My friends,
I do not often post my Historian reports to my blog, figuring “Membership has its privileges” and that the members of the UIS who physically attend meetings deserve the advantage. Today is a different day, when I reported on the amazing feat that Past President Bobby Larkin has atgtained – 50th anniversary of his UIS presidency. So here is my report. Please read until the end for other nuggets.
Mr. President,
On April 1st as I sat at the wonderful Banquet admiring the fantastic Banquet Program organized and assembled by Ann Butts and her committee and as I reflected that on the Past Presidents’ page my photo has made it to the second row, I noticed with some embarrassment that the 2023 Parade marked fifty years since Bobby Larkin first walked the parade route as our president and that I had so far neglected to make mention of such a moment in UIS history.
Robert (Bobby) Thomas Larkin is the eldest son of the late Thomas Larkin and Mildred McTaggart. He has four siblings – three sisters, Barbara, Linda, Lorraine and brother Glenn. Bobby worked for J. & R. Weir Ltd. for 38 years and, I am jealous to report, retired at the age of 55. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, Barbara Ann Durcan, and is the proud father of two sons, Stephen and Bryan and has at least three grandchildren. Bryan was for a number of years the Chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service. In an April 14, 2022 CTV Kitchener report, it was reported that Chief Larkin was retiring and that he was appointed as Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP for Specialized Policing Services, replacing Deputy Commissioner Steve White.
But back to Bobby. Bobby spent his childhood and young adult years growing up in St. Anthony’s Parish, whose members were mainly from Irish families. He was very active in the Parish and, within the Parade, started as Unit Marshal in 1956. He progressed into the United Irish Societies of Montreal in 1958. His favorite assignment as a Deputy Marshal is reported to have been as driver for the Nurses of St. Mary’s Hospital in the annual Parade, an assignment he executed for several years. He was involved with many of the senior members of the organization, assisting with receptions at the Queen’s Pageant, today known as the Queen’s Selection Evening, and at the Annual Banquet. Bobby assumed the Corresponding Secretary position in time for the 1967 Parade and held the job through the 1970 Parade, following which he assumed the vice presidency of the organization in support of President George O’Reilly. In the Spring of 1972, Bobby assumed the presidency through the 1974 Parade. Bobby also served as president of the Past President’s Advisory Council minimally from the 2000 season through the 2012 season.
In looking through the archives there are numerous letters sent from and received by Corresponding Secretary Robert Larkin as he assumed his responsibilities. Many of them are letters dealing with receiving delegate credentials from the various Irish, Parish, and other associations.
Bobby has received a number of recognitions from the UIS. In 1984, he was honoured when he walked down St. Catherine Street as Grand Marshal. In 2009 he was again recognized by the UIS when he was named Chief Reviewing Officer of the annual parade.
Bobby has remained active in the organization as Past President. Although we rarely see him at meetings and events, we know that he will offer his opinion and sage advice when called upon.
In addition to having served as our president fifty years ago, it has not gone unnoticed by me that Bobby has also been involved with the organization for sixty five years. Other than the UIS, Bobby is a long-time member and former Executive with the Erin Sports Association and has been a member of Innisfail Social and Sports.
Mr. President, this past Friday evening community members came together at Concordia’s de Seve Cinema to watch the final offering of Ciné Gael for its 2023 season and to fete Lynn Lonergan Doyle. Earlier this month it was announced that Ciné Gael co founder Lynn Lonergan Doyle was stepping aside as chairperson and that Martina Branagan was assuming the position. In a 1993 Montreal Gazette article, Lynn said “There seems to be a lot of interest in Irish movies recently”.[1] Recently turned in to thirty years. As many of you know, Lynn Doyle was the first female president of the St. Patrick’s Society, a position she held from 1998-2000. In 2005 the United Irish Societies selected Lynn as the recipient of the Liam Daly Heritage Award, largely for her work with Ciné Gael. In 2007, for her work with the Society and with Ciné Gael, which was celebrating its 15th anniversary, Lynn received St. Patrick’s Society’s Community Award. Finally, in 2016, Lynn was recognized by the UIS when she was named Chief Reviewing Officer of the St. Patrick’s Parade, only the third woman to be so recognized. A congratulatory letter to Lynn would certainly be appropriate.
Also on Friday, the Borough of Cote-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grace finally inaugurated Warren Allmand Park in NDG, formerly known as Somerled Park. In an August 2019 letter to Councillor Marvin Rotrand, in my capacity as St. Patrick’s Society president I wrote ” For his tireless decades representing his Notre Dame de Grace constituents federally, for representing the Loyola district municipally, and for his Human Rights advocacy and direct involvement in negotiating the Good Friday peace agreement between the North and the Republic in Ireland, it is my hope that City Council agrees that the legacy of Hon. Warren Allmand PC OC QC be honoured by renaming Somerled Park to Hon. Warren Allmand Park.” I am pleased that the elected officials agreed and that it finally happened. Mr. Allmand, of course, was Chief Reviewing Officer of the 1974 Parade.
As we prepare to go our separate ways for the summer months, let us remember those members who we lost this past year. We became aware of James Hay’s passing months after it happened. James and Vernon Ikeda manned our parade day communications for quite a few years. We miss them both on parade day. Sharleen McCambridge passed away August 3, 2022. Sharleen was Vice President – Advertising & Public Relations in 2012. John Gilmour Sr., a longtime UIS member and also from St. Anthony’s Parish, passed away on August 29, 2022. He was most proud to pass the St. Anthony’s baton to his son, John, and I have no doubt he was smiling down from above on April 1 when his family accepted the Monsignor Neil E. Willard trophy for best parish unit. Our pioneering past president Mabel Fitzgerald passed away October 28, 2022. Mabel was many things – a wife, a mother, a grandmother, first female president, first female parade dignitary, friend. At this time of year I would normally receive a phone call wishing me a happy birthday, which I miss. On March 5, 2023, Ralph O’Donnell passed away. Brother of our late member Ken, he seems to have been quite involved with the Masons and the Shriners. He was a regular attendee at our general meetings. Though he may not have said much, he certainly digested the information shared, and spread the good word within his networks.
Please keep our departed members in your thoughts.
Finally, Mr. President, on the last Sunday in May the Ancient Order of Hibernians organizes the annual Walk to the Stone on Bridge Street. This year’s Walk begins at 11AM on May 28th outside St. Charles Church on Centre Street. I urge all members to support the AOH as it remembers those refugees and supporters such as Mayor John Easton Mills, who perished on our shores.
Respectfully submitted,
Ken Quinn, Historian
May 7, 2023
[1] Montreal Gazette, Ciné Gael Offers Close Look at Rich Lode of Irish Cinema, January 6, 1993, p. 30
United Irish Societies of Montreal Historian's Corner 