According to THE TIMES OF LONDON the General Election of 1918, in so far as it affected Irish Constituencies, was regarded on all sides as a plebiscite. The paper grudgingly conceded that Sinn Fein, which contested the election,won by a landslide. There are still today newspaper pundits and professors of history who would deny, but cannot refute, the verdict of THE TIMES.
Following Irish democratic resistance to the murderous onslaught of the British Government, a truce and negotiation followed where Irish delegates signed an agreement, under duress,to abandon the Republic, disempower Dáil Éireann, accept partition and facilitate the establishment of an irregular junta called The Provisional Government by a so-called Parliament of Southern Ireland.
Sinn Fein split, as did the Republican Army. Most members of Dáil Éireann were also members of that Army.Part of the Army was directed by the Provisional Government. Another group also withdrew from control by Dáil Éireann.So an army which had acknowledged the overriding authority of Dáil Éireann had two factions which no longer acknowledged it.One, pledged to a Republic but an autonomous armed groups and another armed group under the tight control of an irregular junta called the Provisional Government.A bitter Civil War ensued with victory going to the Provisional Government which morphed into the Government of the Irish Free State
Fianna Fáil emerged from the defeated side in the Civil War ,intent to implement the manifesto which had been endorsed by the electorate in 1918.
It determined that there should be no repeat of the Civil War.It did not contemplate war in the North against the British and the Stormont regime. Incidentally, many of those who defeated them in the Civil War had served the Provisional Government because they would have access to more arms with which to resume the war with the British.It took Fianna Fáil leader Eamon de Valera much effort to persuade armed Republicans to accept his views and to join Fianna Fáil which became the dominant political force in Ireland from 1932 until 2010. The character of its leading men was outstanding. They had endured war, imprisonment, and poverty and they served selflessly. Some of them were brilliant. The rank and file were dedicated to service not glory. Between 1932 and 1959 De Valera led 8 Governments and until last year’s oelection Fianna Fáil had never been out of office for two consecutive parliaments.
There are still some good men and women in the party who know where it came from and share its original values. (I must say that I’ve met elected representatives of Fine Gael and Labour who know nothing of their parties’ or their country’s history or values but would sell both if the price was right.) But I’m worried about Fianna FaiL and more worried for Ireland. FIanna FaIl’s leader. Micheal Martin is so contemptuous of nonUnionist voters in the North that he urges their chosen representatives to dishonour the pledges that had them recently elected.
Fianna Fáil threatened to organise in the North. What was to stop them running candidates there, pledged to sit in Westminster? To me that would have been perverse. But not any more perverse than the pharmacy mogul who sat as a Fianna man in Seanad Éireann and then in the House of Lords, and as a and Unionist to boot.
And then, God save us all, an ex-Fianna Fáil Attorney General, erudite and cultured, made a holy show of himself with an attack on the 1916 leaders, about whose lives and motives and the historical context of their actions he knows precisely nothing.
In what way was the Provisional Government an ‘irregular junta’?
Excellent post Donal. Thank you.
West Cork has a history of keeping an eye on events far away, in particular on the doings of the Czar.
Whatever the purpose of Fianna Fail these days might be is unclear ; but certainly, the function of the ultimate Fianna Failure – its caped Czar – is clear. Cape Clear, indeed.
That is: to function as a puppet for the Greatest Glove Puppeteer of the Age, one bloated with rage, a Fear Bolgchainteoir of de Blood and Bandage, dearg le fearg, one whose sole purpose in life is:
-To make of West Britain a cold house for de Shinners, boy.
If the USA has Wallmart, then the FSS has its Harrmart, where the only two items on sale on its miles and miles of shelving are:
-Rhubrard, rhubard, rhubard.
And:
-Carigeen Moss.
Both Glove Puppeteer and Puppet , as it happens, hail are from de banks of de Robert E. Lee, boy. From de capital city of de Rebel County of Cork, dat Texas-shaped county wid its own panhandle, aka De Lone Star Stateen, like. Which means, like, dere is no need to alter d’accent.
And where de Professor Emeritus of Detritus Studies, up to 90 but still shows a pulse from eating all dat dulse, the Cork for which is Carigeen Moss, boy.
Where de (gulp) St. Finbarrs and Stars of de Confederate Flags are currently being urged to be taken down from de Past, Irish beraters.
To explain de permanent pained exprssion on de face of de Puppet – dat furrowed brow, dose borrowed vowels, dem sorrowful bowels – it is necessary to look north to (gasp) Limerick, like :
To RUSSIA with GLOVE
Dere is the colon, and then the colony
Please, puppeteer, let it be only – me
Up it insert, your digit
Making sure it is rigid
Oh, oh, oh, oh ! What a colonyoscopy !
In fairness, it’s not JUST Martin, although he is shameful indeed, but FF itself which has disgraced itself for many years when it co es to the National Question!
How so?
FF was taken over by the Mohair suit brigade, builders, developers, hoteliers in the late 60’s as the veterans of the WOI died out. It plumbed its nadir under the leadership of that cutest of cute hoors, Bertie. The current leader, once a promising young minister, has so little knowldge of history or empathy with northern nationalists, that he attended and spoke at a commemoration ceremony in Co. Cork for the British privateer, plunderer and mass murderer Francis Drake who particopated in the massacre of 600 men, women and children on Rathlin Island. Akin to a Czech politician commemorating Heinrich.Himmler who massacred the innocents of Lidice or a French party leader
Good article Donal, thank you.
..or a French political party leader commemorating Oberstürmbannfuehrer Adolf Diekmann who ordered the murder of 649 inhabitants of the village of Oradour-sur- Glane.