The National Coalition government led by Liam Cosgrave governed Ireland from 1973 to 1977. It struggled with high inflation and rising unemployment caused by the global 1973 oil crisis. It supported Ireland joining the European Economic Community and negotiated the Sunningdale Agreement to share power in Northern Ireland. However, the agreement collapsed and violence from the IRA increased. The government introduced tough anti-terrorism laws that led to a constitutional crisis when the President resigned. Facing growing economic problems and controversy over boundary changes, the National Coalition suffered a landslide defeat in the 1977 election.

1. The National Coalition
1973 - 1977
• Government, Economy and Society in
the Republic of Ireland
• 1949-1989

2. Ireland joins the EEC
• In 1969 France withdrew its objections to Britain joining the
European Economic Community
• Britain and Ireland immediately applied to join
• Paddy Hillery led negotiations and secured favourable terms
• FF and FG were strongly in favour
• Farmers in favour because of the Common Agricultural
Policy
• Labour campaigned against membership arguing it would
damage domestic industries and give Brussels too much say
in Irish affairs
• Referendum on membership passed by 83% - 17%
• Ireland joined the EEC on 1 Jan 1973

3. 1973 General Election
• Feb 1973 Jack Lynch called a surprise
election – hoped to cash in on Ireland joining
the EEC
• FG and LP ran a joint campaign of an
alternative government
• Promised to control prices, abolish VAT on
food etc
• FF attempted to switch the debate to what
was happening in Northern Ireland
• People were focussed on economic issues

4. 1973 General Election
• Result
• Fianna Fail 69 seats (-6)
• Fine Gael 54 seats (+3)
• Labour 19 seats (+2)
• Independents 2 seats (+1)
• FG/LP had a 2 seat majority

5. National Coalition
• 9 FG ministers and 5 LP ministers
• Taoiseach – Liam Cosgrave
• Tainiste – Brendan Corish

6. Economic Problems
• Arab-Israeli War Oct 1973 sparked a
worldwide economic recession
• High inflation grew further
• 1974 - 17%
• 1975 - 21%
• Far higher than the rest of Europe
• Government borrowed money from
European banks
• Ireland’s foreign debt rose from £126m in
1973 to £1,040 in 1976

7. Growing unemployment
• 1973 - 71,000
• 1977 - 116,000
• Ireland’s industries could not compete with
companies from EEC and Third World
countries
• Ritchie Ryan introduced a Wealth Tax
• The wealthy went nuts and FF promised to
abolish it
• Ryan became known as ‘Ritchie Ruin’

8. Ireland and the EEC
• Farmers immediately benefitted from the
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
• Larger markets and better prices
• By 1978 farm incomes had doubled
compared to 1970
• Government planned for short-term gains
without considering the longer-term impact
on agriculture

9. Ireland and the EEC
• Department of Foreign
Affairs became more
important because of EEC
membership
• Garret Fitzgerald was highly
regarded as Minister for
Foreign Affairs
• Growing violence in
Northern Ireland also
impacted on relations with
Britain and the wider EEC

10. Northern Ireland
• Growing violence in the North
• 1969 - 14 deaths
• 1970 - 25 deaths
• 1971 - 174 deaths
• 1972 - 470 deaths

11. Change in policy
• Traditional view – the problems of the North
are the result of partition and the British
presence in the North
• Fitzgerald and Conor Cruise O’Brien argued
that conciliation between the two
communities was the priority
• There should be no change in the
constitutional status of the North without the
consent of the majority

12. Sunningdale Agreement
• The National Coalition supported the
Sunningdale Agreement and took part in
negotiations.
• The establishment of a Council of Ireland was
a major point of contention
• In February 1974 the functions of the Council
of Ireland were limited to co-operation on
non-controversial issues like fisheries,
tourism and drainage.
• This did not lessen the opposition to the
Sunningdale Agreement

13. The Collapse of Power-
Sharing• Cosgrave’s government had high hopes that
the Sunningdale Agreement would least to a
lasting solution
• They invested a lot of political capital in
negotiating the agreement and suffered
politically when it collapsed
• Sunningdale established some characteristics
that were included in future agreements
- Power-sharing,
- the Irish dimension,
- majority consent

14. • 17 May 1974 loyalists exploded bombs in
Dublin and Monaghan killing 28 people
instantly and injuring 137 (several more
died later)
• IRA stepped up paramilitary activity in the
South
• Bank robberies, prison escapes,
kidnappings
• 12 March 1974 the IRA murdered FG
Senator Billy Fox, a Presbyterian from
Monaghan
Impact of the North on the South

15. The National Coalition were determined to
clamp down on IRA violence
The British government negotiated an IRA
ceasefire during Christmas 1974
Cosgrave’s government rejected any
contact with the IRA
Law and Order

16. In 1975 the IRA
kidnapped Dr. Tiede
Herrema demanding
the release of 3 IRA
prisoners
The government
refused to negotiate
with the kidnappers
Herrema was released
after a 3 week siege
of a house in
Monasterevin
Law and Order

17. • In 1976 the IRA killed the British
ambassador Christopher Ewart-Biggs in a
car bomb attack in Dublin
• Widespread revulsion at the bombing
• Led government to introduce more
measures to stop the IRA
Law and Order

18. • Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act
introduced banning interviews with
members of the IRA and Sinn Fein
• Gardai accused of mistreatment of
prisoners
• The ‘Heavy Gang’ were accused of
intimidation and torture after the Sallins
Mailtrain Robbery
The Government’s Response

19. • In 1976 the Minister for Justice, Paddy
Cooney, introduced the Offences Against
the State Amendment Bill
• 7 days detention of suspects
• Opposed by FF but passed by the Dail and
Seanad
• The President, Cearbhall O Dailaigh,
referred the Bill to the Supreme Court
• Provoked a constitutional crisis
Offences Against the State Act

20. • The Minister for Defence, Paddy Donegan,
called the President a ‘Thundering
Disgrace’ for referring the Bill to the
Supreme Court.
• Donegan offered to resign from the
government for insulting the President
• Cosgrave refused to accept the offer of
resignation
• The President resigned as a result
• The incident did serious political damage to
the government
The Resignation of the President

21. • The government provided an alternative after 16
years of Fianna Fail governments
• The government provided over an economy in
crisis and did little to resolve the problem
• They borrowed a lot of money to try and maintain
living standards
• In foreign affairs the government negotiated
agreements with the EEC and the Sunningdale
Agreement
• They had to deal with paramilitary violence
• Embroiled in controversy over the ‘Heavy Gang’
and the resignation of the President
The National Coalition – An Assessment

22. • Both Fine Gael and the Labour Party were
convinced they would be re-elected
• To help their re-election chances the Minister for
Local Government, Jimmy Tully, redrew the election
boundaries
• The revision of boundaries created a lot of new 3
seats constituencies with the expectation that in
many areas FG and LP would win 1 seat each
• The boundary revision became known as the
Tullymander and proved a disaster for the
government
• The government suffered the heaviest election
defeat of any government in the history of the state
General Election 1977

23. Presentation prepared by:
Dominic Haugh
St. Particks Comprehensive School
Shannon
Co. Clare
Presentation can be used for educational purposes only – all rights remain with author