Memorandum by Séamus MacÚgo
'Fermanagh-Tyrone Deputation'¹

On the 9th January, 1952, the Taoiseach, accompanied by the Minister for Finance,² received a deputation from the Parliamentary Constituencies of Tyrone and Fermanagh. The members of the deputation were:

Very Rev. Archdeacon Gannon, PP, Enniskillen,³

Very Rev. Dr. McDowell, PP, Omagh,⁴

Mr. J. Stewart, MP,⁵ and

Mr. J. Slevin.⁶

The deputation stated that they had come to discuss with the Taoiseach the position of Mr. Healy, MP,⁷ and Mr. O’Neill, MP,⁸ recently elected to the British Parliament for the constituencies of Fermanagh and Tyrone respectively. A Convention was due to be held in the Constituencies in about three weeks for the purpose of deciding whether Messrs. Healy and O’Neill should attend the British House of Commons. A committee of 18 persons from the two Constituencies had selected the deputation to interview the Taoiseach to see if anything could be done to prevent a split amongst the Nationalist population of Tyrone and Fermanagh on the issue of abstention versus attendance at Westminster. It was stated that about 20% of the Nationalists were convinced abstentionists while another 20% were equally convinced in favour of attendance and the remaining 60% were awaiting authoritative guidance. It was feared that a decision either way would lose the vote of at least 20% of the Nationalists in the next election, would cause a serious split amongst the Nationalist population, and would probably result in the loss of the two existing seats to the Nationalists. The principal argument in favour of attendance was one of finance for the members concerned who could use their Members’ Allowances to good advantage in connection with their work in the constituencies. On the other hand, the propaganda value of having elected representatives of two out of the Six Counties unable to take their seats in the British House of Commons was felt to be very considerable.

The deputation suggested that in order to avoid a split on this issue something should be done to preclude a clear cut decision on abstention versus attendance being required at the forthcoming Convention. They suggested that the Government might consider (a) making monetary recompense to the two Members of Parliament concerned in respect of non-attendance at Westminster and (b) utilising the services of those two members in such a manner that they could attend to constituency work in the two counties and thus ensure that neither seat would be lost to the Nationalists in the next election.

The Taoiseach said that in his personal view the advantages of the attendance policy were scarcely sufficient to warrant pursuing it at the expense of a split among the Nationalists. If he were living in the North he certainly would not consider it so. In regard to Westminster it was hard to convince anybody that attendance there would be of such positive national value as to counter-balance the disadvantages of such a split. Attendance at Stormont was not quite the same because it could be held that grievances of constituents could be constantly voiced there and representations on their behalf made to Government Departments. When consulted about Nationalist policy in the Six Counties in the past he, the Taoiseach, had taken the view that the wisest course was that the Nationalists in the Six Counties should first make up their own minds as to what they wanted in any particular case and we in this part of Ireland should then help them to the best of our ability. He resented statements by persons who should know better that the Government here had done nothing about Partition. He could truthfully say that the only real national problem since he became Head of the Government in 1932 was that of Partition, and the Government had always kept the problem very much in their minds and had used their influence to the utmost on every possible occasion, and especially during the last war. Their present international policy was also based on the desire to end Partition. During the years Fianna Fáil was in Office after 1932 a steady policy in the direction of re-unification had been, and would continue to be, pursued, but just as it had not been possible to say in advance when or how the Irish Ports would be won back, neither was it now possible to say when or in what circumstances Partition was likely to be ended. Advantage would be taken of any opportunity that might arise.

The Taoiseach said that the suggestion of the deputation that use might be made of Messrs. Healy and O’Neill would be considered, but so many objections could be made to any suggestion that they should be allowed to sit in the Senate here that that course was out of the question.