Irish History Synopsis: 50's to the Troubles 1969

Irish History Synopsis: 50's to the Troubles 1969


The Inter Party government met the 50's wit the beginning controversy created by the introduction of a Mother and Child health scheme by Mininster of Health Dr Noel Browne, a member of Clann na Pobhlacta.
Dr Browne proposed legislation that would provide free universal health and pre natal care to all pregnant women and continuing health care for the child until it reached the age of 16 years.

The proposed legislation would provide no means test for applicants.

This proposal met with opposition from the Bishops as being obstructive of the rights of the family and the individual to chose what medical proceedures they wanted without state intervention.

Both the Church and the Irish Medical Association opposed any form of socialized medicine.

The proposed Act also included empowering the state to provide inforamtion and educate women in health care, gynocolgical care-which included information on birth control proceedures-
these, original and far sighted attempts to improve the health of woman and children.
Opposition by the Church Hierarchy caused so much havoc as to bring down the coalition goverenment in 1951, Noel Browne refusing to give in on any aspects of his plan or to resign when asked to do so by his party chief, Sean Mc Bride.

However, Dr Browne in his short tenure did succeed in establihsing a successful TB program,that deadly desease being rampant in Ireland.
Dr Browne found the sanataria used for these patients to be unsanitary with open sewers in the yard, poor roofing, no bathing facilities and freqeuntly no knives and forks to eat with.

He himself suffered from TB, His father mother and sister had all died from it.

Dr Browne, to combat the desease liquidated the Health Dept assets of 20 million pounds morgaging another 10 million expected from his Hospital Sweepstakes and set out to rebuild and restaff the TB sanatoriums going so far as to refuse appointment to headship to unqualified Nuns replacing them with skilled admininstrators and nursing staff.

His program was successful TB death droping from 3100 in 1940 to 580 in 1958 and 460 persons in 1961.

Dr Browne was however ostrasized from appointments after his controversy with the Church.
He joined Fianna Fail for time than founded National Progresive Democratic Party in 1958 which was unsuccessful ,finally joining the Labour Party in 1964.

When the Independents and Dr Browne voted with Fianna Fail thus breaking the interparty coalition at the general election of '51, Fianna FAil was again put in office in the new Republic.

This government under De Valera lasted until 1954 during which time there was 80% unemployment in the country.

There was little increase in national output.
Taxation was high.
Expenditures of the governement exceeded revenues.
The Suez problem created credit restrictions and tighening of bank loans.
Public works programs were discontinued.

Even though Ireland had benefited after the War from the Europeans Recovery Fund and its Bord Failte hardly needed to advertize the tourist potential of Ireland as it has self generation in this field.
Ireland being a respit for the hard knocks world and high prices of the outside world and its remaining air of Bohemian pre war order sustained by its nuetrality sold itself.

50s pg 2

Industrial production was curtailed by Ireland because of inability to pay for raw materials which needed to be imported.

Employment in industy fell with a increase in emigration of over 40,000 persons a year.
Ireland GNP[ Gross National Product] grew only 8% while the post war boom in Europe under the European Economic Cooperative Organization grew 41%

FF confrontation withthe mojor unions and civil service continued.
The Party opposing
equal pay for men and women or other pay benefits, agricultural workers increases, or civil service pay increases.

In the meanwhile the outside world had settled comfortbly into the cold War with mutually assured distruction by the ever increasing supply of Atomic and Hydrogen weapons assembled bewteen the two giant States communist Soviet Russia and capitalistic USA.

In the North the Stormont government continued in its discriminatory and stultifying way as the US troops stationed under Operation Magnet withdrew to their own continent.

The old pattern of sectarian isolation was revived.
The Unionist Party kept absolute control over all govenment activity through gerrymandering districts throughout the 6 counties assuring perpetual Unionist government for the dominant prodistant party.

The nationalists were politically and economically isolated having been disciminated against for housing and jobs available.

The major employers of the north shipbuilding [Harland and Wolfe] Shorts Aircraft refused to hire Catholics even for unskilled work such as janitor.

