In 1934 a Dublin man was given the accolade of “leader of the first Fascist Movement in Europe.”
That same year another Dublin man made the prediction that “as the Blackshirts had triumphed in Italy and the Hitler-shirts in Germany, so, assuredly would the Blueshirts be victorious in the Irish Free State.”
The first Dubliner was Lord Carson (1854-1935) a lawyer appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1899 , formerly a Westminster MP for Dublin University who had held senior Cabinet Office.
The second Dubliner was John A Costello (1891-1976) who had been appointed King’s Counsel in 1925. His speech was made in the Dail.
The praise for Carson was voiced by a former Unionist MP for West Belfast, a privileged and wealthy Old Etonian, who helped finance Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists ,in the BUF’ Magazine.
On Carson’s death in October 1935 Dublin’s Irish Times bemoaned the fact that Carson had been born 40 years too early, for otherwise, “he might have been a Mussolini, or even a Hitler.”
In March 1933 the Irish Times welcomed Hitler’s coming to power in Germany. In February 1933 the paper had warned against the danger De Valera and Fianna Fail presented to Ireland.
The voters responded by giving Fianna Fail a Dail majority in five successive General Elections.
Fianna Fail’s electoral success drove Cumann na Gael to distraction and, though Cumann na Gael had posed as parliamentary democrats, they adopted paramilitary uniforms, adopted Fascist salutesand threatened to emulate Mussolini’s 1922 “March on Rome”. Fianna Fail was anxious that the Civil War which had ended in 1923 should not be renewed. A Bill to ban the wearing of Party uniforms was introduced in the Dail, modelled on bills passed in other countries in the interest of civil peace. John A Costello gave his irresponsible and silly speech. The Free State Senate was weighted in favour of semi-decommissioned Unionists and other anti-national elements and the Bill was not passed.
No subsequent Bill banning uniforms was ever introduced. When the IRA paraded in uniform in the 1970s, ignorant, gobshite Fine Gael spokesmen were publicly appalled, as they knew
nothing of their party’s contribution to our history.
Sinn Fein isn’t exactly untainted by claims of fascism and it’s vile off shoot anti-Semitism.
Arthur Griffiths (has no one “Irished up” his name yet?) viewed Jews as sub-human and was an agitator in anti-Jewish pogroms in Limerick.
I need not remind you of Sean Russell and Ryan and their open support, ideologically and militarily for the Nazi regime.
The fact that the former’s statue is honoured with fawning zealotry by the Sinn Fein top brass to this day is sickening.
Of all the new nations that emerged from the First World War, the only one that never succumbed to dictatorship is IReland.
The only victors in any civil war in Europe who handed the keys of office to their civil war enemies were Fine Gael. Just 10 years later.
I challenge any of you to find a similar instance any where in the world.
The myth of Fine Gael fascism does not stand any scrutiny.
There was an anti-Jewish boycott in Limerick not a pogrom and Orangemen should know the difference.
Griffith (not Griffiths) grew out out of his early prejudice and had Jewish friends, When
acting President of Dail Eireann (when de Valera was in America) the defence of Republicanswas handled by a Jewish Solicitor named Noyk, whose office and files were raided by the British Army
Frank Ryan gave no help to the Nazis. He fought for the Spanish Republic and an American
(Black) founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a Communist who fought in the International Brigade, attested to Ryan’s integrity. (Ryan was not a Communist.) The book was called “From Mississippi to Madrid.”
Sean Russell was not a Nazi, but, believing “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” sought
help from Germany. A misjudgement, but Stalin accepted Churchill as an ally. Michael
Portillo has revealed that Churchill intended if the Tories were elected into Government
in 1945 to attack Russia (again!) and enlist the help of the Germans.
Fine Gael adopted Fascist salutes, fascist uniforms, supported Mussolini’s rape of
Abyssinia (as did Britain and France, Anthony Eden and Winston Churchill). John A
Costello’s 1934 speech is on record, as is the statesman’s speech of Sean Lemass
on the same occasion, as are Eoin O’Duffy’s speeches and his leading Irishmen toSpain in support of Franco.
I have invented nothing.
Oliver Flanagan in 1943 in Dail Eirean praised Hitler for his treatment of the Jews, I
don’t think Flanagan, or the world,knew of the Holocaust, But he must have known that Jews in Germany had been stripped of their citizenship in 1935.
A German-born Jew who had been long long a naturalised British subject became a
Unionist Lord Mayor of Belfast.
He was very badly treated by the Unionists following the outbreak of the Great War.
Sorry, I’m away on holiday and can’t locate all my sources. But, they do exist.
So, to summarise:
wasn’t a pogrom (just discrimination, a bit of a rough up…oh and a bit of anti-Unionist whataboutery).
Griffith may have said all those things…but, sure, he probably regretted them.
Russell may have had a secret plot with the SS in 1940 and knew about their treatment of the Jews, but hey ho, he wanted to fight the Brits, so I don’t care. Same as yer man, Ryan, he was IRA through and through AND he fought on the right side in the Spanish Civil war, so he’s alright too.
Fine Gael – they are the baddies. Oh – and the Brits of course. Not Sinn Fein. No siree, Bob.
Lot’s of other irrelevant stuff that I can deffo prove.
That’s what it sounds like….