Whilst those who explicitly identified as “Unionists” in what is now the Republic of Ireland may have represented a numerically small minority by 1922, they were nevertheless an influential faction within Irish society with a strongly... more
Whilst those who explicitly identified as “Unionists” in what is now the Republic of Ireland may have represented a numerically small minority by 1922, they were nevertheless an influential faction within Irish society with a strongly visible presence in the media, the world of business and amongst the professional classes. With this in mind, the experience of those who chose to remain in the Irish Free State and participate in its public life despite the clear Catholic and nationalist influence on the policies adopted by the early governments of the new state provide a fascinating example of an identity and culture in transition, as well as an insight into the formative years of politics in the modern Irish state. The members and institutions of the Southern minority who stayed in Ireland underwent a transition from “Unionists” to “ex-Unionists”, in the process redefining themselves as a political community despite the absence of any electorally significant political parties identifying as “ex-Unionist” or “Protestant”. Ex-Unionist politicians and institutions adapted sufficiently through participating in Irish public life in the early years of the Free State to influence the politics and culture of the new Free State throughout the decade of constitutional and social changes Ireland experienced under the Cumman na nGaedhal governments led by William Cosgrave, in the process demonstrating the necessity of an inclusive idea of Irish citizenship and the accommodation of minority concerns in government policy. The ex-Unionist faction in Irish public life, despite their eventual decline into a tiny and electorally insignificant minority, are of great importance to understanding the emergence and development of a political movement rooted in civic nationalism and a broadly conservative outlook on social and economic questions in Irish public life from the disparate pro-Treaty supporters, most famously represented by the foundation of Fine Gael after the rise to power of Fianna Fáil. In this study, I intend to understand and explain the significance of ex-Unionists and institutions which had previously publicly identified as Unionist, such as The Irish Times and the Church of Ireland, to the predominantly conservative social and economic policies that characterised the early years of the Irish Free State as well as the character of the political parties that went on to dominate Irish politics.
This book offers a timely, and fresh historical perspective on the politics of independent Ireland. Interwar Ireland’s politics have been caricatured as an anomaly, with the distinction between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael confounding... more
This book offers a timely, and fresh historical perspective on the politics of independent Ireland. Interwar Ireland’s politics have been caricatured as an anomaly, with the distinction between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael confounding political commentators and scholars alike. It is common for Ireland’s politics to be presented as an anomaly that compare unfavourably to the neat left/right cleavages evident in Britain and much of Europe. By offering an historical re-appraisal of the Irish Free State’s politics, anchored in the wider context of inter-war Europe, Mel Farrell argues that the Irish party system is not unique in having two dominant parties capable of adapting to changing circumstances, and suggests that this has been a key strength of Irish democracy. Moreover, the book challenges the tired cliché of ‘Civil War Politics’ by demonstrating that events subsequent to Civil War led the Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil cleavage dominant in the twentieth-century.