All industry was located in the major prodistant areas of Antrim, Down and Belfast where a Unioist majority was 25% over that of nationalist populations.

Derry, Armagh reflected a 50/40 ratio in favor of prodistants.
Fernmanagh and Tyrone being the only counties having a nationalist majority both showing 55/40 ratios in favor of the nationalist population.

The city of Belfast contained a nationalist ghettos where poverty, crime and ill health prevailed.
A high birth rate among nationalist Irish did not equalize the divide as emegration took of the difference.
Education was totally segregated to Church oriented schools and most higher level education was denied Catholics ,if not by outright exclusion, by lack of funds for children to continue beyond basic learning.

Only property owners and their tenants held the vote.

Prime Minister Basil Brook, 1st Viscount Brookborough and Baronnet, granduate of Sandhurst and veteran of WW1 a commandant of Ulster Special Constabulary in the fight against the IRA, a Knight of the Garter and totally opposed to relations with the Republic of Ireland, made the famous remark with regard to the catholic native plight that he'would not have one about the place' meaning his demesne of Colebrooke in Fernmanagh.

The National Health Service Act passed by the British Parliament in 1946 had been extended to North Ireland through Agreements with that conservative Unionist government with the Brisih taxpayer picking up the tab.

This cradle to grave legislation helped relieve exteme poverty in the north not yet obliterated in the Republic.

However, housing and voting rights continued to be discriminatoy.

Admininstrarial corporations were allowed up to 6 extra votes and gave the Unionist Party contol as all the corporations were prodistant owned and their Directors Unionist Party members.

Proportional Representation in the north had been discontinued in 1929 leaving the Unionist Party in total control of all government funtions for 50 years of one party rule.

The welfare benefits extended after WW2 helped keep the province peaceful even during the Border Campaign launced by the IRA from 1956-1962.

During this peiod the Orange Order- a private religious club which had mingled and assimilated with the Unionist Party - excluded catholics in genneral even catholic unionists from government participation.

Sinn Fein was banned as a political party and other small nationalist parties simply disbanded and became shells.

Labour was fractured but maintained a party organization.

When the Labour Party gained control of Great Britain in 946 it soon passed the National Health Service Act .
However this British party success did not extend to the Labor Party in Ireland.

Even thought the conservative unionist government under Basil Brook did not countinence the socialistic view of care it accepted the labour legislation.
This Act releived a great deal of suffering and indadequate care for both the nationalist and poor prodistants alike and gave a standard then more beneficial then the Rebublic.

The extension of social legislation had been arrived at under the white paper prepared by Beveridge and the laobur government executed the Beveridge recomendations.

An additional housing program was planned in the north to update degraded locations and to include the ghetto in Belfast.

These housing estates although built, were still not being distributed equitably between the sectarian groups in need causing the formation of the North Ireland Civil Rights Association which the Ullster Volunteer Force physically resisted.

In the south FF's continued confrontational economic and social policys caused a vote of no confidence and an election was held in May 1955.

A new government was formed under Fine Gael and Costello was once again at its head .

FG held 7 cabinit seats this time Finance, Justice,Defence ,Agricluture,Educaation , Local Government and Health.
The Taniste was a member of Labour William Norton who also held the Industry and Commerce portfolio.

This Cabinate however was obstucted when McBride pulled Clann na Poblatchta support and put a vote of no confidence in the governments handling of economics and partition.

50s pg 3


An election was held in March 1957 and FF as reinstated with 78 seats.

In 1956 the IRA Chief of Staff Tom Mangan called a campaign against the north infrastructure and government forces called Operation Harvest.
This operation also known as the Border Campaign was conducted mostly against customs posts and RUC barracks with a goal to bring the British government to a nogociation over partition.

During the Fine Gael government in 1955 Ireland was finaly accepted as a member of the United Nations.
Liam Cosgrave, the Mininsters of External Affairs for Fine Gael was well recieved.

Ireland played a major UN role with the US in condeming the Russian invasion of Hungary in 1956 and the French expedition into Egypt.

