By Isle of Wight Observer
The Isle of Wight Observer published on 26th November 1921 gives a lengthy account of a lecture about Ireland, at the start of which Rev Simms outlines some of historical problems between England and Ireland, which had been united since 1801. The Irish Free State came into existence in 1922 following the Anglo-Irish treaty signed on December 6th, 1921; it became the Republic of Ireland in 1948.
CONCLUDING UNIVERSITY LECTURE
The Rev A. E. N. Simms gave his sixth and concluding lecture on Ireland in its relation to England at the Town Hall on Monday. There was again a good attendance. Following up his previous address on the Legislative Union he said it was passed without giving one thing that would have been acceptable, the King refusing to grant emancipation to Roman Catholics and admit them to seats in Parliament. English public opinion was not yet prepared to treat them, especially the Irish ones, as free citizens. However, they organised themselves led by a barrister of most consummate skill who in every possible way dodged all attempts of the Government to suppress the organisation he had formed. The Government tried to temporise, offering to give them emancipation if they could have choice of bishops and, whilst the Vatican agreed to it, the Church in Ireland would not. In 1832 came the passing of the Reform Bill, and from that time the Irish Nationalist Members had always voted for the extension of the franchise and one of the results of the admission of those men formed the relation between them and the democratic party in England. He passed on to what he termed the greatest crisis in the 19th century. The old standing difficulty was the tithe paid to the Established Church and in the thirties that became acute. William the Fourth had an Act passed to transfer the payment from the tenant to the landlord. The famine occurred in 1846 as the result of the failure of the potato crop. The population had increased from 4 to 8 millions and three fourths of a million died of starvation, and those who could not pay the landlords were evicted wholesale and the little agricultural holdings were turned into large ranches for cattle. Between 1849-56 over 50,000 families were evicted. Then the tide of emigration began again and under the most appalling circumstances of which they inherited a lasting memory and which accounted for the anti-British feeling of the Irish Americans. Everything then seemed to happen to bring a curse on Ireland, the Fenians’ attempt on Chester Castle, the blowing up of Clerkenwell Prison, the capture of some of their number in Manchester when a policeman was killed, and which led to what is known as the Manchester Martyrs.