Lemass, Seán

Seán Lemass (1899–1971) was born on 15 July in Ballybrack, Co. Dublin. He participated in the 1916 Easter Rising and was later involved in the War of Independence and the Civil War. Research suggests that Lemass was one of the notorious "twelve apostles," a ruthless covert unit organized by the leader of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), Michael Collins. These men destroyed the British intelligence network in Ireland on Bloody Sunday, 21 November 1920, killing eleven members of the Cairo Gang, a crack unit of British intelligence agents handpicked by Winston Churchill to destroy Collins and the IRB. During the Irish Civil War, Lemass stood with those who opposed the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty as a betrayal of the revolution.

Lemass was a founding member of the political party Fianna Fáil, which was established in October 1926. As one of Eamon de Valera's most trusted lieutenants, Lemass played an important role in building the impressive political machine that has dominated Irish political life. When Fianna Fáil came to power in 1932, Lemass held a number of critical cabinet posts. Initially, he was minister for industry and commerce; during the "Emergency"(World War II, when Ireland was neutral) he became minister for supplies; and in 1945 he was named tánaiste. During this period Lemass earned a well-deserved reputation for being an effective administrator. Throughout his career he promoted efficiency in all spheres of Irish life. In 1959, at the age of sixty, Seán Lemass stepped out of de Valera's shadow to become taoiseach.

He was taoiseach during a period that many observers define as a watershed in the history of modern Ireland. Along with the secretary of the Department of Finance, T. K. Whitaker, Lemass developed a critical economic initiative that helped to reinvigorate a stagnant Irish economy. In fact, he is closely associated with the remarkable transformation of Ireland's economy in the early1960s. Lemass also made a concerted effort to improve relations between Dublin and Belfast, making an historic trip to Belfast in 1965 to meet Terence O'Neill, the prime minister of Northern Ireland.

Lemass is remembered as an activist and a leader who was not afraid of taking chances to achieve results. His efforts to reinvigorate the Irish economy and to develop a dialogue with Northern Ireland were bold initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Irish citizens. His economic initiatives proved successful, but his attempt to improve relations with Northern Ireland ultimately failed.

SEE ALSO de Valera, Eamon; Economic Relations between Independent Ireland and Britain; Economic Relations between North and South since 1922; Industry since 1920; O'Neill, Terence; Overseas Investment; Political Parties in Independent Ireland; Politics: Independent Ireland since 1922; State Enterprise; United Nations; Primary Documents: Speech to Ministers of the Governments of the Member States of the European Economic Community (18 January 1962); On Community Relations in Northern Ireland (28 April 1967)

Bibliography

Bew, Paul, and Henry Patterson. Seán Lemass and the Making of Modern Ireland, 1945–66. 1982.

Horgan, John. Seán Lemass: The Enigmatic Patriot. 1997. Savage, Robert J. Seán Lemass. 1999.

Robert J. Savage, Jr.