The largest of these meetings was held on 11 October 1903 by John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. Redmond left Broadstone, County Dublin, at 4.40 pm by train and met John Hayden, the MP for South Roscommon, in Athlone. Both arrived at Roscommon Railway to loud cheers. Despite the poor weather, there was a large crowd waiting that led a torchlight procession.
The next day, Redmond and Hayden went from Mitchell's Hotel in Roscommon town, where he was staying, to Tulsk. His audience consisted of three thousand people from across the county. Several important nationalists travelled to hear his speech. As Redmond approached Tulsk, he was welcomed by crowds waving bands and banners and cheering.
He discussed the new Land Act which was being introduced and stated that if it did not solve the problem in Connaught, which was the breaking up of grass ranches, the enlargement of holdings, and the redistribution of land and population, then whatever it did elsewhere in Ireland, it would fail in its main purpose of settling the Irish land question and ending the land war.
