A powerful story from 1919, and one I couldn’t resist. And it has a Wisconsin connection.
On January 21, 1919 the first Irish parliament, the Dàil Èireann (DOYLE air-ON) declares independence from Britain. Their interim president Arthur Griffith can’t attend because he is in prison in the U.K. as a rebel leader of a rebel government.
The president of the Dàil Eamon De Valera is on tour in the U.S. to drum up support for the Irish cause. He passes through Wisconsin and meets with the Lac Courtes Oreilles Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa who grant him a title of honorary chief as “one oppressed nation to another.”
Back in Europe Arthur Griffith sends a memo from prison to the other members of the Dàil. He tells them to go to the Peace Conference in France and talk to everyone they can who will recognize the sovereignty of Ireland. He included lists of world diplomats and U.S. senators.
And further down he writes:
“Mobilise the poets…perhaps Yeats can use his muse for Ireland now.”
Inspired by the power and sincerity of this message, we found the name of our multi-disciplinary troupe. And it’s a song in After the War: 1919. We previewed it at The Foe and the Fallen last November.
SOURCES
BOOK
The Enigma of Arthur Griffith: “Father of Us All” by Colum Kenny
PODCAST
The Crack-Up: Ireland’s Quest for Self-Determination, with Christopher L. Pastore
ARTICLE
On This Day: President de Valera becomes honorary Native American chieftain – Irish Central
Written by: Ken Fitzsimmons
Ken Fitzsimmons has worked in music for 30 years, receiving a Bachelor of Music under the tutelage of jazz bass great Richard Davis, and an MBA from the Bolz Center of Arts Administration. He is the bassist in Milwaukee-based Little Blue Crunchy things and co-founder of the nationally touring Irish rock group The Kissers.
He has taught music privately for three decades and serves as the Education Director at Madison Music Foundry. In 2018 he was the Artistic Director for the multimedia “rock and roll history show” The Greatest War: World War One, Wisconsin, and Why It Still Matters produced in partnership with Four Seasons Theatre and Antishadows Theatrical Design.
