John A. Costello became Taoiseach 60 years ago today, in extraordinary political circumstances. He said: "I never wanted to be Taoiseach. I was appalled at the idea. I did not want to become Attorney General, nor a Minister".
His long-time friend Arthur Cox told him: "You have been in politics for 30 years, and you cannot refuse the top post. If you play with fire you must expect to get burned some time."
The 1948 General Election results appeared, at first, to indicate that Eamon de Valera would have little trouble in extending his 16 years as government leader. Fianna Fáil had 68 seats, against 67 for the combined opposition, with 12 Independents. Richard Mulcahy, leader of Fine Gael, invited other party leaders to join him in seeking to resist the return of Fianna Fáil.
A major surprise occurred the very next day when Seán MacBride, former Chief of Staff of the IRA and an erstwhile bitter enemy of Mulcahy's, responded positively. All the leaders of the opposition parties, Fine Gael, Labour, Clan na Poblachta, Clan na Talún and representatives of the Independents attended a meeting in Leinster House on Friday, February 13th. The National Labour Party, which was associated with Fianna Fáil through the Congress of Trade Unions, did not attend. The mood was positive and it seemed that business could be done. There was one sticking point. The bitterness of the Civil War still resonated and the leader of Fine Gael was not acceptable as a prospective taoiseach. As he had done so often, General Mulcahy put country first and agreed to another member of Fine Gael being selected. Eventually the name of John A. Costello emerged as acceptable to all.
Costello was a successful senior counsel, with a very lucrative practice at the Bar. He had been Attorney General in W.T. Cosgrave's government from 1926 to 1932. He was an important participant in gaining international recognition for the independent status of the Free State, culminating in the Statute of Westminster in 1931. None of the Civil War bitterness rested on him. He had been elected to the Dáil in 1932 and had served almost continuously as a Fine Gael front-bench spokesman. He was also an expert in constitutional law and well known to Sean MacBride at the Law Library. He was friendly with Bill Norton of the Labour Party.
Mulcahy was asked to sound out Costello that same Friday night. Next day, Costello met with colleagues Mulcahy, Paddy McGilligan and T.F. O'Higgins. On Saturday night the party leaders met at the Mansion House, together with a group of Independents including James Dillon, Alfie Byrne and Oliver J. Flanagan, to consider accepting the proposals for government. All the ministries were allocated within the group, with one retained for James Everett, leader of National Labour, should that party be persuaded to join. Only at that point was the position of taoiseach offered to Costello. One commentator said of my recent biography of John A. Costello, that instead of the sub-title being "Compromise Taoiseach", it should have been "Compromised Taoiseach", since he had no part in choosing "his" cabinet. Costello asked for 24 hours to make up his mind.
He was a very keen golfer who played a regular four-ball at Portmarnock on Sunday mornings. The timing and personnel (Seamus O'Connor, R.F. Browne and Dick Roche) were sacrosanct and were not interrupted, even by current events. That same Sunday evening Costello had arranged to meet a man who had been a friend and rival at university, Arthur Cox. Costello took with him his friends Richard Browne and Richard Rice. Costello said: "I was determined to consult my old friend Arthur Cox. We had remained friends since our college days and were professionally associated. I valued his advice and secretly hoped he would advise me against it. But he was logical. Had he advised against, I would have been tempted to stay in the law." That night, February 15th, the party leaders reassembled to hear Costello's acceptance of their offer.
Costello's political task began immediately as he met with the National Labour Party leaders, Everett and Dan Spring. Costello recalled: "I promised them a fair deal, no more. James Everett was the hero of the Inter-Party Government, he was under such pressure from Fianna Fáil."
The day before the Dáil met, Mulcahy issued an agreed 10-point policy statement between the opposition parties and Independents, "in view of the defeat of the Fianna Fail party in the general election and desirous of offering the people an alternative government on an inter-party basis". On April 18th Eamon deValera was defeated by 75 votes to 70 for Taoiseach. The nomination of John A. Costello was approved by 75 votes to 68. Despite the forecast that the new government would not survive for very long, it lasted for three-and-a-half years. Among its many achievements were the declaration of the Republic, the establishment of the Industrial Development Authority and the introduction of economic planning.
Anthony J. Jordan is author of John A. Costello: Compromise Taoiseach, published by Westport Books.