John Redmond
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Chairman of the Irish Parliamentary Party · United Kingdom
On the regime page: Asquith government
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“I say to the Government that they may to-morrow withdraw every one of their troops from Ireland. I say that the coast of Ireland will be defended from foreign invasion by her armed sons, and for this purpose armed Nationalist Catholics in the South will be only too glad to join arms with the armed Protestant Ulstermen in the North.”
The day before Britain's ultimatum to Germany, Redmond, leader of the Irish Nationalist Party, spoke after Grey and referred to the two rival bodies of Volunteers then armed in Ireland, one in the North and one in the South.
John Redmond, speech in the House of Commons following Sir Edward Grey's statement on the European crisis, 3 August 1914, Hansard, HC Deb vol. 65, col. 1829 Source
“I certainly do not regard this settlement of the difficulty as a party triumph for my Friends or myself, and I shall certainly not represent it as a party triumph either in this House or in Ireland. It is nothing of the kind. It inflicts a severe disadvantage upon us.”
The Government proposed to place the Home Rule Act on the statute book but suspend its operation until the end of the war. Redmond replied to the Leader of the Opposition, who had said the Nationalists gained from the war.
John Redmond, speech on the Government of Ireland (Suspensory) Bill, House of Commons, 15 September 1914, Hansard, HC Deb vol. 66, col. 906 Source
“Wicklow Volunteers, in spite of the peaceful happiness and beauty of the scene in which we stand, remember this country at this moment is in a state of war, and your duty is twofold. The duty of the manhood of Ireland is twofold. Its duty is at all costs to defend the shores of Ireland from foreign invasion. It is a duty more than that of taking care that Irish valour proves itself on the field of war as it has always proved itself in the past.”
Redmond spoke at a parade of Volunteers in County Wicklow, urging them to serve in the war. His call for service outside Ireland was rejected by Volunteer leaders who opposed him, and the Volunteers split soon afterwards.
John Redmond, speech to Irish Volunteers at Woodenbridge, County Wicklow, 20 September 1914, text as reproduced by Cartlann (cartlann.org); the speech was reported in the Irish press on 21 September 1914 Source
“This outbreak, happily, seems to be over. It has been dealt with with firmness, which was not only right, but it was the duty of the Government to so deal with it. As the rebellion, or the outbreak, call it what you like, has been put down with firmness, I do beg the Government, and I speak from the very bottom of my heart and with all my earnestness, not to show undue hardship or severity to the great masses of those who are implicated, on whose shoulders there lies a guilt far different from that which lies upon the instigators and promoters of the outbreak.”
Spoken in the debate in which Augustine Birrell announced his resignation as Chief Secretary after the Easter Rising in Dublin, while courts-martial of the participants were under way. Redmond was the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party.
John Redmond, speech on the resignation of Mr. Birrell, House of Commons, 3 May 1916, Hansard, HC Deb vol. 82, col. 37 Source
“whether he is aware that the continuance of military executions in Ireland has caused rapidly increasing bitterness of exasperation amongst large sections of the population who have not the slightest sympathy with the insurrection; and whether, following the precedent set by General Botha in South Africa, he will cause an, immediate stop to be put to military executions?”
By 8 May 1916 military courts-martial had sentenced a number of the Easter Rising leaders to death and executions had begun. Redmond put the question to Asquith by private notice.
John Redmond, private notice question to the Prime Minister, House of Commons, 8 May 1916, Hansard, HC Deb vol. 82, col. 283 Source