“A brief overview of Clann na Poblachta, and the Inter-Party Government 1948-51” by Eithne MacDermott. This also featured talks by Loreto Secordary School Students on various aspects of the Sack of Balbriggan, including newspaper articles from the time, and Black and Tan attacks elsewhere.
Eithne’s talk covered some of the interesting features of Clann na Poblachta who included Sean McBride and Dr Noel Browne, a different political generation, the first time an inter-party or coalition government, which is now the norm, was formed and took office – and some comments on the inter party government itself. In light of Brexit she will also looked at Ireland, the Commonwealth and the Declaration of the Republic, and what leaving a major international organisation, the Commonwealth entailed. She spoke without notes and had a huge knowledge of the subject including talking about when she met with the main people involved while researching her book on the subject. She brought us back to the awful poverty of the 1940’s, the emergence of a new radical political movement, the fight against TB and the church, and the new concept of Coalition government
Eithne MacDermott has studied and taught in NUIG (Irish Politics; EU Studies; Comparative Politics: Western European Political Systems; and Eastern European History) and TCD (Modern History – Russian and Eastern European History), and has written a book on Clann na Poblachta which was published by Cork University Press in 1998.
She has served as an international election observer – nominated by the Irish Government for the past 22 years and has observed and reported on more than 25 elections across three continents in that time. She has also served as with a number of EU civilian missions – seconded by Ireland – in Georgia, Afghanistan, and Somalia as a political adviser or analyst.
