Dáil Éireann Report on Foreign Affairs

New Appointments
Since August last, a number of changes have been made in the diplomatic staff. Last Summer an Irish Bureau was opened in Geneva under Mr. Michael MacWhite. In November, Count P.J. O'Byrne became our Envoy Extraordinary at Rome. Latterly, Prof. T.A. Smiddy has taken up the diplomatic office in Washington, Mr. John Chartres has been appointed temporarily to Paris, Mr. O. Grattan Esmonde has gone to Madrid, and the London Office is now being overhauled. Mr. Joseph Walshe has been seconded from Paris, to become Under-Secretary at home.

Extraordinary Missions
Since the last report, Dr. P. McCartan has concluded a voyage to Russia, Col. Maurice Moore has come back from a diplomatic visit to South Africa, Mr. O. Grattan Esmonde has finished an Odyssey which took him as far as Australia and New Zealand, Mr. P.J. Little has returned from an extensive tour in South Africa and South America, Mr. Lawrence Ginnell has completed a mission to Argentina and is returning home, and Mr. Denis McCullough has been dispatched on a special mission to the United States of America.

I may say that good work has been done by our Foreign Representatives generally, under trying conditions, as well as by the Envoys entrusted with special missions.

Publicity
The Bulletin has been continued in Paris, Berlin, Rome and Madrid, but under considerable difficulties, and the Libraries in each Delegation are being supplemented to bring them up to date.

Foreign Office
The Foreign Office at home is being gradually equipped with the materials to enable it to carry out its functions in every direction competently, and to transform it from the quite inadequate establishment with which the circumstances of the War compelled us to be satisfied during recent years.

Co-ordination Of Work Abroad
It is intended to bring our diplomatic and consular representatives into closer collaboration, in order to secure greater efficiency. There is a wide field for both sets of representatives, but really suitable men are scarce.

Training Of Candidates:
A scheme is under consideration for training young men for foreign service by sending them abroad for a period to study the language and people of particular foreign countries and familiarise themselves with the conditions and outlook in the principal centres where we shall require permanent representation.

Paris Meeting
I make no report upon the Irish Race Congress in Paris, since it is the subject of a special report by an independent committee.

Russian Famine
A sum of £1,000 has been contributed, through the Saor an Leanbh Committee, towards the Irish effort for relief of the famine victims in Russia; this effort is attached to Dr. Nansen's admirable organisation in South Russia; unfortunately upwards of six million lives were lost before help arrived.

'The First of the Small Nations'
No country ever started its international career with better prospects than were ours after the war, for our soldiers had won us warm friends everywhere, and we had no enemies to speak of throughout the Continent of Europe. Ireland had every reason to expect rapidly to become recognised as the First of the Small Nations. It would, however, be idle to gloss over the fact that we have lost our prestige in recent months. The spectacle of fierce disunion at home, its manifestations abroad, particularly in the United States of America and at the time of the Irish Race Congress in Paris, the publicity given by the foreign press to reports, true and false, of violence in Ireland, have deeply shocked many friends of this country abroad and have given an appearance of justification to the persistent propaganda done by England during the War. If we are to retrieve the splendid position we held, we must take steps at home without delay to prove that we are a Nation and not a rabble.

I am not overstating the damage already done in describing it as a cause of grave anxiety, and I commend these considerations very seriously to those Teachtaí in particular who realise the importance of our foreign relations and the far-reaching effects of the loss of World opinion and of our World position, with which we are undoubtedly menaced at the present time.

Oifigigh Nua
Do dineadh roinnt atharuithe ar na teachtairí thar lear ó mhí Lughnasa anuiridh. Do hoscladh Bureau Gaedhlach i nGeneva fé Chúram Mhichíl Faoite an Samhradh so caithte. Do ceapadh an Count, P.O. Broin mar Theachta Speisialta chun na Róimhe. Chuaidh an t-Ollamh T.A. Smiddy mar Theachta go Washington le déanaí, do toghadh Séan Chartres go sealadach i gcóir Paris, tá O. Grattan Esmonde imithe go Madrid agus tá socrú nua á dhéanamh i gcóir Lundain. Tá Seosamh Breathnach tagaithe ó Pharis chun bheith n-a Fhó-Rúnaidhe sa bhaile.

Misiuin Speisialta
Do thug an Dr. P. MacArtáin turus ar an Rúis ó bhí an Tuarasgbháil dheireannach os bhur gcóir, tá Col. Muiris O Mórdha tar éis teacht thar n-ais ón Aifric Theas, tá Odyssey a thug chó fada leis an Astráil agus Nua Zealan é críochnuithe ag O. Grattan Esmonde, tá Pádraig Little tar éis turus fada a thabhairt san Aifric Theas agus in America Theas, tá deire le turus Labhráis Mhic Fhionnghail san Argentine agus tá sé ag filleadh abhaile, agus do cuireadh Donchadh Mac Con Uladh ar mhisiún speisialta go Stáit Aontuithe America.

