A “Southern interference in the North's affairs”: the prospect of Fianna Fáil as an all-Ireland party, 1926–2011

Abstract

This article demonstrates that Fianna Fáil's efforts in 2007 and thereafter to reconfigure as an all-Ireland party represented a volte-face in policy. From an historical perspective, since Fianna Fáil's establishment in 1926, consecutive leaders from Éamon de Valera to Albert Reynolds in the 1990s consistently refused to remodel the party on an all-Ireland basis. Rather than participating in Northern Ireland mainstream politics, Fianna Fáil was fixated with firstly securing, and then maintaining, a republican government in the south of Ireland. Accordingly, in the words of Lemass speaking in 1964, any “Southern interference in the North's affairs” was habitually ruled out by the Fianna Fáil leadership.

Keywords::

• Fianna Fáil
• Northern Ireland
• all-Ireland
• partition
• thirty-two counties
• Éamon de Valera
• Bertie Ahern

Notes

^1. “Speech by Micheál Martin,” February 27, 2011; Kelly, “Substance or Rhetoric?”

^2. Interview with Ciarán Ó Cuinn, former adviser to Dermot Ahern, September 10, 2010.

^3. Record of 1964 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, November 1964, University College Dublin Archives (UCDA), Fianna Fáil Papers (P176)/771.

^4. See, for example, O'Donnell, Fianna Fáil; Whelan, Fianna Fáil; Collins, power Game; Allen, Fianna Fáil; Dunphy, Making of Fianna Fáil; Boland, Rise and Decline of Fianna Fáil; Murphy, “Fifty Years of Fianna Fáil.” See also Patterson, Ireland since 1939; Lee, Ireland 1912–1985.

^5. See, for example, Keogh, Jack Lynch; Evans, Seán Lemass; Horgan, Seán Lemass; Ferriter, Judging Dev; Walsh, Patrick Hillery; Feeney, Seán MacEntee.

^6.Ó Beacháin, Destiny of the Soldiers, 94–7.

^7.Gallagher, “Fianna Fáil and Partition,” 35–57.

^8. See Bowman, De Valera, 132–3; O'Halloran, Partition and the Limits of Irish Nationalism, 152–4; Kelly, Fianna Fáil, 31–7.

^9. See comments by de Valera, Irish Times, November 26, 1926.

^10. Record of honorary secretary's report, 1926 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, November 24, 1926, UCDA, P176/740.

^11.Irish Times, November 26, 1926.

^12. Record of 1926 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, November 1926, UCDA, P176/740.

^13. Ibid.

^14. Fianna Fáil national executive meeting, January 19, 1928, UCDA, Éamon de Valera Papers (P150)/2117.

^15. Fianna Fáil national executive meeting, February 2, 1928, UCDA, P150/2117.

^16. Healy to Devlin, February 8, 1928, Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), Cahir Healy Papers D2991/A/1/75.

^17. Ibid.

^18. Record of honorary secretary's report, 1928 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, October 1, 1928, UCDA, P176/742.

^19. Fianna Fáil national executive meeting, February 17, 1928, UCDA, P150/2117.

^20. Record of honorary secretary's report, 1928 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, 1 October 1928, UCDA, P176/742.

^21. Ibid.

^22. See comments by Lemass, Irish Times, February 14, 1929.

^23. See, for example, de Valera's “National Policy” speech at the inaugural meeting of Fianna Fáil, La Scala Theatre, Dublin, May 16, 1926, UCDA P176/28; and record of de Valera's “Closing Speech,” 1926 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, November 25, 1926, UCDA P150/2047.

^24. For example, at the 1932 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, the possibility of extending Fianna Fáil into Northern Ireland was not debated. Record of 1932 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, November 1932, UCDA, 176/746.

^25.Bowman, De Valera, 132.

^26.O'Halloran, Partition and the Limits of Irish Nationalism, 154.