A forward agenda was set up for the Irish delagation under the leadership of Frank Aikin when Fianna Fail again took the reigns of Irish government in 1957 under a coalition with the Labour Party.

Aikin from Armagh County in the north was a close associate and comrade of De VAlera.
Such world changing events as the China invasion of Tibet and Chinas admission to the UN body with the Irish delegation voting on the Indian Resolution to discuss Chinas admission.

This topic became a hot issue for several years under Aikins's watch and also invaded the political climate in Ireland as to whether the China Question should be discussed the United States having taken a strong posture against debate to admit communist China to the body.
Ireland stuck to its innicial 1957 vote that the China Question should be discussed in the General Assembly.

In Ireland a White Paper was released by civil servant T Kenneth Whitaker outlining an economic plan for Irleand called Economic Development published in May 1958.

The government immediately adopted this Plan called the Program for Economic Expansion changing government policy from a rigid reliance on gold held by the banks,changing loans for short term investment to long term investments and long term productive investments to suppy new industrys and private enterprise.

James Ryan , De Valera's Mininster of Finance and DeValera himself embrassed this plan wholeheartedly the responsibility for implimentation falling to the old practical control F Sean Lemass.

Lemass went with constructive ideas toward the future rather than recrimination of the past.
He brought in new faces.

In the Election of 1959 Lemass succeeded DeValera who after 30 years in power retired from politics.
Two days later 'Dev' was installed as the 2nd President of the Rebublic suceeding the colorful T P Kelly.

As the nation passed into the 60's both the 26 counties and the 6 counties experienced some economic improvements and social contracts with these governments.
No longer beset with the cares of obtaing wages sufficient to buy food or having to resort to the fields to find shelter Ireland generally began to have her place at the table of World Affairs.

Through her place in the UN and the Aikin Mission the human and liberal attitudes of the nation were put forth.

50s pg 4


On November 22 1960 Irish peace keeper forces killed in the Congo were given a funeral of these ten dead. Irish troops had been sent in July as a Peace Keeping Force by the UN.
This was the first time in Irish history that State troops had been sent abroad although pre Christian era Irish kings had gone with their forces into continental Europe, England and Scotland.

Ireland was also becoming a member of the European Common Market.
Lemass modified the hard policy on NATO membership previously taken by De Valera that NATO membership would not be entertained by Ireland as long as partition existed.

New trade pacts were made with Great Britain in 1960.
Ireland applied to join the EEC [ European Economic Community] on August 1 1961.

In 1963 trade unions were opened in Dublin by Czech and Polish missions.

Ireland traded with the comunist block nations of Czechoslavakia, Russia, Poland and E Germany.

Meanwhile in America John Fitzgerald Kennedy a Bostonian descendant of 2 Famine emigrant grand parents sucessfully campaigned and won the US Presidential election.
The first Irish/American catholic to achieve this accomplishment.

'Jack' campaigned on a program of social improvement at home and diplomacy abroad.
His natural charisma , charm and boyant personality overrode any distain of his politics and wore away the resistance to his liberal ideas.
He won the popular vote against conservative Richard M Nixon hands down but the electoral vote was close.

Kennedy entered the White House and was sworne in on January 20 1961.
Kennedy's inspired inaguration speech that
'the Torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans.Born in this century, tempered by war, disaplined by a hard and bitter peace' enamored his vision to the American people and the world.

Kennedy visited the Republic of Ireland in June 1963 on a 4 day visit.

Five months later he was brutally shot in Dallas Texas on 22 November 1963 ending the euforia in America that it was once again on the joyous road to progress and prosperity and the world fell into 4 days of mourning for this angelic man shot on Thansgiving weekend.

Almost every American remembers exactly where they were when this occurred.
A moment fixed in time.

In 1964 Ireland updated its banking structure with the Central Bank Act of 1964 allowing the Bank to deal in securitys of any international financial institutions.
This change allowed Ireland to purchase shares in the World Bank.

