Fine Gael

Since the success of the concurrent referendums on the ‘Good Friday’ Agreement in May 1998 the spotlight of analysis has focused almost exclusively on the political brinkmanship which has characterised inter‐party negotiations in relation to the implementation of the Agreement. The overwhelming endorsement of the deal concluded at Castle Buildings by the electorate of the Republic of Ireland was anticipated and accepted as inevitable. This expectation proved well‐founded with over 94% of voters supporting the outcome of the negotiations but obscures the significant policy shifts undertaken by the Dail parties on the Northern Ireland issue over a lengthy period without which agreement might have been more difficult. This article examines the changing semantics of the political language used by the major Dáil parties since 1969 in relation to the need for political progress in Northern Ireland and highlights the radical re‐think of certain principles of Irish nationalist discourses over the past three decades.

Alan Shatter’s belief that there can be “humour in the midst of strife” resonates throughout Life is a Funny Business, even as his personal story details a number of very sad life experiences.

The book's abrupt conclusion leaves the impression that this is but his first autobiographical installment. I’m told that Shatter has already completed a sequel, which will be published following some pending legal decisions.

It will no doubt offer further insight into Irish politics and Shatter’s Jewish identity.

"Most political parties are created to win power democratically, but Cumann na nGaedheal was built by men already governing a country. The Cosgrave Party tells the unique story of a political party born into government amidst the bloodshed of civil war. It reveals the true complexity of Cumann na nGaedheal and investigates the internal politics of the party as it struggled with ideological tensions and personality clashes -- all occurring while its leaders simultaneously ran a government and built a state, despite threats from those both outside and within the political system. Finally, it fixes the party's role in Irish history of consolidating the tradition of constitutional nationalism in Ireland.



Reviews:

'Ciara Meehan's book brings a fresh perspective on an overlooked period of Irish history as well as insights into probable policies of Ireland's next government' -- Professor John P. McCarthy (Fordham University), The Irish Echo, 2 March 2011.


'This thought-provoking book plugs a gap in historical accounts of the Free State' -- Dr John-Paul McCarthy (Oxford University), Sunday Independent, 25 April 2011.

'Ciara Meehan’s The Cosgrave Party is the first monograph devoted solely to the Cumann na nGaedheal party, and as such is an important addition to the literature. Its novel focus on electioneering, in particular, should make this book noteworthy to historians of the Irish revolution, and to those interested in 20th-century Irish history more broadly ... this is a great addition to the literature on the 1920s' -- Professor Jason Knirck (Central Washington University), Reviews in History, 9 September 2011.
Full review here: http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/1120"

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.

For all its flaws and the problems encountered in developing it, Costello’s document is worth recalling as a case study for social policy formulation. Though it remained an untested document it did make an important contribution to wider discourse which saw many of the areas identified as problematic being legislated for at a later stage. The central message also remains important…social reform and social progress are not luxuries which we must wait for until economic development has reached a certain point.

Eamon de Valera's 1937 constitution created the office of President. Initially viewed with suspicion and interpreted by some as a step towards dictatorship, the presidency gradually came to be seen as a remote office and place of retirement for elder statesmen. The age profile of the three presidents examined in this article and their collective time in office initially appear to confirm such observations. Theirs tended to be a quiet office with days filled entertaining or dealing with correspondence. However, the first three presidents should not be considered as passive. Their willingness to exercise their discretionary powers was an important part of ensuring that the office functioned properly and effectively. It was also during these early years that the protocols and procedures of the office were decided. Though less remarkable than the later, more active presidents, the first three office holders played an important role in ensuring the smooth emergence of the presidency.