^27. Éamon de Valera's attitude re: “Northern Ireland Elections,” November 17, 1933, UCDA, P150/1997.

^28. Ibid.

^29.Ó Beacháin, Destiny of the Soldiers, 97.

^30. O'Muineacháin to Healy, January 1934 (date omitted), PRONI, D2991/B/52/8.

^31. Fianna Fáil national executive meeting, October 30, 1935, UCDA, P150/2123.

^32. Ibid. However, the following month at a meeting of the national executive, following an interview with “Messers O'Connor and Devlin”, members agreed to subscribe £100 to the election fund to fight the Fermanagh and Tyrone seat. Fianna Fáil national executive meeting, November 11, 1935, UCDA, P150/2123.

^33.Bowman, De Valera, 133.

^34. See comments by Donnelly, Irish Press, November 9, 1933.

^35. Fianna Fáil parliamentary meeting, May 30, 1934, UCDA, P176/444.

^36. Dáil Éireann debate, May 11, 1937.

^37.Irish Press, January 28, 1938.

^38.Bowman, De Valera, 171.

^39. Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, July 13, 1939, UCDA, P176/444.

^40. For a record of a series of partition resolutions at the 1939, 1944 and 1945 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheiseanna see Irish Press, December 13, 1939, October 11, 1944, and November 7, 1945, respectively.

^41.Irish Times, October 11, 1944.

^42. See comments by Boland, Irish Press, November 7, 1945.

^43. Fianna Fáil national executive publicity sub-committee meeting, March 15, 1948, UCDA, P176/384.

^44. See, for example, Irish Times, June 16, 1949 and October 15, 1953. See also Ó Beacháin, Destiny of the Soldiers, 230.

^45. See comments by de Valera, Irish Times, October 15, 1953.

^46. See comments by de Valera, Irish Times, June 16, 1949.

^47. Interview with Harry Boland, February 22, 2008.

^48.Gallagher, “Fianna Fáil and Partition,” 34–5.

^49. Ibid.

^50. Record of 1964 Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, November 1964, UCDA, P176/771.

^51. See comments by Aiken, Irish Press, November 18, 1964.

^52.Kennedy, Division and Consensus, 202–10.

^53. Lemass to Eddie McAteer, January 6, 1964, National Archives of Ireland (NAI), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), 305/14/303.

^54. See, for example, records of Fianna Fáil national executive and parliamentary party, UCDA, P176/350 and P176/444-445.

^55. See Walsh, Fianna Fáil, 9.

^56. Fianna Fáil national executive meeting, July 27, 1970, UCDA, P176/350.

^57. Fianna Fáil national executive meeting, September 14, 1970, UCDA, P176/350.

^58. See O'Donnell, Fianna Fáil, 42–3.

^59. Interview with Pádraig Faulkner, July 10, 2006.

^60. Interview with Dermot Ahern, September 17, 2012.

^61. Ibid.

^62. An examination of the archival records reveals that from 1969 until Bertie Ahern's succession as Fianna Fáil leader in 1994 the extension of Fianna Fáil into Northern Ireland was not proposed at the party's annual Ard Fheiseanna. Record of Fianna Fáil Ard Fheiseanna, 1969–1994, UCDA, P176/772-799.

^63. See Irish Times, March 8–11, 2002.

^64.Irish Times, September 18, 2007.

^65. Interview with Dermot Ahern, September 17, 2012.

^66.News Letter, September 18, 2007.

^67.Belfast Telegraph, September 18, 2007.

^68.Impartial Reporter, December 3, 2009.

^69. Interview with Dermot Ahern, September 17, 2012.

^70. Interview with Rory O'Hanlon, March 28, 2013.

^71.The Examiner, December 9, 2008.

^72.Belfast Telegraph, December 8, 2007.

^73.Irish Times, November 30, 2009.

^74. See comments by Cowen, Irish Times, November 30, 2009.

^75. See comments by Ahern, ibid.