The Bank Board has a Governor appointed by the President by advise of the Irish government.
Eight Directors appointed by the Mininster of Finance.
The Central Bank has 8 associate public banks.

The Irish Social Services allow for compusory pension payments includign non contributory pensions for the blind and the unemployed as well as widows.

A means test allows any one udner 1200 pounds income a reduced rate hospital treatment.

Maternatiy services and care for the babies are applied in 1966, 15 years after the same idea brought down the Inter Party government in 1954.
Social Insurance contributions are made by workers, employers and state.
All parents are entitled to a childrens allowance regardless of income.
The Church still maintains educational and rehabilitative works.

In December 1965 Ireland signed a Freee Trade Agreement with Great Britain abolishing all tariffs between the two countries.
Exports to Britan of butter, sheep, pig meat, cattle and horticultural produce will be increased to 100%.

Social Partnerships arose during the 60's combining organised labor, employers and State cooperation.

Class warfare ended in the 60's Ireland.
New Ireland was appearing less conserned with itself, less antagonistic to the rest of the worlds views, less absorbed in its own problems.

Such publications as Irish Writing, Dublin Magazine and the Bell began printing works of newer more modernistic writers.

Such poets as Thomas Kinsella, Benedict Kiely, James Plunkett and John Montague of the north were published in Poetry Ireland, Irish Writing and Envoy.

This benefit of being able to publish Irish writing in Irish mediums a luxury not seen sicne 1900.

They were able to critique their mentors such older writers as Joyce , Audin and Yeats and express an outward view leaving behind the old antagonisms and bitterness.


Ireland was between provincialism and urbanism.

New media radio and in the 1960's ,TV greatly influenced attitudes, tolerance and national consepts of the language.

No more the old gathering about the fireside to hear the Shanashee tell his memorized tales or the litling soul rendering tunes of ancient Ireland.

Although a revival of these skills might well occur today in the new mediums including computer and video both in Irish and in English.

In 1956 the Irish Association of Civil Liberties organized a petition to the Taoiseach T A Costello of another Inter Party government, to establish a Commission on the Censorship Bord.
A meeting was held at Mansion House Dublin and the Minister of Justice having responsiblity for the Bord put 2 liberal members to it.
A dissent of philosophy followed between the 2 new members and the 3 older ones which became so acute that the 3 older members resigned in 1957.
By this time a new FF government was again in power and this new Minister of Justice appointed 3 new individuals who were 'open minded'.
This new Bord compostition did not see itself waging a war againt cultural and moral contamination but as restrictive of books and movies which were pornographic and without literary merit.


50s pg 5


In 1959 with the coming of Lemass as PM and the retirment of DeValera to the Irish Presidency Ireland took off into the new Economic Development Program of Whitacher put in place by the FF Lemass government.
The gross national product[GNP] under the First Program increased by 15%; production by 28%; imports by 30% personal expenditures by 5% and car registration by 29.5 %

Over 350 foreign owned companies were attracted to Ireland by tax breaks and lack of import export duties.

A peaceful social rebvolution was occuring.

Television was introduced to the nation in 1962 with the opening of a state television station. RTE

Modern Catholisizm was absorbed from abroad following the Second Vatican Council.

A new generation not out of the revolutionary mode appeared in offices in the civil service, in privte business, in farming and in the streets of bohemian pub oriented Dublin.
Ireland assumed enthusiasm for its new social , cultural and economic progressions just tolerating the old traditional Ireland of conservative national ideology.

As Ireland remolded itself economically and governmentaly into an efficient streamlined corporate state where decisiions were made on managerial level, canditions in the north once more came to the fore.
The English Exchecher in its returned and subsidised residual tax payments suppressed the populous with its National Insurance payments, welfare benefits and agricultural subsidies.

Industry was productive.

Personal income in the north was 38% higher than in the Republic.
Secondary school compleation in the north was higher than in the south.
In the north University attendance was greater and more available to the qualified poor student.
unemployment benefits were twice as high as in the south.
Old age pensions were granted in the north at 65 as compared to 70 in the Republic and a higher pound rate was paid.
Childrens allowance rates were higher in the Republic than in the north.
Health benefits were greater in the north than in the south.
The north allowed a burial grant of 25 pounds. In the south none were allowed.

