De Valera and Fianna Fáil in Government ● Taking over from CnG ● Dealing with O'Duffy and the Blueshirts ● Dealing with the IRA ● Anglo-Irish Relations ● Dismantling the Treaty ● The Economic War ● The Anglo-Irish Agreement 1938 ● The 1937 Constitution ● Economic and Social Policies of Fianna Fáil ● The Eucharistic Congress ● Cultural Identity: religion, education, language, literature and art ● The Emergency ● Losing power

Taking over from CnG ● De Valera and Fianna Fáil won the general election in February 1932 ● Cosgrave instructed the army, Gardai and civil service to co- operate with the new government ● Most civil servants kept their jobs but De Valera moved or replace some from sensitive jobs e.g. Eoin O'Duffy as head of the Gardai

The Army Comrades Association ● During the run up to the elections in 1932 there were clashes between supporters of CnG and supporters of Fianna Fáil (who included some members of the IRA) ● After Fianna Fáil got into power some IRA prisoners were released and there were continued clashes between supporters of CnG and members of the IRA ● Some Cumann na nGaedheal decided to set up the ACA (Army Comrades Association) in February 1932

The ACA become 'Blueshirts' ● In the run up to the January 1933 elections there were clashes between the ACA and IRA supporters fo Fianna Fáil ● Violent clashes continued in the first months of 1933 ● In April 1933 the ACA began to wear a blue shirt uniform ● Later that year they changed their name to the 'National Guard'

● In July 1933 Eoin O'Duffy became leader of the ACA. ● O'Duffy admired Mussolini and they adopted some elements of European Fascism including the salute Eoin O'Duffy becomes leader of the Blueshirts

Eoin O'Duffy

The Blueshirt Parade ● In February 1933 O'Duffy announced that the 'Blueshirts' were going to have a parade in Dublin to commemorate Collins, Griffith and O'Higgins ● The plan was to march to Glasnevin Cemetery stopping at Leinster Lawn (in front of Dáil) on the way ● There was a real chance of clashes with the IRA and Fianna Fáil supporters ● De Valera banned the parade possibly fearing O'Duffy would try to copy Mussolini's 'March on Rome

● De Valera decided to ban the National Guard and declare it an illegal organisation ● Cumann na nGaedheal supporters were unhappy with this and the National Guard merged with Cumann na nGaedheal and another new party, the National Centre Party ● The new party they formed in September 1933 was called Fine Gael ● O'Duffy was chosen to be leader of Fine Gael (even though Cosgrave had been leader of CnG) Fine Gael

The National Centre Party ● In December 1932 the National Centre Party was formed by a group of 4 Farmers' Party Tds and 13 independent Tds ● The IRA sometimes disrupted their meetings during the election campaign ● In the January 1933 election they won 11 seats in the Dáil ● In August 1933 the National Centre Party merged with the ACA and CnG to form Fine Gael

Violent clashes between Blueshirts and the Broy Harriers ● De Valera introduced a bill to prevent the wearing of uniforms in 1934 but it was defeated in the Senate ● Some farmers (who supported CnG and were angry at loss of income due to the 'Economic War') were refusing to pay rates to the government ● The government used the 'Broy Harriers' (led by Edward 'Ned' Broy) to try to collect unpaid taxes and seize property from farmers ● Blueshirts were sometimes involved in clashes with the 'Broy Harriers'

● Was in DMP ● Later joined the IRA ● Then the Irish Free State army ● Then the Gardai ● Was made Commissioner of the Gardaí by De Valera from 1933 to 1938 ● In 1934 he set up the 'Auxilary Special Branch' in the Gardai (made up of IRA veterans) ● This unit was nicknamed the 'Broy Harriers' Colonel Eamon Broy (or Edward Broy, often called Ned Broy) (1887–1972)

Cosgrave takes over from O'Duffy as leader of Fine Gael ● Many members of Cumann na nGaedheal were unhappy with O'Duffy and the Blueshirts ● O'Duffy began to make more violent speeches and was eventually forced to resign ● Cosgrave took over as leader of Fine Gael ● The blue shirt uniform was abandoned ● O'Duffy later led an Irish Brigade to fight communism by fighting on the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War ● O'Duffy died in 1944

De Valera and the IRA ● When Fianna Fail took over from CnG in 1932 they ordered the release of a number IRA prisoners ● They got rid of the Military Tribunal ● The ban on the IRA was lifted and membership grew to about 30,000 ● IRA members who had been on the anti-treaty side were given IRA pensions by the FF government ● Some IRA were recruited into the GardaI Siochana and the Irish Free State Army

De Valera's hardening attitude towards the IRA ● De Valera and FF had been linked to the IRA but once they got into power they could not tolerate an alternative to the Gardai and the Irish Free State Army ● Some IRA were brought 'into the fold' by giving them pensions or recruiting them into the Gardai or the army ● De Valera tried to persuade the IRA to give up their weapons and give up violence and took a hard line after 1934 with those that continued to use violence and engage in illegal activity

De Valera's repression of the IRA ● In 1935 the IRA was banned again and the Military Tribunal was revived to deal with acts of violence by the IRA ● The chief-of-staff of the IRA, Moss Twomey, was imprisoned ● Sean McBride took over as chief-of-staff of the IRA ● In 1938 Seán Russel took over as chief-of-staff of the IRA

The IRA during World War II ● In the late 1930s IRA membership declined and was down to about 1,000 members by 1939 ● In 1939 the IRA declared war on Britain and began a sabotage campaign ● During World War II or the 'Emergency' many IRA were interned ● Some IRA members made contact with the Germans and Germany sent some spies to Ireland during the war ● A number of members of the IRA were executed by the government during WWII

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