Page "John Redmond" Paragraph 40

An Irish Convention of around one hundred delegates sat from July and ended in March 1918.

Up until December 1917 Redmond used his influence to have a plan which had been put forward by the Southern Unionist leader Lord Midleton, accepted.

It foresaw All-Ireland Home Rule with partial fiscal autonomy ( until after the war, without customs and excise ).

All sides, including most Ulster delegates, wavered towards favouring agreement.

Already ailing while attending the Convention, his health permanently affected by an accident in 1912, Redmond also suffered assault on the street in Dublin by a crowd of young Sinn Féin supporters on his way to the Convention, which included C. S.

' Todd ' Andrews.

On 15 January, just when he intended to move a motion on his proposal to have the Midleton plan agreed, some nationalists colleagues, the prominent Catholic Bishop O ' Donnell and MP Joseph Devlin expressed doubts.

Rather than split the nationalist side he withdrew his motion.

A vital chance was lost.