8000 new state assisted houses were built in the Republic and 9000 in the north.
Taxes in the north were much higher than in the Republic.
The north still maintained a Builders taxpayers subsidy applied by Lord Randolf Churchhill in 1888 contributing 100 milion a year towards the support of the political state in the north.
The north through the 50's and 60's continued to suffer from institutionalized discrimination through out its constituancys in education, housing, religious tolerance, job opportunites , government consern and voting privileges with total Unionist control over local affairs.

When Terrance O Neill of the Antrim O Neills ,became Prime Minister of the north in 1963 and moved into the Prime Mininsters residence at Stormont Castle a new attempt was made between north and south to hold discussions.
These talks were being encouraged by both Whitaker in the south and Harold Wilson of London.

As a go between T K Whitaker negociated between the 2 leaders the historic O Neill/Lemass meeting at Stormont in 1965.
Within a month O Neill returned the visit arriving in Dublin on Febrary 9 1965.
By midsummer these inter island visits became so frequent they no longer made headlines.

The North Ireland Border Commission began a review of electoral borders in 1965.

At Dungannon ,County Tyrone agitation was begun in 1963 for a fairer distribution of housing mushrooming into the Campaign for Social Justice.Major General Montgomery and such sages as Goerge O Brien of University College Dublin and the trade unionist Louie Bennett continued its work under the leadership of Dr J Dempsey General Manager of Aer Lingus and Earnest Blythe a southern prodistant former Finance Minister in Cumman na nGaedheal and Director of the Abby Theater.
This group with other individuals both north and south worked to improve relations and understanding of the two geographical regions of the island.

The Belfast Telegraph ran an editorial line favorable to ending the absolute rule of the Unionist political party in the north encouraging its readers to vote labor and encouraging a 'New Departure' in the north from its fastened and bigoted thinking.

The two governments spurred on by the successful Lemas/ O Neill innicative began cooperative ventures in agriculture, veternary medicine, marketing and agrarian development and other joint schemes were approached.

Border crossing 'Checkpoint Charile' routines were removed.
Power useage and common fuel supplies were set for exchange the south running out of peat and the north dependant on imported coal.
A nuclear reactor project was canceled.

50s pg 6


At the 50th aniversary of the Rising, Easter 1966 the south suffered some setback in that credit restrictions and private controls on high prices and sluggish prodiction rates led to cut backs on developmental programs for the poor rural areas giving greater accent to the twilight of rural thatched covered cottage Ireland.

However in the mid 60s English was no longer a given as rural poor flocked not to England or America but to their own urban centers.

A more inclusive attitude had gripped the general public of Ireland reflecting the 4 Ps play, prayer progress and partition.

Ireland young are expressing a new sence of realism ,enlightened in world view ,aware of the world outside and exibiting a sober constructivness as to their own future taking the reigns of this in hand themselves from within the embronic country.

The Church itself began to change as the social status entry of poor country boys to the Brothers or the Fathers was removed
[although I wouldnt be to sure about that on a picture produced by my son in 2007 visit showing a large group of young priests strolling along a street with the Bishop in full regalia.]

During 1965 and 66 several major strikes took place in the Republic which FF characteristicall opposed.
A confrontation began in October '65 when the ITA [Irish Telephonist Association] picketed to gain recognition.
An injunction was put out by the courts but the strikers paid no heed.
Three were jailed which provoked the ITA rank and file to picket the Dial itself.
FF invoked the Offences Against the State Act as Lemas considered the strikers involving themselves in anti state behavior.

The National Busworkers however pleged support for the ITA along with dock workers and the workers of Goulding Fertilizer walked off the job challenging the ITGWU to join them.

The jailed ITA members began a hunger strike provoking a 1500 man march on their behalf threw the streets of Dublin demanding the National Council of Civil Liberties seek the realease of the jailed hunger strikers.
This was accomplished by an agreement between the Attorney General and the strikers that they would not picket the Dial.

