Some twenty Home Rule Associations responded to the invitation by sending delegates to the Convention.  There is a remarkable contrast between this, the first of these Conventions, and those held every year since; for, at some of those, several hundreds of branches have been represented—­showing the growth of the organisation since 1873.

At this Manchester Convention, at which Mr. Butt presided, it was resolved to form a central body from the existing local associations, to be called the Home Rule Confederation of Great Britain.  Isaac Butt himself was elected the first President.  I was elected the first General Secretary, and it became my duty to find out the existing associations which had not sent delegates to Manchester, and to invite them, as well as those who had been represented at the present gathering, to a supplementary convention.  It was decided to hold this in Birmingham, to complete the arrangements made in Manchester for the future working of the organisation.

On the night of the Manchester Convention Mr. Butt was the chief speaker at the public demonstration.  Mr. John Ferguson, of Glasgow, was our Chairman.  He was a sterling Ulster Protestant Nationalist.  Many used to think he was a Scot.  Indeed, I thought at one time myself he must be of Scottish extraction at all events, there being, I thought, more Scottish Fergusons than Irish.  Speaking to him on the subject, I was reminded by him of the Irish king, Fergus, the founder of the Scottish monarchy; and he claimed to be of genuine Irish descent.

He often used to call on me when I was conducting the “Catholic Times.”  At that time he was travelling for his firm of Cameron & Ferguson, who published a good many popular works on Irish subjects.  We were both pleased to hear of the initiative John Barry had taken towards the formation of the Irish organisation of Great Britain.  If I remember rightly, John Ferguson was in Liverpool at the time, and we went to Manchester together to attend this our first Annual Convention.

After the Manchester Convention, I found there were considerably more Home Rule Associations in existence than had been represented at our first gathering.  As a consequence we had a much larger and more representative attendance at our adjourned Convention in Birmingham.  Mr. Butt presided in the morning and Mr. A.M.  Sullivan in the afternoon.

The Chairman at the public demonstration at night was Father Sherlock, one of the finest specimens of the good old “soggarth aroon” type it has ever been my privilege to meet.  Several years afterwards, when I was organiser for the League in the Birmingham district, I was right glad to have the opportunity of renewing my acquaintance with him.  The very contact with Father John Sherlock was elevating and inspiring, so transparent were the simplicity and purity of his life.  Here was a saint, I thought, if ever there was one on earth.