Oliver J. Flanagan was an Irish politician known for his conservative views and strong nationalist stance. He was first elected to the Dail(the Irish parliament) in 1943, and he was elected as an independent TD(member of parliament) In the 1950s he joined Fine Gael, one of the current government parties.
Before I post his hateful maiden speech I have to point out that his speech is no reflection on Fine Gael as it is now, but they have to be careful that they don’t go that way.
Dáil Éireann Debate—Friday, 9 July 1943
“I should like to co-operate with the Government or with any Party that I believed was going to introduce legislation in the best interests of the Irish nation. I should like very much to be in a position to support any measure brought forward in this House with that object, but I am very sorry that I cannot associate myself with this Bill or with anything relating to the public safety measures introduced by the Cumann na nGaedheal Government or by the present Fianna Fáil Government because I have seen that most of these Emergency Acts were always directed against Republicanism. How is it that we do not see any of these Acts directed against the Jews, who crucified Our Saviour nineteen hundred years ago, and who are crucifying us every day in the week? How is it that we do not see them directed against the Masonic Order? How is it that the I.R.A. is considered an illegal organisation while the Masonic Order is not considered an illegal organisation? You do not hear one word in these Acts against the banks who are robbing the people, right, left and centre. I told the electors in Leix-Offaly that the banks were robbers. The police were listening to me. Does the Minister for Justice think that, if the banks were not robbers, the police would have allowed me to make that statement in public without attempting to make me prove it? This Government is introducing an Emergency Powers Bill now to prevent the suffering masses of the Irish people from ridding themselves of poverty, emigration, debt, seizures and a thousand and one other national ills which I could continue to enumerate in this House until this day-week, but I do not propose to waste your precious time doing so.
All that I have to say is that my heart goes out to the men who are on hunger strike today. I made a request to the Minister the other night to release these prisoners. I am sorry I made such a request. I had a right to demand it on behalf of the people who sent me here as a Republican. I am demanding it now. Seán Mac Cumhaill sent me a telegram last night asking me to deny a certain statement made by the Minister. Perhaps you, Sir, would tell me if it would be in order to read this telegram to the Minister since he did not think it worthwhile—
I should like to say that I cannot support any of these Bills because Our Holy Father the Pope stated that all nations, strong and weak, have a right to life and independence, and if I am a Christian, I must obey the teachings of the Church. Is the Minister a Christian? He says he is, but nothing Christian has come from Fianna Fáil or from Fine Gael. That old Christian saying: “Do unto men as you would like men to do unto you”, is forgotten and their policy is: “Do a man before he does you.” That is the position as I see it. I want to make my position clear. I am associated with no Party in this House. I am expressing the views of the republican organisation and the people of Leix-Offaly who sent me here because I got no support from Fianna Fáil, from Fine Gael, Labour or Farmers. I got support only from the republicans of Leix-Offaly who sent me here, and it is on behalf of these people that I am demanding the release of Seán Mac Cumhaill and these other men in the interests of Christianity and in accordance with the teachings of the Pope that all nations strong and weak have the right to life and independence. Does the Minister remember the words of the late Dr. O’Dwyer, that great Bishop of Limerick, who said in 1916 that “While grass grows and water flows there will be men found in Ireland to dare and die for it”? You will not be here in years to come, not one of us will be here in years to come, but I hope a better lot than we are will replace us. When you are gone out of this House there will be men daring and dying for Ireland. They will have to wait for the republic and perhaps die for the republic if they are waiting for us to get it. I cannot see anything in these Acts about the republic. It is completely forgotten.
I want to know if under all these Emergency Acts people are prevented from visiting prisoners or can I, as a representative of Leix-Offaly, get permission from the Minister to see two friends of mine in the Curragh—one from Creenhill, Birr, and the other from Clara, Offaly. I wonder if I went to the Minister’s office would he give me permission to see those constituents of mine who are internees in the Curragh.
I cannot for the life of me see why those men should be interned because of their views. Their views are the views of Wolfe Tone, or Pearse and of Connolly. Deputy Dillon, a member of this House, says that this nation should be at war with England—that it should join in with her. Senator MacDermot, a member of the Oireachtas, in a broadcast from the United States some time ago said: “Shame on Ireland because she is not in the war with England, her best friend and ally.” That man was one of the Taoiseach’s nominees in the Seanad. I wonder will he appear on his list for the Seanad this time? There was no Act to intern Deputy Dillon, and no order to arrest Senator MacDermot the moment he arrived here. I am surprised to see Deputy Dillon free, because if I said the things that he has said I would have been in jail long ago. The Guards in Mountrath tried to put me in jail. They had no case against me or I would be there.
I want to ask that the Emergency Powers Order which prevents the division of land from taking place, be immediately lifted. The Minister for Lands wrote to me some time ago to say that there was not sufficient staff in the Land Commission to deal with the division of land. How is it that there are thousands of well-educated young men being forced to take the emigrant ship, not from Galway Bay or Cobh this time to take them to the greater Ireland beyond the Atlantic, but to take them from Dun Laoghaire and Rosslare to the land beyond the Irish Sea, the land of our traditional enemy, to help England in her war effort against Germany? There is one thing that Germany did, and that was to rout the Jews out of their country. Until we rout the Jews out of this country it does not matter a hair’s breadth what orders you make. Where the bees are there is the honey, and where the Jews are there is the money. I do not propose to detain the House further. I propose to vote against such Orders and actions, and I am doing so on Christian principles. The Minister for Justice could not give me a straight answer a few moments ago. I am sorry that I interrupted him in the heat of the discussion. Of course, one needs great patience to listen to what is going on. I know very well that even the clergy in the Minister’s constituency are up against him.
Father Keane, the parish priest of Athleague, is up against him, and when the clergy are up against him surely it will be hard for any of us to support him. I thank the Chair for allowing me to make my statement.
think I have said all that I want to say. I cannot associate myself with any of those emergency Acts because I do not agree with them. I think that in a Christian State, we should have liberty and freedom for all. I know very well that there is a war on and that the Government must take precautions, but I cannot see why they are letting the banks go scot-free and the Jews and the Masons. Surely, the Republicans are not worse than they are. They fought for freedom.
Will the Minister say whether the I.R.A. is an illegal organisation and whether the Masonic Order is an illegal organisation? I intend to vote solidly against all such measures as this which come up here.”
Source
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1943-07-09/8
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