User:Jnestorius/Irish Convention

Composition
"On [11 June 1917] Mr. Lloyd George announced that the constitution of the Convention had been settled. He explained that the total number of the Convention would be 101 an unwieldy number, he admitted, but it was impossible to have a small body in which all interests would be represented, as it was essential they should be, if an agreement was to secure the adhesion of the country."

Chair
Plunkett's diaries:
 * 2 June "The Speaker, apparently, has been offered the chairmanship"
 * 5 June: " I learned that I had been considered as Chairman for the Convention but turned down by the persons consulted (Carson & TP O’Connor I suspect)"
 * 11 June "Chairman to be chosen by Convention or failing that by Gov’t."
 * 23 June "I suggested that Arthur Balfour should preside till the Convention elected its own chairman."
 * 19 Jul Devlin 'thought Redmond (whom Gwynn had recommended) would hardly take it & said “I should not object to you”. I said the Ulstermen would.'
 * 21 Jul James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy and Dunraven each want to chair
 * 24 Jul "Saw [H. E.] Duke about the Convention. He told me he would preside over it if asked by the delegates and he made it quite clear that he would try in his opening speech & by the procedure for choosing the Chairman (a small nominated C’tee of selection) to be asked" and "Redmond ... was all for Duke"
 * 25 Jul "The difficulty was that Nationalist Ireland wanted me & Unionist Ireland didn’t. Midleton was chief opponent to my claims & tried Hopwood for Chairman. Rightly the Nat’s objected to an Eng[lish] chairman for an Irish Convention. M. really wanted an English judge but did not dare to propose it. Finally I was agreed to on condition Hopwood was secretary  the very thing I should have asked for!"