In January 1966 The ICU advised its membership to accpt a 1 pound a week wage increase only.

At this time Lemass had resigned from the PM office and politics in 1965 and the acting Prime Mininster was Jack Lynch who won the election and took this office in his own right in January 1966.

Several trade groups like the confectionary workers, enginering crafts and dock workers went on strike.

FF announced a 3% ceiling on wage increases further antagonizing the rank and file union members and escalating the strikers work stoppage.

During that period General Electric Co, an American multi national known for its anti union views was challenged to accept a union shop.
ITGWU was organizign in the Shannon Industrial Estates subsidiary EI but company management refused to negociate with the union.
380 members walked out-mainly female workforce.

Nearby Aer Lingus workers refused o move goods for EI.
When Court issued an injuntion it was ignored.

EI hired strike breakers.

The IRA intervened burning the buses used to bring in the strike breakers.

FF tried neutrality but more or less sided with the Company viewing the strike as an impediment to the industrialization program of the government which gave the tax breaks and outright grants in aid to the incoming multinationals.As well as
the lower wages paid to women workers under the FF program to keep women in the home-part of the Catholic Social Doctrine-.

When ITGWU threatened to call a national work stoppage a hasty arbitration was arranged wherby EI took back the striking workers giving the union recognition and reversing FF's policy of givng grants to any multinational not accepting pre existing unions.

ESB [Electricity Suppy Board] workers went on strike followed by the Day Workers Association.
Hillery, the FF Mininster of Labor immediately invoked the Special Powers Act which provided a 5000 pound fine for the union support in a strke, 100 a day fine for the union and a 25 pound fine for individual strikers.
Some 50 of the strikers were jailed.
A national shutdown of electrical supplies was threatened and FF capitulated beginning negociations to release the jailed strikers.
It was agreed that managment should pay their fines and provide taxis at MountJoy jail to take the strikers to their homes.

Ff continued to find ways to legislate against strikes but the rank and file union members remaned militant forcing the union leaders to weaken suppor for Fianna Fail.


By 1967 NICRA [North Ireland Civil Rights Association] demanded improvements in the provinces living conditions.

A one man one vote was demanded with an end to gerrymandering local voting districts.
A housing points system to fairly distribute housing allotments was stated.

In October the Civil Rights march to Derry was attacked by a mob consising of hysterical hard line unionists and RUC militants smattered with violent B Special forces.

The south Irish labor front backed the NI demands sending a pristegious delagation to the north.

The violence associated with repressing the NI march brought rection from the IRA forces still intact and on cease fire but not disbanded from its 56-62 border campaign in the north against British targets.
The IRA had failed to achieve its objective during those 6 years of bringing Great Britain to the negociating table over partition of the island.
With escalation of the frustrational sectarian rebel violence in the streets of Derry spreading eastward to Belfast and about the countryside the Labor government of Great Britain sent in the British Army in 1969 to quell the rebellion and re establish stability.

This however was not to be the decade ending with the now famous 'You are entering Free Derry' signs appearing in the Bogside Catholic ghetto and Citizens Defence Councils springing up in both Belfast and Derry.
With the IRA reconstuting itself into split factions represeted by the Official IRA based in the south and the Provincial IRA devolved from the northern command.

In America the dispersed Irish Americans assimilated and urbanized- almost vanished- saw television pictures of the north and the batoning but had no understanding or consept of what was happening in the north of Ireland.

In the republic people held their breath not wanting their lives disrupted.

IOn 20 July 1969 Neil Armstrong stepped from his space capsule on the moon sending back the message

'One small step for Man. One giant step for Mankind.


Judi Donnelly

Copyright October 10 2007


sourses: Ireland a Social and Cultural History, Terrance Bron,Harper Perenial,2004
Fianna Fail and irish Labor, Kieran Allen,Pluto Press,1997
Ireland Since the Rising, T P Coogan, Frederick Praeger Publishing 1966