Shaping modern Ireland, political biography
Published on 19th January 2021
Saving the State: Fine Gael from Collins to Varadkar by Stephen Collins & Ciara Meehan
In this fascinating, well written and accessible biography, the two authors tell us the remarkable history of Fine Gael, from its origins in the violent struggle of the Civil War years to a century later, being in a coalition government with its sworn enemy Fianna Fáil.
At its 75th anniversary party in 2008 Enda Kenny talked about how privileged he was to carry on the noble tradition of men like Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins. The brutal truth is that Collins and Griffith were both dead long before the party was founded. Its first President, Eoin O’Duffy, was the leader of the Blueshirts and the book does not ignore this dark period in the party's history. Fine Gael was formed in 1933 by the merger of Cumann na nGaedheal, the National Centre Party and the Blueshirts.
By interviewing party members, doing historical research and taking an in-depth look at all the party leaders, the book shows how Fine Gael changed from being a right wing conservative, law and order party under John A. Costello and Liam Cosgrave to a more liberal social democratic party under Garret Fitzgerald and John Bruton. Throughout the second half of the 20th century it would never be in government by itself and would only share power with the Labour Party in two coalitions. In 2011, after the the economic crash Enda Kenny led Fine Gael to be the largest party in the Dáil, but it still could not govern on its own.
All political parties must learn to adapt and change in order to survive and be successful. The fact that the present leader of Fine Gael is Leo Varadkar, the gay son of an Indian immigrant shows how far Fine Gael has come in the last 90 years. This book is an intriguing and informative insight into the raison d'etre of Fine Gael. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to know the role Fine Gael played in shaping modern Ireland and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Memoirs are not that common in Irish political life, so this self-penned biography by Mary O'Rourke is a welcome addition to the genre. In the early part of the book she tells us about her happy childhood, growing up in Athlone, her time at U.C.D. training to be a teacher, working in the Hodson Bay Hotel and meeting her husband Enda.
Mary is Fianna Fáil royalty, both her brother and her nephew were Fianna Fáil TDs. She was first elected to the Dáil in 1982 and was appointed Minister for Education in 1987 by Charlie Haughey. It was her first ministry and her favourite. As she says in the book - “the things which interest me most in the media and in current affairs are matters of educational interest".
Mary served in four different ministries and her no-holds-barred account of the wheeling and dealing of government is fascinating. She writes with remarkable candour and no little humour about the many senior political figures with whom she worked. She served under four different Taoisigh and gives us her opinion of them all.
The other theme that permeates through the book is her love for her family. Mary would never have been able to enter public life without the support of her husband Enda. Her family provided a refuge and escape from the all-consuming world of politics. She writes movingly about how she coped with the death of her husband Enda and her nephew Brian.
This is both a political memoir and a personal memoir. It is also a reflection of how much Irish society has changed in the last 30 years. It is very well written, highly entertaining and a most enjoyable read.
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Submitted by John G. from Inchicore Library.