Dr Ward Case / Locke‘s Distillery Case / Mother and Child Scheme / Newspaper Clippings Volume

A bound volume containing clippings relating to the three distinct issues. The first issue covered by the clippings is the political scandal involving Dr Francis Constantine ‘Con’ Ward (1891-1966), a Fianna Fáil politician who was a parliamentary secretary in the governments led by Éamon de Valera from 1932 to 1946. Ward’s political career ended in a scandal involving allegations of financial impropriety and local government corruption. A tribunal of inquiry cleared Ward of all these charges but

Details

Level of description
File
Date
c.1946-1952
Reference
51
Extent and medium
c.250 pp; 32.5 cm x 20 cm; Bound volume; newspaper clipping, manuscript, and typescript
Scope and content
A bound volume containing clippings relating to the three distinct issues. The first issue covered by the clippings is the political scandal involving Dr Francis Constantine ‘Con’ Ward (1891-1966), a Fianna Fáil politician who was a parliamentary secretary in the governments led by Éamon de Valera from 1932 to 1946. Ward’s political career ended in a scandal involving allegations of financial impropriety and local government corruption. A tribunal of inquiry cleared Ward of all these charges but one: that he and other directors of his family’s bacon-curing business had made incomplete tax returns from personal income derived the firm. Ward resigned his office (13 July 1946) and subsequently left the Fianna Fáil party. He never again attended at Leinster House and did not contest the 1948 general election. The Ward scandal contributed to the undermining of public confidence in the Fianna Fáil government and its 1948 electoral defeat. The second issue covered in the volume’s clippings is the Locke‘s Distillery case. The clippings report on a tribunal of inquiry set up to investigate the proposed sale of Locke‘s Distillery in Kilbeggan in County Westmeath in 1947. The tribunal was established on foot of allegations made in the Dáil by the independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Oliver J. Flanagan (1920-1987). In November 1947 Flanagan accused Éamon de Valera, Gerald Boland, Vivion de Valera, and Seán Lemass of proposing the sale of Locke‘s Distillery to Swiss businessmen in alleged contravention of the law. A tribunal of inquiry comprising three judges investigated Flangan’s allegations and found them to be untrue, even accusing Flanagan of lying in his evidence. The final and most extensively covered issue in the volume is the Mother and Child scheme. Modelled on the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), the scheme was the brainchild of Dr Noel Browne (1915-1997), the Clann na Poblachta politician and Minister for Health (1948-1951). The scheme included a proposal for free medical care for all mothers and children. Medical, religious and, eventually, political opposition to the scheme concluded with Browne’s resignation as Minister for Health in April 1951. The scheme is now chiefly remembered as a major political crisis involving primarily the government and the Catholic Church in the early 1950s. The volume was compiled by Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. and includes clippings taken from the ‘Irish Press’, ‘Irish Independent’, ‘Irish Times’ and other Irish and Northern Irish newspapers and magazines. The volume includes clippings of articles written by Fr. Senan reflecting on the Mother and Child scheme. Other clippings include articles by Professor Alfred O’Rahilly defending the church’s position in the Mother and Child scheme which were published in ‘The Standard’ newspaper. The volume also includes a letter from Seán MacBride and a copy typescript statement by him on Noel Browne’s resignation
Physical characteristics
The volume is in poor condition. The covers are badly frayed and torn and the volume itself is slightly warped. Internally, a few of the clippings are torn. Careful manual handling is required.
General note
For biographical information on Dr Francis Constantine ‘Con’ Ward (1891-1966) see https://www.dib.ie/biography/ward-francis-constantine-f-c-con-a8917
General note
For information on the Locke‘s Distillery case see John Gibney, ‘The Locke‘s Tribunal, 1947’ in ‘The Irish Review’ no. 42 (Summer 2010), pp 85-98. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20750130
Repository
Irish Capuchin Archives
Context
Irish Capuchin Archives > Papers of 'The Capuchin Annual' and the Irish Capuchin Publications Office > Papers of Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. > Bound Photographic and Document Volumes

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  • DR. BROWNE RESIGNED
  • DR. BROWNE, Minister for Health, submitted his resignation to the Taoiseach, Mr. Costello, at 4.30 p.m. yesterday. He has also resigned from Clann na Poblachta, but he will not rel…
  • The free Mother and Child service has been withdrawn and Dr. Browne's last act as Minister for Health was to announce the withdrawal of the scheme and to publish correspondence exp…
Full Transcript (OCR, 5 pages)

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Page 1

DR. BROWNE RESIGNED His Mother And Child Scheme is Abandoned Correspondence With The Hierarchy The Letters Are On Page 4 DR. BROWNE, Minister for Health, submitted his resignation to the Taoiseach, Mr. Costello, at 4.30 p.m. yesterday. He has also resigned from Clann na Poblachta, but he will not relinquish his Dail seat. Mr. Costello told the Dail, yesterday, that Dr. Browne's resignation would be effective from to-day. The Taoiseach will take over the Department of Health for the time being. The free Mother and Child service has been withdrawn and Dr. Browne's last act as Minister for Health was to announce the withdrawal of the scheme and to publish correspondence explaining the circumstances leading up to his resignation. The correspondence included a letter from His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Staunton, Bishop of Ferns, on behalf of the Catholic Hierarchy, dated last October, to the Taoiseach. The letter stated that in the opinion of the Hierarchy the powers taken by the State in the proposed Mother and Child Service were in direct opposition to the rights of the family and liable to very great abuse. Other letters, dated last month, between Dr. Browne and the Taoiseach and Most Rev. Dr. J. C. McQuaid, Archbishop of Dublin, refer to proposed revisions of the scheme to meet the objections of the Hierarchy. A statement by the Minister says: "The Minister for Health regrets to announce that he is unable to proceed with the implementation of the free Mother and Child Service and the Scheme is now withdrawn. The decision of the Government taken in June, 1948, to introduce a free Mother and Child Health Service without a means test has now been rescinded for the reasons which appear in the correspondence set out below. "The Minister hopes that the publication of this correspondence will dispel the malicious rumours concerning him which have been circulated throughout the country. As a Catholic he accepts the rulings of Their Lordships the Hierarchy without question. "The Minister desires to thank the many hundreds of doctors who offered to participate in the Scheme. As these offers were made in confidence the Minister has had all records relating to these offers destroyed." The Taoiseach, Mr. Costello, announced in the Dail that he has assigned the Department of Health to himself as a temporary arrangement. Before the announcement of Dr. Browne's resignation, Mr. Sean MacBride issued for publication a letter in which he asked Dr. Browne to transmit his resignation as soon as possible to the Taoiseach "by reason of the situation which has arisen and for which you are largely responsible." The Government are trustworthy of the confidence of the Government, the Oireachtas, and the people, and are capable of discharging their duties effectively. "As I can no longer give you this assurance in regard to Dr. Browne, for the reasons stated in my letter to him, I deemed it to be the proper course to request him to transmit his resignation to you. "I am sure tha…

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