Martin Galvin (MG) and Jim Sullivan (JS) are in the studio and discuss the resolution on the 1916 Societies’ One Ireland One Vote initiative which passed unanimously at the recently concluded Ancient Order of Hibernians national convention. TPQ transcriber now operates The Transcripts where Radio Free Eireann and other areas of interest will be covered.
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(begins time stamp ~ 7:45)
JS: But the main thing that was done at this convention was, as Martin was just saying, is one of the resolutions that were put up. Do you want to speak further on that?
MG: Well Jim, what had happened is there has been a resolution in the works for some time – there was an issue or question that some Hibernians had – people like you, Jim, like Vic Sackett, others would go to Hibernian events, try to get signatures on the One Ireland One Vote petition, try to promote forums, the idea of a national vote throughout all of Ireland. Particularly in 1918, and in two years we’re going to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of that important election throughout all of Ireland, where the vast majority of people voted for one Ireland and of course the British partitioned the country.
But you’ve heard about the 1916 (Societies) One Ireland One Vote resolution. At this convention a resolution had been drafted as far back as February and March. Jim, you had done a great job with Greg-Seán Canning, Ciaran Geraghty, the leader of the Freedom for All Ireland Committee (FFAI) in New York. Greg-Séan Canning, one of the leaders of Freedom for All Ireland Committee on a national basis, and others. Vic Sackett had done a great job lobbying on this resolution. And the resolution passed unanimously. And what is does is simply say that it encourages Hibernians, it commends this One Ireland One Vote initiative. It says that it’s something that Hibernians can get behind and support – it doesn’t knock out anything else or it’s not exclusive – but it says that this is something that Hibernians should appreciate, should support, should build support for, have, promote forum, debates about One Ireland One Vote because that promotes support for an all-Ireland referendum and for a united Ireland.
And now whenever someone like you, Jim, someone like Vic Sackett, somebody else goes to a table at an Hibernian event they can now say: Yes! This has the full approval of the Hibernians, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, because it was endorsed, unanimously, at a national convention.
JS: Martin, you’re forgetting yourself, too. You were strategically involved in this and another one was a co-chairman, a national chairman of the FFAI, was Paul Gowdy.
MG: And I want to mention in addition to the resolution and everybody who worked, and had been working for months – there were position papers, there were resolutions that were drafted, circulated around which led to this – this was a big success but it took a lot of time. During the convention there was a table I know, Jim, you and your wife, I met her for the first time, and she was at a table. Vic Sackett manned the table, or personed the table, and of course Helen McClafferty and Declan Swift were both there at the convention distributing petitions, distributing literature and hand-outs and they did a great job. And we were able to point people to that table outside and people signed the petition, took the literature and many people wanted, asked about it, they want to go back to their local areas and build support for this. So it was a great success for the One Ireland One Vote initiative and for the 1916 Societies. And Jim, you and Vic and Helen and Declan and your wife and everybody involved with this who got support for it – this is going to be a springboard to something throughout the country. So I want to congratulate the 1916 Societies in Ireland and the committee in New York on that initiative, on getting that resolution passed.
(ends time stamp ~ 11:15)
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