Remarks by John Bruton, former Taoiseach, in Newman House, St
Stephens Green, Dublin
I am delighted to have been asked to speak
at the launch of this beautifully produced volume, which is an exceptionally
well chosen, and contemporarily relevant, selection of essays, published over the last 100 years in the Jesuit
journal “Studies”.
“Studies” first appeared in March 1912,
exactly a century ago.
In the time since receiving an advance copy
of the book, I have read most, but not all of Bryan Fanning’s selection of
essays.
Undoubtedly the most startling essay in the
book is “The Canon of Irish History, A challenge” by Father Francis Shaw SJ.
It was intended for publication in 1966, but was deemed too
controversial for publication by the then editor of Studies . It was eventually
published in 1972 under the courageous editorship of Fr Peter Troddyn S J , who
happens to have taught me at
school.
As we prepare to commemorate the enactment of Home Rule in 1914,
the sacrifices by Irish soldiers in the Great War, and the deaths in and after rebellion
of Easter 1916, the content of Fr
Shaw’s essay is as relevant, and probably as controversial, today, as it was 46 years ago, when it was first offered for
publication.
Fr Shaw analyses the physical force
tradition of Irish nationalism and , in so doing, quotes extensively from the
writings of Patrick Pearse.
He questions Pearse’s identification of Nationalism with Holiness
, his hatred of England, and his glorification of death and violence.
Writing in December 1915, when the horrors of the Great War
were already all too well known in the homes of Ireland , Pearse said
“The last 16 months have been the most
glorious in the history of Europe. Heroism has come back to the earth. It is good for the world that such
things should be done. The old earth needed to be warmed with the red wine of
the battlefields”
On another occasion, Pearse sought
religious vindication for such a view. He said
“The Christ that said ‘My peace I leave you, my peace I give you’, is the same Christ that said ‘I bring not peace but the sword’”
Pearse expressed the view that Ireland
would not be” happy again”, until she recollects the “laughing gesture” of a
young man going into battle, or “climbing to a gibbet” for his hanging.
All commemorations serve an educational
purpose for the future. It is important that such sentiments as these not be glorified
in 2016, and that their consequences be fairly assessed.
They were misleading to people 100 years ago, and they are
just as misleading today.
Warfare may sometimes be necessary as a last resort in self
defence, but it is never glorious or holy in the way Pearse, and many others of
his generation, apparently saw it.
The wonderful thing about this volume is
that it enables us to read what authors thought, at the time, without the
opportunity for selective reinterpretation in the light of subsequent events .
Yet much of the writing is remarkably up to date and pertinent.
We have John Maynard Keynes 1933 critique of what we now call
globalisation, George Russell (AE)’s 1923 critique of the negative cultural impact of what we now call Armed Struggle, and a controversy in
1938 about Daniel O Connell and his view of his Gaelic heritage.
We have interesting insights from Tom Garvin and Raymond
Crotty about what people thought about economic development in the time before
the Celtic Tiger and the Celtic Bust.
There is an essay , written by 1983 ,by
John Sweeney on Social Inequality, something that has not diminished in the intervening years,
and which may have been
contributed to by the
globalisation that Keynes had written about, 50 years before.
We have Sean Lemass’ recollection of the
1916 rebellion, and excellent biographical essays on John Redmond and Tom
Kettle.
Kettle, who died at the front in the Great War, had a different attitude to
war to Patrick Pearse.
He said
“I want to live to use all my powers..... to drive out of civilization the foul thing called war,
and put in its place understanding
and comradeship”,
And he regretted the 1916 rebellion, because he felt it
spoiled his dream of a”free united Ireland, in a free Europe”.
I hope Tom Kettle will be remembered in
2016, which will be the centenary of his death, because his message has great
relevance to our times.
Stephen Collins essay on John Redmond deals
with the career of a man whose memory he says was “systematically buried” when
the new state came into being in 1922.
It is important to say that Home Rule was
enacted into law in 1914 as a direct result of John Redmond’s work. I also believe
that the institutions of the state,
that became operational in 1922, owed much to the civil service work done in the 1912 to 1914 period, in preparation for
Home Rule .
As befits a Jesuit publication, there are
interesting essays on religious practice in Ireland, on the theology of Dr
Paisley, and the response of the Catholic Church to the abuse scandals.
I congratulate Studies, and the UCD Press,
on an excellent publication.
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