there and that's great to see. And just get them to meet the ordinary people all through all these care. And I'm sure there'll be other parts of clear evidence in there as well. So that would be a very visual. And it's and that's what it's about really putting the background to the members themselves. Okay. So there's going to be plenty happening, PJ. And, you know, we mentioned earlier on that the, the, the, the, the, the volunteers, the past current counselors and so on

9:18will be remembered, but and will be acknowledged. But there'll be plenty of them there as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'll, we have three fabulous councils of the moment in councils, our color and, uh, his and, and, and no brain. Does this also to me is, is he's clear to me, do you see his clear? Carly's down the road just over the border. He's a bit like myself because it's thrown around from post-apidab and that's a little electoral boundary. Yeah. We're, we're in Shannon, but he's the Shannon MD, but we're, we're, we're southeast. We're east. Yeah. You're southeast. Yeah. You're southeast. You're south. You're just awesome. To be part of it. I mean, we were always in this sort of, I mean, Quinn was divided. But, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, as, as Nina said, it's about the ordinary member coming in and, and seeing the history of the part, they see what they did, but they did in tough times, you know, we know what they, given, you know, I was, I said, an incident, kind of a state we were all just farming and looking forward to that. This is what I love about that. I'm a contra that to the nation we have become. And I want just one aside, this I think is the, the anniversary of the free education.

10:23Free education was first moved about Patti Hillary when he was minutes of education. Don't I got the credit for it because he made an announcement. It's very, how he made an announcement when there was nobody listening. I mean, the finance minister was out of the country and he just announced it, but just feature Hillary did that. And he'll see feature, that's his, that's what I think was a game changer for our society in a way. Of course, we had the recent, and we talked about on the show, remember himself, Donut O'Malley, and the fact that he unfortunately passed away in six mile bridge. Something that strikes me, PJ, is, you know, Fina Foll for so long known as the Republican Party. And I think it's kind of the issues come to the fore again with Donald Trump. Some would say maybe rather mischievously saying he'd like to see United Ireland. Your party leader has been criticized perhaps even for within the party of moving away from the Republican Party element of your outlook. And I suppose affording Fina Gale and parties like that. And obviously, she's in vain to, you know, talk about ambitions for United Ireland.

11:27The T-Shirt very much is pushing the Shared Islands initiative. Yeah. For more, for newer members of the party who may be have only known the Meal Martin years and maybe not as intensely Republican. Well, first of all, I suppose what do you make of that perception from some people? Is it correct? Is it incorrect? Is it a wide to the mark? And also will this be an opportunity at the weekend for people to be aware of the party's Republican roots? Well, you see again, Donald's question, what is Republican? You know, if you go back to the worst tone, the ideal Republican, wasn't he? We had the quality of people. He had, well, it was a liberty of quality for Donald Trump. You know, so if that's, we have moved from a lot. We have moved. We moved continuously. That's what Kepa's calling. But he has moved. And I think that we said, talk of United Ireland drives him bananas. Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that. But I'd say, I would like to see United Ireland. I don't know if I've seen my lifetime, but I would like to see United Ireland. But the Shared Island is what you have to go for. There's no point just United States and the United Ireland. I have more violence and things like that.

12:28You need the Shared Island. You need to get the knot on site. You need to get the Unionist on site. You know, I was, I was at a wedding years upon the knot. And the guy said to me, I can't use that subset. And I said, I said, no, I said, no, he said, can you? And I said, no, he said, I'm from here. He said, don't to a house, as the tenetalists will be dancing. He said, I am politically British. I am nationally Irish. And if you can get, if you can keep get that across in a bit of a rattle sense, I think you would have a lot of the United Ireland thing. You know, Shared, do you think the work of the Shared Island initiative perhaps needs to be expedited? It does. The progress needs to happen a lot quicker than it feels like we could be waiting a century or more for, you know, but some would say maybe that's what it's going to take, what it's going to take. But if there is that sense that sometimes events can just happen, yeah, that that work needs to be a bit further down the road. Yeah, but that's the sort of, I think it would the good strategy agreement was signed. I think that should have been a time limit

13:30put on the referendum. There should have certainly within 30 years there would be a bar to call. I know, I may be clarifying the conditions, not, you know, the secretary of state. Yeah. What is it that the secretary of state needs to see? It was left, I don't know. Does that have a way to that just to see? Yeah, but a bit more clarity maybe. Maybe that was what was needed in 1998 to get it across the line, but it has created this this quandary now. For anyone who wants to head along at the weekend, how can they do so? Just come up to quite a good way here in Tuller. If I've been coming, sit down, we'll be there. To welcome you, you can have a coffee tea in the hall afterwards and we'll have a chat and we'll have a session. Just generally celebrate what we have achieved over the last 200 years. And as a metadata, can I just thank me, he has been fantastic. The staff in the Clancy Library who pull up our dozen their days on end, they still didn't come together like that. There were three of us in there for two days in a row, four days, and think that people like that will have just, you know, don't even realise

14:30they're probably helped us with their help just enormously. And of course our committee and our chairman, Christy Kelly, who has been invited to the FDF's intuitive work commitments, he has played a blinder in this as well. So I just wanted to get that in. There you go, Neil. It sounds very much like you were putting the hardjards in, doing your homework and research for this weekend. Yeah, but it's been enjoyable. I have been enjoyable and I'm a temporary man myself, but it's been, I've done similar here, but it's been great to see that the contrast the difference are the similarities as well, you know, and that, but it's given me myself actually a great insight in the development area because as you mentioned earlier, you have to do, you know, there's on team books and routines, you know, documents and things about the development area. And that's given me a great insight and, you know, hopefully I think this timeline walks for everyone really. In that it's quite easy to follow. And again, I think the intent is to put it up online after. So people you can look at it and again, look at it, you know, as it are, the forwarder this phase is now. As Peter said, a lot of effort is going into this, so there's no point just having it a one night.

15:32I think we'll, you know, put it up online maybe after forever to see and celebrate as well. And that's, but yeah, it's been for me personally. As a historian, it's been very enjoyable doing it and a great insight to Claire. Okay, we do have to leave with the Arabians. Thank you very much, Neil O'Donovan and PJ Conner. Thank you as well, PJ, for joining us on the show to chat about the centenary celebrations from Finafall and East Claire Happing in Tuller this weekend.