^76.Irish Times, July 23, 2010.

^77. See comments by Cowen, ibid.

^78. See comments by Éamon Ó Cuív, Irish Times, November 30, 2009.

^79. See Irish Times, February 27–30, 2009.

^80. Interview with Dermot Ahern, September 17, 2012.

^81. Interview with Ciarán Ó Cuinn, September 10, 2010.

^82.Irish Times, September 7, 2009.

^83.Kelly, “Substance or Rhetoric?”

^84. Ibid.

^85.Irish Times, November 30, 2009.

^86.Kelly, “Substance or Rhetoric?”

^87.Belfast Telegraph, September 18, 2007.

^88.The Guardian, October 29, 2009.

^89. “Interview with Mark Durkan,” September 18, 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7000753.stm (accessed July 9, 2014).

^90. “Comments by Martina Purdy,” September 18, 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7000753.stm (accessed July 9, 2014).

^91.The Guardian, October 29, 2009.

^92.Sunday Business Post, April 18, 2010.

^93.Newry Democrat, July 23, 2010.

^94. See comments by McDonnell, Irish Times, November 5, 2011.

^95. “Comments by Fianna Fáil Spokesperson,” Irish Times, September 4, 2009.

^96. Interview with Dermot Ahern, September 17, 2012.

^97. Interview with Rory O'Hanlon, March 28, 2013.

^98. Interview with Dermot Ahern, September 17, 2012.

^99. “Speech by Brian Cowen,” February 9, 2010, http://www.taoiseach.ie/eng/News/Archives/2010/Taoiseach's_Speeches_2010/Statement_on_Northern_Ireland_by_the_Taoiseach,_Mr_Brian_Cowen_T_D_to_D%C3%A1il_%C3%89ireann,_Tuesday,_9_February,_2010_at_2_30pm.html (accessed July 9, 2014).

^100.Newry Democrat, July 23, 2010.

^101. See, for example, “Speech by Micheál Martin,” February 27, 2011; Kelly, “Substance or Rhetoric?”

^102. Interview with Micheál Martin, May 12, 2011.

^103. Ibid.

^104.Cuisle, edition 01, Winter 2011, 17.

^105. A survey of Martin's speeches from 2011 to mid-2012 reveals no reference to Fianna Fáil's proposed extension into Northern Ireland. For example, Martin refrained from mentioning the issue at the annual Fianna Fáil 1916 Easter Rising commemoration at Arbour Hill. “Speech by Micheál Martin,” April 17, 2011, http://www.fiannafail.ie/news/entry/speech-by-micheal-martin-td-at-the-annual-fianna-fail-1916-commemoration1/ (accessed July 9, 2014).

^106.Cuisle, edition 01, Winter 2011, 17.

^107. Ibid.

^108. Ibid.

^109. Interview with Micheál Martin, May 12, 2011.

^110.Cuisle, edition 01, Winter 2011, 18.

^111. Ibid.

^112. Ibid.

^113. Interview with Dermot Ahern, September 17, 2012.

^114.Sunday Independent, July 7, 2013. According to the poll, support for the main political parties was as follows: Fine Gael (26%), Fianna Fáil (29%), Labour (8%) and Sinn Féin (19%).

^115. Fianna Fáil secured 266 seats at the 2014 local elections (25.3% of the national share of the vote) and 1 seat at the 2014 European elections, down from the 3 seats that the party won at the 2009 European elections. See http://adriankavanaghelections.org/2014/05/30/fianna-fail-at-the-2014-elections-something-done-a-lot-more-to-do/ (accessed July 8, 2014).

^116. At the 2014 Ard Fheis a motion on behalf of Donegal North East and Dublin Bay South delegates was passed without debate, which demanded Fianna Fáil's “active and serious participating and engagement in the political process in Northern Ireland” (Irish Times, March 22, 2014).

^117.News Letter, February 17, 2014.

^118. Ibid.