h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Republic of Ireland Act in 1948 severed Ireland's last vestigial link with the British Crown. I have a book of Irish political speeches, which includes a speech given (in the Dáil, I think; in the Oireachteas, certainly), on the passage of the Act. In it, the speaker explains some of the history, explains why it is important that Ireland be declared a republic, and expresses no animosity toward the person of the current king, George VI, and indeed wishes him a speedy return to good health. It's a good speech. I intend to read from it at a public speaking event tomorrow night.

Thing is, I have no idea where that book is. I assume that the text of the speech is online somewhere, but I can't find it. I'm not even sure who the speaker was, which doesn't help. I'm working on the assumption that is was John. A. Costello, the current Taoiseach, but I could be wrong.

Any helpful suggestions? I don't even really know what to search for.

TRiG.

I have looked on https://www.oireachtas.ie and found some of the debates leading up to the passage of the Bill, but not the speech I'm thinking of.

TRiG.

"Least of all is there any notion of hostility to the person who now occupies the throne in England, who has carried out his duties with efficiency and dignity, whose illness we regret and whose recovery we hope will be speedy."

From the second reading. I clearly gave up too early the first time.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1948-11-24/51/

TRiG.

Sorry I am not in a position to help with tracing a new source, but if you look for the book three times in the same place, it is usually there the third time you look (speaking from experience)

And good luck with your performance!

I half think I lent it to someone else in Toastmasters.

In fact, I know I did, but I'm not sure whether she gave it back to me.

Most of my books are currently in boxes, because I live in a tiny house. Ah well, the online version will have to do.

TRiG.

To save time, have you considered just reading out the link?

https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.04557

D\'ail \'Eireann

Heh. LaTeX formatting online.

I edited the speech down, but didn't have time to prep properly and it was still too long, so I had to cut bits out of it while I was on stage. Tricky with a written speech. But it went okay.

That's the Interpretive Reading manual finished, so I'll not be doing that again in a hurry.

Five reading projects were:

1. Read a short story. I read "The Wick End of Candles at the Close of a Long Night", by ianhimself, published here in the h2g2 Post.

2. Read a poem. I read "Instructions", by Neil Gaiman.

2. After Terry Pratchett died, I wanted to read something of his, so I redid the poetry speech, this time reading Terry's "The Glastonbury Tales". Pratchett was not known for his poetry, but it's the only thing of his I found that was short enough to read at Toastmasters, and it's a lovely little piece.

3. The monodrama. The task here is to read a soliloquy. I chose Lear ranting at his daughters in impotent rage. I think it went fairly well, but I wasn't quite happy with it. The evaluator suggested that I might want to try again.

3. I reprised the monodrama, this time tackling thoughts on death from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. I was not familiar with the play, but had been talking to a friend about the monodrama, and she suggested it and lent me her copy. I have since bought my own, as it's rather excellent.

4. The play. A passage from a play, with multiple speakers. I selected A Man for All Seasons, reading the scene wherein Sir Thomas Moore talks about the sanctity of law. Other characters in the scene are Alice and Meg Moore, Sir Thomas's wife and daughter, and the young idealist William Roper. It's a fantastic scene, and it went down well.

5. The oratorical speech.

I have done other speeches between these. I've been dipping between three different manuals. (The others were Speaking to Inform and Technical Presentations.) I may speed up if I want to get my Bronze award before they completely change the programme.

TRiG.