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Young Fine Gael are hosting a public meeting with Stephen Collins from the Irish Times on 11 Feb @ 6.15pm in JHL2. Stephen will discuss WT Cosgrave, a participant in the 1916 Rising, a key figure during the War of Independence, the first head of an independent Irish government and of course an iconic figure of the FG party.

Mr. Collins will take questions on all aspects of Irish politics and journalism following his talk.

Refreshments will follow. All welcome. view Poster

Final preparations!

Orlene with Stephen Collins during the Talk

Report posted on 20th Feb 2008
A large attendance was gathered in JHL2 on Monday 11 February as the NUI Maynooth branch hosted a talk with Irish Times political Correspondent Stephen Collins on 1916 combatant, and first head of an Irish government William Thomas Cosgrave.

Mr. Collins has been at the forefront of political journalism in Ireland for many years. He has worked at the Irish Press, the Sunday Tribune and is currently Irish Times political correspondent. He has also written many books, including “The Haughey File”, “The Power Game”, “The Cosgrave Legacy” and his most recent one “From O’Connell to Ahern”. Sipping orange juice in Juicy Lucie’s before the meeting, Stephen recalled the highlights of his career in journalism; the Haughey sagas in the late eighties and early nineties, the Spring tide election for Labour in 1992, the coming to power of John Bruton’s Rainbow Coalition in 1994 and the intriguing battles between Enda Kenny and Bertie Ahern over the past six years. Stephen had seen it all, and those assembled were in store for an engaging talk ranging from the tumultuous events that founded the state right up to the turbulent political temperature of Ireland in 2008 amid “Bertiegate”.

Stephen began by explaining that he first came to write about WT Cosgrave as a result of being asked to do a biography of his son Liam Cosgrave, Taoiseach in the 1973-’77 National Coalition between Fine Gael & Labour. Realising that WT. had been a towering influence at all times during his son’s political career, and that his father’s legacy had never been far from Liam’s thoughts, Stephen decided it was better to do a joint biography which was published in 1996 as The Cosgrave Legacy.

A humble and modest man, WT Cosgrave was never one to talk up his achievements believing that people could come to their own conclusions as to the record he left behind. However, as Stephen pointed out during his talk, WT’s modesty and the historical analysis of the period in general doesn’t do justice to his enormous contribution to the development and survival of democracy in Ireland during the 1920s.

A founding member of the original Sinn Fein party in 1905, Cosgrave was elected to Dublin Corporation in 1909 where the two issues closest to his heart were the rooting out of jobbery & corruption and the provision of proper housing for the destitute. These would be recurring themes throughout the political career of WT Cosgrave. In 1916 WT Cosgrave was sentenced to death for his role in the 1916 rising. However, like Eamon de Valera, WT’s sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. This is a little known fact which speaks volumes for the modesty of the man and the way he didn’t use his revolutionary record for political gain. Of course Irish politics was the better for it with de Valera and Cosgrave forming a great political rivalry until the latter’s retirement as Fine Gael leader in 1944.

As a minister in the underground Dail government between 1919 and 1921, WT emerged as one of the more effective administrators in the cabinet and crucially during the Treaty negotiations as a close ally of Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins. After the Treaty was signed, de Valera attempted to have the agreement defeated at cabinet before the negotiators even returned from London. WT stepped in to out manoeuvre de Valera and buy time for Collins. As Stephen pointed out this was one of the most important interventions in Irish history. WT argued that it was unfair for the four cabinet ministers in Dublin to pass judgement without hearing the case of the other three who had signed the document they were voting on. Not wanting to alienate Cosgrave, and in hoping to secure his support in the event of a split, de Valera agreed to have the vote when the other three ministers returned. In the end Cosgrave sided with the three signatories to put the Treaty to a Dail vote against the wishes of de Valera.

Having secured a level of freedom denied to the country for over 700 years, Irishmen fought a civil war over how much independence was enough independence. This bitter conflict cost the lives of the two men WT Cosgrave had looked to for leadership, Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins. Now leadership of the infant state fell squarely on the shoulders of WT Cosgrave himself. As the audience listened closely, Stephen Collins outlined Cosgrave’s approach to leadership around this time. He would remain quiet as his cabinet ministers either quarrelled or voiced alternative policies. Nobody knew where WT stood on the issue concerned and then he would act, and act decisively. Dispelling some misconceptions about WT, Stephen highlighted the steely core of Cosgrave, pointing out that he was a heavyweight prepared to take tough decisions as he showed during the Civil War and in his response to the assassination of his likely successor Kevin O’Higgins in 1927. In 1927 with his cabinet heavyweight killed by more extreme opponents, Cosgrave effectively forced de Valera to put up or shut up with regard to taking his seats in the Dail thereby establishing the supremacy of democracy and parliament over political violence. De Valera strongly condemned the assassination proving that he was ready to go down the constitutional road too.

After ten years in government Cosgrave lost power to de Valera in 1932 and would remain in opposition for the remainder of his career. His success over that decade was so total that it remained and remains unnoticed. In 1922 the foundations of the new state were not yet laid and violence was seen as a legitimate political weapon. However by 1932 Irish politics had matured to the extent that the victors of the Civil War could quietly hand over the reigns of power to those they had defeated. Democracy had of course come at a price. Some of the policies of the first Free State government caused bitterness for decades afterwards while much manpower, intellect and capital had been lost. Stephen Collins said “the crucial point is that democracy did survive and we did not go the way of other emergent states of the time. WT. Cosgrave’s government did not ever need to go cap in hand to the British to bail us out financially. They proved we could govern ourselves and created a state machinery that has endured for 85 years”.

WT Cosgrave died on 16 November 1965. A Fianna Fail government led by Sean Lemass afforded their former enemy the honour of a state funeral in recognition of his achievements. Stephen Collins concluded his absorbing talk by using the words of Lemass, to sum up The Cosgrave legacy. From “the generosity of his youthful response to the call to serve Ireland…. In the capacity he displayed in presiding over the administration while responsibility was his….in the generosity of spirit with which he lent his hand to the defence of the state in a time of national danger as leader of the opposition….in the counsel he gave in the sphere of national development even in retirement… these are elements of a legacy which we in Ireland and indeed the people who value freedom and democracy everywhere will forever cherish”.

Following the talk, Stephen took questions on many aspects of Irish history, politics and current affairs. He answered many questions before the branch presented him with a bottle of Bordeaux as a thank you for his generosity in coming to Maynooth. Mingling with students afterwards as they sipped wine and ate Pringles it was clear that Stephen was in no rush and was happy to be in Maynooth. YFG thank everyone who attended and contributed to a thoroughly enjoyable evening for us.