SEAN MACENTEE PAPERS P67 UCD Archives School of History and Archives archives @ucd.ie www.ucd.ie/archives T + 353 1 716 7555 F + 353 1 716 1146 © 1989 University College Dublin. All rights reserved ii Introduction vi Chronology viii Papers of Sean MacEntee: Content and Structure A. Early Political Career i. Easter 1916 a. contemporary documents 1 b. Episode at Easter 2 c. statements to the Bureau of Military History 5 ii. Dail Eireann and the Anglo-Irish Treaty, 1919-22 8 iii. Belfast Boycott, 1921-2 11 iv. Civil War and Internment, 1922-3 12 v. Sinn Fein, 1922-7 13 B. Minister for Finance, 1932-9; 1951-4 i. 1932-9 [-48] a. Departmental and policy issues 15 b. Budgets 26 c. Economic War and Anglo-Irish Conferences 28 d. Constitution, 1937 41 e. National Defence 44 f. The Emergency and wartime finance 46 ii. 1951-4 50 iii C. Minister for Industry and Commerce, 1939-41 [47] 53 D Minister for Local Government and Public Health, 1941-8 57 E. Minister for Health, 1957-65, and Minister for Social Welfare, 1957-61 i. Fluoridation of water supplies 73 ii. Other health, social welfare and policy issues 76 F. Elections and Referenda i. Elections, 1918-77 81 ii. Referenda on proportional representation a. 1959 95 b. 1968 99 G. Fianna Fail, 1926-82 100 H. Partition, Northern Ireland and Anglo-Irish Relations, 1924-78 108 J. Revolutionary and subversive organisations, 1930-60 113 K. Speeches and related matter, 1921-79 121 L. Council of State 146 M. Council of Europe, 1950-68 148 iv N. Research material, historical enquiries, requests for interviews, 1948-82 150 O. Biographical material, 1924-80 155 P. Personal documents and memorabilia, 1924-70 158 Q. MacEntee v MacAonghusa, 1963-6 160 R. Printed matter i. newspaper and journals, 1924-47 162 ii. press cuttings, 1925-82 163 iii political and economic publications, 1922-72 170 iv. engineering publications, 1919-37 174 S. Photographs, 1914-81 175 v Introduction The Seán MacEntee Papers were deposited in UCD Archives in May 1984 by his daughter Dr Máire Cruise O’Brien. The collection is extremely significant, documenting comprehensively a career which included senior ministerial positions in every Fianna Fáil government from 1932 until 1965 when he retired from front bench politics. MacEntee was born in Belfast in 1889, the son of a publican who served as a Nationalist member of Belfast Corporation from 1897 until 1919. After training as an engineer, MacEntee worked for four years in Belfast before moving to Dundalk where he became involved almost immediately in the independence movement, helping in the formation of a corps of the Irish Volunteers. This became moribund after Redmond’s Woodenbridge declaration, but was revitalised in 1915 at which time MacEntee was appointed Adjutant. He had an extremely eventful Easter Week 1916, moving between Dundalk and Dublin, seeking instructions from the Volunteer leadership after MacNeill’s countermanding order, and attempting to relay these to the Louth Volunteers. He eventually fought in the GPO Garrison, was court-martialled and sentenced to death, his sentence being commuted to life imprisonment. He was released in the general amnesty of June 1917; elected to the national executives of both Sinn Féin and the Irish Volunteers in October 1917; and elected Sinn Fein MP for South Monaghan in the 1918 general election. An attempt to develop his career as a consulting engineer in Belfast in 1919 was interrupted by the War of Independence. He served as Vice-Commandant of the Belfast Brigade of the IRA until April 1921 when he was transferred to Dublin to direct a special anti-partition campaign in connection with the May general election. It was on the partition issue that he voted against the Treaty, regarding the oath of allegiance as a much less significant obstacle to a resolution of the conflict; and throughout his political career he maintained a wholly consistent position on the futility of attempted coercion of unionists. He resumed his engineering career in Dublin in the firm of MacEntee & O’Kelly; commanded the IRA unit in Marlboro Street Post Office at the outbreak of the Civil War; fought with Cathal Brugha in the Hammam Hotel; and was interned in Kilmainham and Gormanstown until December 1923. After his release he devoted himself more fully to his engineering practice, although he did contest unsuccessfully the county Dublin bye-election of 1924. He was elected TD for the same constituency in the June 1927 election, and was returned at every subsequent general election until 1969; for the county Dublin, Dublin Townships, and Dublin South-East constituencies consecutively. MacEntee served as Minister for Finance, 1932-9; for Industry and Commerce, 1939-41; Minister for Local Government and Public Health, 1941-8; Minister for Finance, 1951-4; Minister for Health, 1957-65, and Minister for Social Welfare, 1957-61; and Tanaiste, 1959-65. Among the highlights of a long and distinguished Ministerial career were the Anglo-Irish vi Financial Agreement, 1938; the Trade Union Act, 1941; the reorganisation of the Health services and