First published 1970 by Pearson Education Limited
Second edition 1982
Third edition 1992
Published 2014 by Routledge
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1970, 1982 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Standford Junior University Third edition 1992, Taylor & Francis.
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ISBN 13: 978-0-582-08624-1 (pbk)
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Set by 7 in 10pt Times
Tables
1 Basic Influences
2 The Changing Face (and Mind?) of Ireland
Political Communications and the Mass Media
5 Patterns of Participation and Representation
6 Political Parties
7 Pressure Groups
8 Elections
10 The Government and the Dil
The Oireachtas
The Pattern of Public Administration
13 The Central Administration and the Civil Service
15 Local Government
16 Controlling the Administration
Figures
Some, but by no means all, Irish political institutions are commonly called by their Irish names. For the convenience of non-Irish readers, a list of such terms used frequently in this book is given here.
Bunreacht na hreann. The Constitution of Ireland. This term is usually applied only to the Constitution enacted in 1937 and still in force.
Dati (full title, Dil ireanr). Chamber of Deputies. The popularly elected legislative assembly.
Eire. Ireland. Article 4 of Bunreacht na hireann says that the name of the state is 'Eire, or in the English language, Ireland'. The name Eire is often used outside Ireland to denote the present state, which extends de facto over part, though the largest part, of the island of Ireland.
Fianna Fil (Soldiers of Destiny). The title of the largest party, founded by Eamon de Valera in 1926.
Fine Gael (Tribe of the Gaels). The successor of Cumarin na nGaedheal (League of Gaels), the pro-Treaty party. In 1991 the second largest party.
Gaeltacht (plural, Gaeltachta). Irish-speaking areas. Most of these are situated on the western seaboard, in Donegal, Mayo. Galway, and Kerry.
Garda Sochna. The Civic Guards, Police.
Oireachtas. Parliament.
Seanad (full title, Seanad ireann). Senate.
Sinn Fin (We Ourselves). Originally a nationalist political movement founded by Arthur Griffith in 1905. In 1917 a number of separatist groups coalesced under the title of Sinn Fin, pledged to the achievement of an independent republic. The movement split over the terms of the Treaty with the United Kingdom (December 1921). Organizations calling themselves Sinn Fin have existed ever since.
Taoiseach (plural, Taoisigh). Prime Minister.
Teachta Dla (plural, Teachti). Deputy (literally messenger or delegate to the Dil). Abbreviated to TD.
Once again, I have had to rewrite many parts of this book for the third edition. The reasons are precisely those that, as I stated in the Preface to the second edition, made it necessary for me then to rewrite extensively. In the last ten years, Ireland has continued to change as fast as it did in the previous fifteen. As important, political scientists have proliferated and political science has burgeoned, with the result that the quantity and quality of writing on Irish politics have improved immeasurably. In addition, government departments themselves have begun to publish more factual and explanatory material than previously and students of Irish government have benefited greatly.
Some topics, however, have still attracted little attention, and in respect of these, as previously, I have had to rely on personal enquiries directed to the practitioners. I am again indebted to many more people than I can mention here, particularly those civil servants whom I have bothered more than most of my contacts. The market research organizations have been generous in making material available: in particular, I am grateful to Jack Jones and ine of the Market Research Bureau of Ireland Ltd for their generous help over many years.
I thank my academic colleagues in political science and law who have unfailingly responded to my buttonholing over the years. I acknowledge gratefully also the help of Miriam Nestor, Teresa Mulroy and Shauna Curran, who have worked with me at some time or another during the preparation of this edition, and of Geraldine O'Dea who prepared the index.
B.C.
Chapter 1
Basic Influences
I
The state with which this book is concerned is in the words of its Constitution called 'ire, or in the English language, Ireland '. We shall call it 'Ireland' and its people 'Irish'. However, Ireland, the state, does not extend over the whole island of Ireland, nor does it include everyone who calls himself or herself Irish or everyone who might be reckoned to be Irish. Both inside the state and especially outside, it is often called by other names - Eire, the Republic of Ireland, the Irish Republic. In this book, whenever the use of 'Ireland' would be ambiguous or confusing, the term 'Republic of Ireland' will be used.
II
The Irish are a peripheral people: their homeland is on the fringe of the British Isles, which in turn is on the edge of Europe. They are, too, a not very numerous people. After well over a century of population decline - in 1841, 6.5 million people lived in the area now known as the Republic of Ireland - the population, then below 3 million, began slowly to increase from the middle of this century and in the late eighties was about 3.5 million. The overwhelming majority - 93 per cent in 1981 - were Roman Catholic and all but a tiny minority ordinarily speak English.
