The
First Irish Race Congress in South America
By
Carolina Barry
Published in The Southern Cross Vol. 129 N° 5883
(January 2004)
Translated by Maggie O'Reilly
During
the intense negotiations between Dáil Eireann President
Eamon DeValera and British PM Lloyd George, a call was made
to organize the first International Irish Race Congress,
to be held in Paris in January 1922
in compliance with the strategy of making pubic the
violence of the war. The initiator of the congress was Thomas
Hughes Kelly from New York, who declared that 'Ireland's
future is not limited to its geographic boundaries. She
gave away to the world her strongest and most trustworthy
sons. Now we compensate her with our support, which is the
first offspring of that prolific seed' [El Boletín Irlandés,
Buenos Aires, 24 December 1921]. In order to prepare the
international congress and to unify strategies, it was firstly
necessary to organize the Irish communities in all countries
in which they were settled. During
1921, with the purpose of gaining support to the Irish
demand for a Republic, the Irish government sent special
missions to South Africa, South America, Australia, New
Zealand, Russia, and the US [Dáil Éireann Report on
Foreign Affairs, Dublin, 26 April 1922]. Thus, Laurence
Ginnell arrived at Buenos Aires as a representative of
the Irish Republic to co-operate with Eamon Bulfin, who
was the first envoy. Ginnell contacted members of the
Irish community and worked to make public the state of
affairs in Ireland. Ginnell also made great efforts to
motivate and organize the Argentines of Irish ancestry.
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'Once
it became known that the treaty had been signed,
no Irish Republican Bond could be sold. And once
Dáil Eireann had adopted the treaty, the Republic
was universally regarded as at an end.'
[Ginnell to Gavan Duffy 4 March 1922, writing from
Hospital Maria Morgan, San Antonio de Areco, where
Ginnell was confined due to sickness].
Maria Clara Morgan Hospital in San Antonio de Areco,
donated by Margarita Morgan in 1900. |
News
arriving from Ireland in Argentina generated support from
such prominent representatives of the affluent Irish-Argentine
community as the Irish Argentine White Cross. Following
Ginnell's proposal, on 29 November 1921 the first Irish
Race Congress in South America was held in Buenos Aires.
Over 50 Irish-Argentine organisations sent their representatives
to this Congress, and they founded a new Federation. Ginnell
addressed the meeting and spoke about the following points:
1.
Lack of organization in the Irish-Argentine community,
2. The future place of Ireland in the world,
3. The friendly support of Argentina, and
4. The peace strategy of Ireland
Ginnell
expressed his favourable impression of the Argentine people
and of their friendship towards Ireland. However, he was
surprised by their 'almost complete lack of knowledge
about Irish life. Your deficient organization would not
help to support the human ideal of freedom, and would
not maintain your distinct and valued identity' [El
Boletín Irlandés, Buenos Aires, 10 December 1921].
He also acknowledged the 65 Argentine priests that in
All Souls' Day celebrated masses for the heroes executed
in Ireland: 'This was the most sacred and warm expression
from one nation to the other, for the first time in the
life of the Argentine Republic. This tribute was never
ever dedicated to, or pleaded for by any other foreign
nation. Yet if this was solicited by a certain powerful
empire, it wouldn't be easily be granted. It was an expression
that cannot be bought by empire money, and which cannot
be voided or destroyed by that empire' [El Boletín
Irlandés, Buenos Aires, 10 December 1921].
During
the meeting a decision was adopted to report to the Congress
in Paris the activities performed by the Irish in South
America. Additionally, a grant of £50 per annum was established
to students of Spanish language in the National University
of Ireland. This would serve as a cultural link between
Ireland and Argentina, with the hope that 'this link will
flourish and be of advantage.' Many committees were established,
including one to sponsor the Irish Loan in Argentina.
At
the closing of the meeting five delegates were elected
to represent Argentina in the International Irish Race
Congress. Also, representatives were elected to represent
Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Peru.
The
first Irish Race Congress in South America achieved its
goals thanks to people like Laurence Ginnell, who journeyed
among the Irish abroad to seek their support for independence.
The meeting was adjourned, and a message was telegrammed
to the President of Ireland: DeValera, Mansion House,
Dublin, Ireland. 'First Irish-Argentine Congress presents
honours, support. Delegates appointed Paris.'
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Laurence
Ginnell (1852-1923)
Born in Delvin, Co. Westmeath, graduated in Law,
author of The Doubtful Grant of Ireland, a book
about the illegality of Pope Adrian's Bull allowing
for the Norman Invasion of Ireland. Elected in
1906 to the British Parliament for North Westmeath,
he was the first Sinn Féin MP. In 1905
he was expelled from the Irish Parliamentary Party
for the offence of asking to see the party accounts.
Known as 'The Member for Ireland'. In 1917 Ginnell
resigned his seat in the House of Commons. He
became the first, and only, MP to move from constitutional
nationalism to republican separatism. Soon afterwards
he joined Sinn Féin and was elected joint
Treasurer. Jailed in early 1918, for inciting
cattle driving in Westmeath. At the end of the
six month sentence he was re-arrested and interned
in England until the end of the 1918. On release
he demanded an apology from the governor for his
'wanton imprisonment'. Elected to the First Dáil
he was appointed Minister for Propaganda, a position
he held for only 4 months until his arrest in
May 1919 when he was jailed again, for unlawful
assembly. The Dáil gave him the task of
raising the Republican Loan and he spent a short
period in Argentina as a delegate of the Irish
Republic - effectively an Irish ambassador (25
July 1921 through April 1922). He returned to
Ireland fearing the advent of partition, which
he had spoken against as early as 1917, and determined
to fight to prevent it. He took the Republican
side in the Civil War. He fought his last, as
an Anti-Treaty candidate, in 1922 and was again
elected in North Westmeath. In late 1922 he was
sent to America to assist in co-ordinating Republican
work there. He was reportedly very upset at developments
in the Irish Civil War, and was increasingly incapacitated
by his declining health. In 1923 he wrote a book
entitled The Seventh year of the Republic: A Defence
of Erskine Childers. It was to be his final political
act. He died in a Washington Hotel on April 17th
1923 [Glennon, Mags, Laurence Ginnell: 'The Member
for Ireland]. |
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