This book is the first comprehensive history of the Redmond political dynasty, its connections to Waterford and its contribution to national and local politics. For sixty years the Redmonds, John, his son William Archer and his daughter-in-law Bridget, dominated the politics of Waterford City. From 1891 to 1922, a Redmond represented Waterford at Westminster, and from 1923 until the death of Bridget Redmond in 1952, in Leinster House. John Redmond forged a bond with the people of Waterford, especially the workers there, a bond which transferred to William and to Bridget. In November 1891, John Redmond triumphed in a bitter electoral struggle in Waterford city against no less an opponent than Michael Davitt. He retained that seat and the loyalty of the people in Waterford until his death in 1918. Against the rising tide of Sinn FÃ?Â?Ã?Â(c)in, John's son William held the seat in a by-election in March 1918 and again in the General Election in December that year. That victory was the only one won by the Irish Parliamentary Party in the South of Ireland - a testimony to the enduring bond between the Redmonds and Waterford. After his sudden death in 1932 he was succeeded by his widow, Bridget. Her election was noteworthy at a time when the selection of the widow as a candidate was not the almost automatic choice it later became. This wide-ranging study offers a new insight into the political career of John Redmond and for the first time tells the story of William and Bridget Redmond. [Subject: 19th & 20th C. Studies, History, Irish Studies, Politics, Biography]

Drawing on an impressive array of sources, author Pat McCarthy has produced the first comprehensive history of County Waterford during the turbulent and extraordinary years of the Irish Revolution. He reveals what life was like for the ordinary men, women, and children of city and county during a period that witnessed world war and domestic political and social strife. As the home constituency of John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, Waterford city shared in his apparent triumph between 1912 and 1914 when he was on the cusp of achieving home rule. The city faithfully supported his wartime policies and benefited from the consequent economic boom. On Redmond's death, that loyalty was transferred to his son amid bitter political violence. After the general election of 1918, Captain William Redmond described his Waterford city constituency, the only one outside Ulster to return an Irish Party MP, as 'an oasis in the political desert that is Ireland.' Waterford city's allegiance to the Redmonds, its support for the British war effort, and a strong labor movement combined to make the city a social and political battleground. By contrast, County Waterford reflected the nationwide trend and was swept along by the rising Sinn Fein tide. It also participated actively in the War of Independence. In 1922 and 1923, both city and county were convulsed by the Civil War and bitter labor disputes. This wide-ranging study offers fascinating new perspectives on Waterford during the Irish Revolution. (Series: Irish Revolution, 1912-23) [Subject: History, Irish Studies, Politics]

Dramatic and immersive, Redmond is a provocative reassessment of John Redmond, Home Rule campaigner and one of Ireland's most brilliant political minds.'A vivid portrayal of one of the great political campaigns in Irish history.' Stephen Collins, Political Editor, The Irish TimesRedmond brings to life seven pivotal years in Irish history, when the campaign for Home Rule seized the imagination of a nation and brought Ireland to the brink of a negotiated settlement with Britain. The architect of this campaign was John Redmond, the shrewd and assured leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party.Opening with euphoric scenes on Dublin's O'Connell St when tens of thousands assembled in support of Home Rule, Redmond charts the Irish Party leader's path from power broker in the British parliament in 1910, when Home Rule for Ireland seemed a fait accompli, to public enemy by 1917, when, in the wake of World War I, Irish nationalist politics migrated from the parliamentary chamber to the barricade.Redmond succeeds in weaving a complex portrait of a forgotten hero of Irish politics and the personalities – from Churchill to Carson, de Valera to Lloyd George – who aided and, ultimately, frustrated his life's work.'At last, a biography that recognises the role played by Redmond in the creation of modern Ireland. Chris Dooley brings the man and his times vividly to life in this excellent account. Full of intelligence and sympathy, it is a book that deserves to be read by anyone who wants to understand how our country came into being.'Fergal Keane, BBC'A gripping story which skilfully weaves considerable research and telling details to illuminate the story of Redmond and Home Rule.'David McCullagh, RTÉ

Drawing on an impressive array of sources, Pat McCarthy has produced the first comprehensive history of Co. Waterford during the turbulent and extraordinary years of the Irish Revolution. He reveals what life was like for the ordinary men, women and children of city and county during a period that witnessed world war and domestic political and social strife. As the home constituency of John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, Waterford city shared in his apparent triumph between 1912 and 1914 when he was on the cusp of achieving home rule. The city faithfully supported his wartime policies and benefitted from the consequent economic boom. On Redmond's death, that loyalty was transferred to his son amid bitter political violence. After the general election of 1918, Captain William Redmond described his Waterford city constituency, the only one outside Ulster to return an Irish Party MP, as 'an oasis in the political desert that is Ireland'. Waterford city's allegiance to the Redmonds, its support for the British war effort and a strong labour movement combined to make the city a social and political battleground. By contrast, Waterford county reflected the nationwide trend and was swept along by the rising Sinn Féin tide. It also participated actively in the War of Independence. In 1922 and 1923, both city and county were convulsed by the Civil War and bitter labour disputes. This wide-ranging study offers fascinating new perspectives on Waterford during the Irish Revolution.

Waterford harbour has centuries of tradition based on its extensive fishery and maritime trade. Steeped in history, customs and an enviable spirit, it was there that Andrew Doherty was born and raised amongst a treasure chest of stories spun by the fishermen, sailors and their families. As an adult he began to research these accounts and, to his surprise, found many were based on fact. In this book, Doherty will take you on a fascinating journey along the harbour, introduce you to some of its most important sites and people, the area's history, and some of its most fantastic tales. Dreaded press gangs who raided whole communities for crew, the search for buried gold and a ship seized by pirates, the horror of a German bombing of the rural idyll during the Second World War – on every page of this incredible account you will learn something of the maritime community of Waterford Harbour.

Unskilled urban workers made up the bulk of Irish volunteers who fought in the British army during the First World War, and Sir Roger Casement described them as being "not Irishmen but English soldiers". In this book, the case of an illiterate general laborer, born in 1876 in Waterford city, who enlisted in the 16th (Irish) Division is used to study the motivation of Catholics enlisting in the British army and to assess the credibility of Casement’s judgment which, the book argues, is too simplistic. The decision to enlist resulted from a complex range of external social, economic and political pressures to which men were subjected during the course of their lifetimes. These are examined in detail and arguments are supported with graphs, charts, tables and numerical calculations. The case of the men enlisting in the British army is considered from three perspectives: via a study of Waterford’s community as representative of the social, economic and political relationships of southern Ireland as a whole; through the presentation of ground-breaking evidence and analysis of more immediate reasons for enlistment; through an examination of why, having enlisted, Irishmen remained loyal to the British army and the 16th (Irish) Division in particular.