Is féidir dom a rádh gur dhin ár dTeachtairí thar lear obair fhoghanta cé gur dheacair dhóibh sin; sé an scéal céadna é ag na Teachtaí a cuireadh ar mhisiúin speisialta.

Fogruiocht
Táthar ag leanúint den Bhulletin i bParis, i mBerlin, sa Róimh agus i Madrid, ach is anadheacair an obair é, agus táthar ag cur le Leabharlainn gach Toscaireachta i dtreo ná beadh aon easnamh ortha.

Oifig Choigcriche
Táthar ag cnósach na n-adhbar is gádh san Oifig Choigcríche sa bhaile chun gur bhféidir dúinn an obair a dhéanamh go ceart i ngach slighe, agus chun áit oiriúnach a dhéanamh de, murab ionann agus an saghas oifige nár bhfoláir dúinn bheith sásta leis le linn an chogaidh.

Co-cheangal Oibre Thar Lear
Tá sé aigne againn ceangal níos dlúithe a bheith idir ár dTeachtaí thar lear agus ár gConsuil i dtreo gur mhóide toradh a saothair. Tá mórán slighe don dhá dhream ach tá daoine oiriúnacha gann.

Aos Og D'oiliuint
Táthar ag cuimhneamh ar shlighe chun fir óga d'ullamhú le haghaidh seirbhíse coigcríche i iad a chur thar lear ar feadh tamaill chun eolas a chur ar theangthacha agus ar dhaoine tíortha áirithe agus chun dul i dtaithí slighte agus tuairimí lucht na bpríomh-áiteann go mheidh buan-theachtairí ag teastáil ionnta.

Co-Dhail Pharis
Ní dhinim aon tagairt do Chódháil Chine Gaedhal i bParis ó tá tuairisce speisialta againn n-a taobh ó chomhaltas neamhspleadhach.

Gorta sa Ruis
Do tugadh £1,000 do Chomhaltas 'Saor an Leanbh' le h-aghaidh na hiarrachta atá á dhéanamh in Eirinn chun fóirithin ar lucht an ghorta sa Rúis, tá baint ag an iarracht so le deagh-ghluaiseacht Dr. Nansen i nDeisceart na Rúise; is truagh é gur cailleadh thar sé milleon daoine sar ar tháinig aon chabhair.

'Ceann na Naisiun Mbeag'
Ní raibh seans níos fearr riamh ag aon tír i dtosach a cúrsaí eadarnáisiúnta ná mar bhí againne tar éis an chogaidh, óir bhí cáirde croidhiúla againn ins gach áit de bharr calmachta ár saighdiúirí agus ní raibh aon naimhde againn i mór-thír na hEoróipe gur bhfiú trácht ortha. Bhí gach cúis ag Eirinn bheith ag súil leis gur gearr go n-admhófaí gur féin Ceann na Náisiún mBeag. Ba bhaoth an rud é, ámh, a cheilt go bhfuilmíd tuitithe le cúpla mí anuas. Tá an t-easaontas fíochmhar sa bhaile, an méid de tá le feiscint thar lear, go mór-mhór i Stáit Aontuithe America agus le linn Códhála Chine Ghaedhal i bParis, agus an cuma n-a bhfógruíon na nuachtáin íasachta tuairiscí i dtaobh trioblóide in Eirinn, bídís fíor nó bréagach, tar éis mórán díobhála a dhéanamh i measc ar gcáirde thar lear agus tar éis cosúlacht chirt a chur ar dhian-chraobhscaoileachán Shasana le linn an chogaidh. Má theastuíonn uainn an áit áluinn a bhí againn d'fháil thar n-ais caithfimídne sa bhaile féachaint chuige láithreach bonn go ndeimhneofar gur Náisiún agus nách gramraisc sinn.

Nílim ag dul thar fóir i dtaobh na damáiste atá déanta cheana féin nuair adeirim gur cúis mhór-imníochta ?agus molaim go mór na tuairimí sin dos na Teachtaí seo a thuigeann tábhacht ár gcaidrimh choigcríche agus an mhór-dhíobháil a dhéanfadh sé dhúinn deagh-thuairim an Domhain agus ár n-áit sa Domhan a chailliúint. Siné an baoghal atá ag bagairt orainn fé láthair gan ambras.