10: New Beginning in 1970
After the Congress the movement rested on its oars until 1970, when La Irlanda Esperanto-Asocio (the Irish Esperanto Association) was renamed La Esperanto-Asocio de Irlando (the Esperanto Association of Ireland). The organisation requested and received membership of the UEA (World Esperanto Association). According to its first Novaĵletero (Newsletter) in February 1971 the Secretary was P J O’Reilly, the Treasurer Christopher Fettes, and the Editor of the newsletter Jeremy Addis. Later Christopher Fettes became Pesident of the Association and Joy Davies was Secretary and Treasurer. Joy was and is one of the most competent secretaries that we ever had.
Harry Harrison, world famous science fiction writer and strong supporter of Esperanto, was elected Honorary President.
Later Liam Ó Cuirc was elected Vice-Pesident, Maire Mullarney Publicity Secretary and Garbhan Mac Aoidh was elected committee member and Editor of the Africa Pages of the reorganised newsletter edited by Christopher Fettes.
The Dublin Esperanto Club was also re-established, meeting twice a month without interruption, first at Trinity College, then at 87 Merrion Square, later still at 19 Upper Mount Street, and finally at 24 Burlington Road.
Because we are now getting close to the present, I shall briefly list our main achievements in the period 1970 to 1994.
1970: Four Irish people attended the World Esperanto Congress in Vienna.
1971: The Newsletter began to be published quarterly. The “After-Congress” event in Dublin (after the World Esperanto Congress in London) was a great success.
1981: Maire Mullarney attended an ecumenical conference in The Netherlands; Joy Davies visited Chateau Grésillon in France [a permanent Esperanto residential school – KK]; Christopher Fettes travelled with 7 boys and girls to a youth gathering in Hungary; Jean Darling attended a Baha’i conference in Finland.
1982: Christopher Fettes went to the TEJO congress in Louvain [TEJO is the World Esperantist Youth Organisation – KK]. Joy Davies attended the World Esperanto Congress in Antwerp.
1983: Christopher Fettes travelled with 5 children to the Children’s Congress in Budapest and the Family Gathering in Sumeg, Hungary; Maire Mullarney and Joy Davies attended the 68th World Esperanto Congress in Budapest. There was some interesting correspondence about Esperanto in the letters column of the Irish Times.
1984: There was a talk about Esperanto at the Wexford Arts Centre and another talk in Cork. A questionnaire about Esperanto was sent to all candidates for the European Parliament. Maire Mullarney attended a congress of the International Association for Applied Linguistics in Brussels, and Garbhan Mac Aoidh and his wife Máire visited Grésillon. Articles about Esperanto appeared in Inniu, Anois, Tullamore Tribune, Westmeath Offaly Independent, Evening Press and Munster Express.
1985: Maire Mullarney visited the 70th World Esperanto Congress at Augsburg and Christopher Fettes was a helper at the 22nd Children’s Congress. Lorcán Ó hUiginn died in Canada, 6/12/85. There were articles about Esperanto in the Evening Herald, Lá, Anois and the Irish Times. Members of the Dublin Club celebrated Zamenhof Day on 15/12/85.
1986: Maire Mullarney attended the World Esperanto Congress in China. Our newsletter changed its name to Irlandafrika Esperantisto [Irish-African Esperantist] and devoted some pages to African Esperantists. Christopher Fettes gave a talk about Esperanto at the meeting of the National Scouts, and Maire Mullarney spoke at the North Strand Vocational School. An article and a letter appeared in the Irish Times, and a long article by Maire Mullarney appeared in the Sunday Press.
1987: The Jubilee Year – the one-hundredth anniversary of Esperanto. Maire Mullarney was the Irish representative at the meeting of the European Esperanto Union at Strasbourg and also at a meeting of “Greens” in Brussels. Several Irish people attended the Jubilee Congress in Warsaw. Nineteen articles about Esperanto appeared in newspapers, more than ever before.
1988: Maire Mullarney, Christopher Fettes and Liam Ó Cuirc attended the 73rd World Esperanto Congress in Rotterdam. Christopher Fettes brilliantly organised the Children’s Congress. Mr & Mrs Mac Aoidh visited Chateau Grésillon and “Kvinpetalo” in France. There were Esperanto exhibitions in Tullamore and at the ILAC Centre, Dublin. Jean Darling took part in the International Youth Congress in Zagreb. The Dublin Cafe Club was set up and met every Thursday in Bewley’s Cafe, Westmoreland Street. Twelve articles about Esperanto appeared in Irish newspapers.
1989: Joy Davies, Maire Mullarney and Christopher Fettes (who organised the Children’s Congress) attended the World Esperanto Congress in Brighton, England. Our after-congress event was a brilliant success. Forty Esperantists from ten countries attended. Besides visiting sights in Dublin itself, they went on excursions to New Ross, Glendalough, Howth and other places. And amazingly, our Treasurer even reported a profit. The excellent book Esperanto for Hope by Maire Mullarney was launched during the after-congress event. Dermot Clancy gave a talk about Esperanto at the Forum Discussion Group.