Government of Ireland Bill

[Stuart Kelly]

The highly controversial Government of Ireland Bill was introduced by Prime Minister Asquith to the House of Commons on 11th April 1912, the day the Titanic left Queenstown. I often wonder if irish Home Rule would have been a subject in the minds of some aboard the Titanic or Olympic at that time.

 

[Inger Sheil]

Hallo, Stuart -

If you go to the Research Papers section of ET and read the piece 'A Tender Named America' by Senan Molony, you'll find that the Home Rule issue was very much on the mind of those embarking at Queenstown (Cobh). Most of these were pro-Home Rule, but at least one Irish emigrant on board, Morrow, had chosen to leave the country because of his strong Orange sympathies and distaste for the idea.

Given the amount of contemporary newspaper space devoted to the issue, I'd say that it wasn't only the Irish passengers who were discussing the hotly contested issue, either.

All the best,

Inger