Ire-UK Early History

As the publication "Historical Review of Rotary" puts it, "(In 1911-12) Rotary crossed the Atlantic with forming of clubs in Dublin, Ireland, Belfast, Northern Ireland, and London, England, although these clubs were not admitted to Rotary until 1912-13." Submitted by Joaquín Mejía, Supervisor, Club and District Administration, Western North America

Zone 17 RIBI*

1020 Edinburgh 62**

1050 Manchester 66

1160 Dublin, Dublin 65

1160 Belfast, Antrim 67

1180 Liverpool, Merseyside 80

1230 Glasgow, Strathclyd 60

\2001-2001 RIBI President David Liddiatt, right, with ROTARY/One 2001-2002 President John Alberts

Zone 18 RIBI*

1060 Birmingham

1250 Brighton

1130 London 50

1 July 2001

Hello John !!

I refer to our conversation at San Antonio regarding the first fifty clubs and the development of the early clubs in Great Britain. The recognised source is Roger Levy's book published in 1978 entitled R.I.B.I. and I have referred to it once again. The formation of clubs seems to have been a rather haphazard business mainly driven by a certain Stuart Morrow¹ who having established a club inevitably seems to have fallen out with the members so moved on to found another one!!

Be that as it may the recognised sequence of the founding dates are recorded as:-

22 February 1911 Dublin² [ 1 May 1913]*

3 August 1911 London [1 August 1912]*

Nov? 1911 Manchester [1 May 1913]*

January 1912 Belfast [1 May 1913]*

March 1912 Glasgow [1 April 1913]*

23 Sept 1912 Edinburgh [1 May 1913]*

January 1913 Brighton

March 1913 Liverpool [1 August 1913]*

November 1913 Birmingham

[CHARTER* Known to be dates which are somewhat arbitrary when "work" gets done at the office (ed)]

Having said all that there is a notation in the book that London was given the number 50 !!

Regards

David Liddiatt

President RIBI

On 3 July 2001, the First Fifty began expanding to the "Early Rotary" (now www.rotaryfirst100.org) which will now include the clubs of the British Isles and comprise 100 for the Centennial.

London 50 Glasgow 60 Edinburgh 62

Dublin 65 Manchester 66 Belfast 67

Liverpool 80

The following is from the history of member club Duluth 25 "Rotary held its Third Annual Convention in Duluth in 1912. At that time, the Constitution was revised, changing the Rotary name from the National Association of Rotary Clubs to the International Association of Rotary Clubs. Thus in 1912, Rotary became international and was comprised of 46 U.S. clubs and clubs in Winnipeg, Canada; London, England; and Belfast and Dublin, Ireland… 50 clubs in all"

This Duluth history leaves unclear how there were 48 US FirstFifty clubs according to RI Archives as well as RIBI records. However, the studies on both sides of the Atlantic continue in the new Rotary year.

²an article from The Rotarian on the Admission of Dublin in 1911.

¹From the Rotary 1160, Zone 17 website we find the following: "The idea of Rotary was brought to Ireland by William Stuart Morrow, who returned from the United States to his native land in 1911 - just six years after the first Rotary meeting in Chicago in 1905. In conjunction with his brother-in-law, William A. McConnell, Morrow formed the Dublin Club (22nd February, 1911), after which he moved north where he brought into being the Club of Belfast (24th July, 1911)"

**Some of these early Rotary Clubs pre-dated RIBI and may have started before some of the First Fifty clubs. These clubs were not admitted into Rotary until later.

*Rotary International in Britain and Ireland (RIBI)

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