Delvin recalls the life of Laurence Ginnell

There"s been a huge rebirth in a love of history locally in recent months.On Saturday last, April 25, the people of Delvin gathered at the Smiling Bess gates at Rosmead to celebrate the life of one of the village"s most famous sons.In a second annual commemoration event organised by the local Keenan Darmody cumann of Sinn Féin, the contribution of Delvin"s first and only TD to the Irish Revolution was noted.Padraig Mac Lochlainn, a Donegal county councillor and Sinn Féin"s European Parliament candidate for Ireland North West, led the tributes to the Delvin native, as a sizeable crowd of locals gathered at the Smiling Bess to take part in a colour parade to the gates of Clonarney Cemetery, where Ginnell is buried.A piper led the way in a solemn procession to the graveyard, and during the commemoration, Cllr. Mac Lochlainn delivered a graveside oration.Born in Delvin in 1854, Ginnell advanced himself through education to obtain a degree in law, despite coming from a community of small tenant farmers living in the horrific aftermath of the Great Famine.He served as private secretary to John Dillon during the Plan of Campaign in the late 1880s, when tenants used rent strikes to resist rack-renting landlords. A journalist and academic, he carried out one of the first detailed studies of the ancient Brehon Laws, and when he entered politics, he was first elected to Westminster to serve the constituency of North Westmeath in 1901.Expelled by the Home Rule Party in 1906, Ginnell played a major rule in building a campaign of civil resistance to cattle ranching in the Midlands, organising cattle drives to make the landlords" large holdings unprofitable.One of the few voices in Westmeath to express opposition to the 1916 executions, Ginnell stormed out of Westminster and pledged allegiance to the burgeoning Irish revolutionary movement led by Sinn Féin.In 1918, he was re-elected to Westminster, but refused to take his seat, and became the Director of Propaganda for the First Dáil in 1919. He was appointed by Éamon de Valera as the Irish Republic"s envoy to the United States and South America between 1920 and 1922, and on his return to Ireland, he opposed the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.Despite being an elderly man, Ginnell was forcibly ejected from the Dáil by pro-Treaty TDs in early 1922, while delivering a robust and persistent argument against the Treaty. He left for the United States on a fundraising errand for the Republican Volunteer Executive, and died in April 1923.After Saturday"s commemoration, Sinn Féin supporters in Delvin retired to the Blue Hackle Inn to officially launch Mick Kenny"s local election campaign, with music provided by "Divil-a" Bit".Delvin provides for TrócaireDespite the onset of a worsening recession, there was no shortage of generosity in the parish of Delvin over the Easter period, with parishioners filling their Trócaire boxes in aid of the Irish charity"s projects in the developing world.The total amount collected in Delvin was €5,593, and a note of sincere thanks has been extended to all those who contributed to the fund.Track and field dayIt"s that time of year again - when budding Martin Fagans and Sonia O"Sullivans in Delvin gather to run and jump their way to the first stage of success in Community Games track and field events.Delvin Community Games" Annual Track and Field Events day takes place at the Delvin Sports and Leisure Centre grounds on Sunday next, May 3, starting at 1.30pm.There will be numerous events and races taking place, from tiny tots to Under 16s, and all are welcome to attend.Delvin Parish AnnualThe 2009 edition of the Parish of Delvin Annual is currently in the works, and if you have any articles, photographs or items you would like to contribute to this year"s publication, please forward them as soon as possible.There will be an earlier deadline for contributiosn this year, so please note that the items submitted earlier will have priority.For more details or to submit your item, please contact Paul Hughes or the Parochial House.