the establishment of separate Departments of Health and Social Welfare; and the fluoridation of water supplies in Ireland. Besides these and many other Government matters, the collection documents his senior position within Fianna Fáil; his pivotal role in election campaigns; his concern with attempts to undermine democratic institutions by subversive and illegal organisations; his membership of the Council of State; and his contribution as an Irish delegate to the Council of Europe. Arrangement and description The arrangement of the material is straightforward, with main sections based upon his early political career (A); each of the Ministerial positions held by him (B-E); material relating to elections and referenda (F); to Fianna Fáil (G); to Partition, Northern Ireland and Anglo-Irish relations (H); revolutionary and subversive organisations (J); texts of speeches and related matter (K); his membership of the Council of State (L); the Council of Europe (M); research material, historical enquiries, and requests for interviews (N); biographical material (O); and personal documents and memorabilia (P). There is a section of material relating to his case for libel against Proinsias MacAonghusa arising from allegations about his 1916 record (Q); and sections of printed matter (R) and Photographs (S). Descriptions have been made as extensive as possible, whether the unit of description be individual items, compound items, or bound volumes. Where it has not been possible to describe every item within large compound items, the more important documents have been described individually and the substance of the more routine material has been summarised. With material of Departmental or Ministerial origin, file titles are generally those originally given. Titles have, where appropriate, been given to untitled files and other compound items. S.H. December 1989 vii Chronology 1889 Born in Belfast; educated at St Mary’s CBS, St Malachy’s College, and Belfast College of Technology 1910 Junior engineer-in-charge, Belfast Electricity Department. 1914 Principal assistant to the electrical engineer, Dundalk; helped to establish an Irish Volunteer corps in Dundalk and was appointed Adjutant when the corps was reorganised in 1915. 1916 Fought in the GPO Garrison; court-martialled and sentenced to death; sentence commuted to penal servitude for life; released in the general amnesty of June 1917. 1917 Member of the National Executives of Sinn Fein and the Irish Volunteers. 1918 Elected MP for South Monaghan. 1920-3 Vice-Commandant, Belfast Brigade, IRA; Officer Commanding, Marlboro Street Post Office, June-July 1922; interned July 1922–December 1923. 1923- MacEntee & O’Kelly, consulting engineers. 1927 Founder member, Fianna Fail; elected TD for county Dublin. 1932-9 Minister for Finance. 1939-41 Minister for Industry and Commerce. 1941-8 Minister for Local Government and Public Health. 1948 Appointed to the Council of State. 1949 Member of the first Irish delegation to the Council of Europe. 1951-4 Minister for Finance. 1957-65 Minister for Health. 1957-61 Minister for Social Welfare. 1959-65 Tanaiste 1969 Retired from active politics. 1984 Died. viii P67 Seán MacEntee Papers A. EARLY POLITICAL CAREER i. Easter 1916 a. Contemporary documents 1 May-June 1916 Scrapbook of newspaper cuttings, mainly from Dublin and Belfast newspapers, containing accounts of the courts martial and execution of participants, including MacEntee, in the Easter Rising; book originally a laboratory notebook from the Municipal Technical Institute, Belfast. 24x18x4cms 2 17 July 1916 John Gore, solicitor, 6 Cavendish Row, Dublin, to James MacEntee; statement of costs in connection with the court martial of John MacEntee. 7pp 3 1916-17 Notebook containing poems and short prose pieces written by MacEntee during his imprisonment in Lewes Prison. 190pp 4 June 1917 Original and copy of a letter from [Thomas Spring Rice, Baron] Monteagle [of Brandon] to T.E. Alexander [witness for the defence at MacEntee’s court martial] asking for support in an appeal for MacEntee’s inclusion in any amnesty that might be offered (10 June 1917, 2 items); Monteagle encloses a copy of a letter he has written to [Henry] Duke [Chief Secretary for Ireland] on MacEntee’s behalf (8 June 1917, 2pp); original and copy of a letter from Henry Hannah [KC, MacEntee’s counsel at his court martial] to Tommy [Spring Rice] enclosing ‘MacEntee’s letter [not present] (c June 1917, 2 items). 5 items 5 18 June 1917 Framed photograph of a handwritten address to the President and Congress of the United States from 26 ‘officers (just released from English prisons) of forces formed independently in Ireland to secure the complete liberation of the Irish nation’; includes MacEntee’s signature. 52x44cms © UCD ARCHIVES 1989 - 1 - P67 Seán MacEntee Papers 6 July 1917 Catholic Bulletin (July 1917); includes an article entitled ‘Events of Easter Week’ (14pp) giving short biographical accounts of some Irish prisoners, including MacEntee, sentenced to death or hard labour for their part in the Easter Rising.