Irish democracy owes much to the Farmers’ Party and the Labour Party

The centenary of the Civil War has naturally attracted considerable attention in recent weeks but it is also worth noting that, in parallel with the violence, the enduring foundations of the independent Irish state were also laid down.

One important contribution to the development of Irish democracy was the emergence in the June 1922 general election of political movements that had nothing to do with either side in the Civil War but were committed to working the Treaty settlement.

Chief among them was the Labour Party which defied death threats and intimidation to put up 18 candidates in the election. The courage of Labour leader Tom Johnson in resisting pressure, particularly from the anti-Treaty republicans, was vital to the legitimacy of the Dáil that emerged from that election.

Almost 40 per cent of the electorate voted for parties or individuals who had nothing to do with either side in the Civil War. It was Labour’s best-ever election

The decision of Labour, the Farmers’ Party and a variety of independents to stand across a range of constituencies ensured that voters in much of the country had a real choice and were not confined to the carve-up between the two wings of Sinn Féin agreed by Michael Collins and Eamon de Valera.

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In the first Dáil election to be held under proportional representation, almost 40 per cent of the electorate voted for parties or individuals who had nothing to do with either side in the Civil War. It was Labour’s best-ever election, with the party getting over 21 per cent of the vote and 17 of its 18 candidates being elected.

Johnson played a vital role in the subsequent Dáil by providing a coherent opposition to the pro-Treaty party. Anti-Treaty republicans boycotted the chamber in an effort to undermine its legitimacy but Johnson took the role of leader of the opposition and fiercely opposed the draconian security measures that were invoked by the government.

Johnson has never got the credit he deserves for his role in the shaping the democratic culture of an independent Irish State. By bringing his party into the Dáil, he ensured that parliamentary democracy, with an opposition holding a government to account, would become the accepted way of doing politics rather than the policy of murder and assassination followed by militant opponents of the Treaty.

Labour candidates required great courage to stand for election in 1922. The story of one of them, Daniel Morrissey, who ran in Tipperary, was told to me by his son Tony some years ago. Shots were fired at the family home near Nenagh by anti-Treaty republicans in an effort to persuade him not to stand. Fearing kidnap, Morrissey left home a few days before nomination papers were due to be submitted and waited until the very last minute on the final day before dashing into the courthouse in Thurles to lodge them.

Pointed a gun

When he emerged from the courthouse, the square in Thurles was thronged with an excited crowed. Republican leader Ernie O’Malley emerged from the throng, pointed a gun at Morrissey and told him to go back and withdraw his nomination. At that stage, the famed IRA gunman Dan Breen jumped out of the crowed, pointed his gun at O’Malley and told him to clear off and let Tipperary people settle the matter between themselves.

Morrissey and Breen were from the same parish and knew each other. While Breen had publicly called on Morrissey not to stand, he defended the right of his fellow Tipperary man to do so. In the event, Morrissey was elected for Tipperary with 7,819 votes.

This was just one of many incidents of intimidation across the country. In Clare Labour candidate, Patrick Hogan, a future Ceann Comhairle, went to Ennis courthouse to hand in his nomination papers but he was assailed by a mob who called on him to withdraw and he did. A Farmers’ Party candidate and an Independent also withdrew in Clare, leaving the constituency to the Sinn Féin factions.

The violence and threats of violence during the election were directed at the non-Sinn Féin candidates

Farmers’ candidate Denis Gorey of Kilkenny was made of sterner stuff. He received a late-night visit from gunmen telling him to withdraw but wielding an unloaded shotgun he persuaded them to withdraw temporarily. However, they returned and fired a fusillade at his house for 20 minutes before armed neighbours summoned by his wife turned up and the gunmen withdrew. Like Morrissey, Gorey was elected to the Third Dáil.

A notable feature of the campaign was that the pro- and anti-Treaty factions of Sinn Féin politely disagreed with each other and there was little inkling of the ferocious fighting that was to break out between them a few weeks later once the election was out of the way. The violence and threats of violence during the election were directed at the non-Sinn Féin candidates.

The success of those candidates, when combined with the pro-Treaty vote, meant that almost 80 per cent of the vote went to TDs who accepted the Treaty. In the current issue of Studies, parliamentary chronicler Dr Anthony White writes: “The 1922 general election laid down a marker that the future development of the Irish State would be in the hands of the electorate rather than military leaders.” The role of Labour, farmers and others in ensuring that happened should not be forgotten.