User:Jnestorius/President of the Irish Republic

"President" of the Irish Republic, whether head of state or head of government.

The President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood Supreme Council was, according to the IRB constitution, "president of the Irish republic virtually established".

1916

 * 1916: Patrick Pearse or Tom Clarke: Kathleen Clarke in 1966 said latter

1919

 * 1919-01-21: First Dáil adopts Dáil Constitution creating Príomh Aire as head of Ministry, with power to appoint Deputy (with similar power of delegation)
 * 1919-01-22 Cathal Brugha appointed "President of the Ministry pro. tem."
 * 1919-04-01 Éamon de Valera "declared elected Priomh-Aire"
 * 1919-05-09 Dev describes himself as "the chief representative of the Irish Nation".
 * 1919-06-17 Dev letter appointing Arthur Griffith as "Deputy President" in his absence; ratified on motion by Brugha and Joseph McGuinness
 * 1919-06-19 McGuinness proposes transferring executive from cabinet to Dáil committees; Frank Fahy seconds; Alexander McCabe and Liam de Róiste suggest cabinet assisted by committees; Thomas Kelly asked the motion be withdrawn; Griffith promised "Consultative Committees"; motion withdrawn.
 * 1920-09-17 J. J. Walsh and Seán MacEntee propose shift from cabinet to committees; others oppose as impractical in wartime and radically different; Eoin MacNeill's amendment to postpone for 12 months passed.
 * 1921-01-21 Deputy Speaker "had been informed just then that the President could not be present"
 * 1921-01-25 President present; stated "His first duty after returning from America was to get in touch with the Ministers and as many of the Teachtaí as he could"
 * 1921-03-11
 * Dev to make provision for carrying on their work. Their numbers would not be increasing for some time and a situation might arise if their numbers went very low. He would like to hear their views on the appointing of Substitutes. Of course it would be irregular and wholly unconstitutional, but they would have a body to speak for the country.
 * COUNT PLUNKETT said that the Government should be left to the Military Body when the membership of the Dáil was reduced to a certain figure. It was usual to substitute military dictatorship in countries invaded; and instead of the House appointing substitutes, it should be left to the Volunteers as the Military Body. They should be authorised by this House to establish a Provisional Government.
 * J. MACENTEE (Monaghan, South) suggested they should fix the number at which the Dáil should resolve itself into a Provisional Government.
 * The PRESIDENT suggested that when the number fell to five the Army should take control.
 * The ACTING SPEAKER took the sense of the House on the proposal that the Dáil continue to function until its membership was reduced to five, and that it should then resolve itself into a Provisional Government.
 * The House accepted the proposition without dissent, and it was intimated that the matter could be further discussed at next Session.
 * 1921-05-10 President's motion:
 * . That the Parliamentary elections which are to take place during the present month be regarded as elections to Dáil Eireann.
 * . That all deputies duly returned at these elections be regarded as members of Dáil Eireann and allowed to take their seats on subscribing to the proposed Oath of Allegiance.
 * . That the present Dáil dissolve automatically as soon as the new body has been summoned by the President and called to order.
 * . That the Ministry remain in power until the new Dáil has met and will thereupon resign their portfolios through the President.
 * 1921-05-10 The PRESIDENT continuing, said that the meeting of the new Dáil might be a suitable occasion for discussing whether it would be well to have a few new articles added to the Constitution, and he would be glad to have suggestions from the members.
 * 1921-05-24 1921 Irish elections
 * 1921-08-16 Bhí an CEANN COMHAIRLE sa chathaoir go dtí gur sighníodh an Rolla mar leanas [...] Chuaidh EAMON DE BHALERA i gCeannus annsin, agus dubhairt sé:
 * Members of the Dáil, in accordance with the decision arrived at last Session, it is my privilege and my duty to open the new Dáil. Until the moment the Speaker left the Chair, the old Dáil was in session. The new Dáil is in session now.
 * 1921-08-16 Ceann Comhairle re-elected but not cabinet
 * 1921-08-16 "President's Statement":
 * we have to discuss that matter ["The reply which we propose sending from this nation to the British Prime Minister"] first in private. Later on, when the reply is sanctioned and ready for despatch, you will have here another Public Session. At that Public Session, you will have certain elections [for President] such as you had to-day [for speaker]. Then following on that, we shall have the propositions of the new Ministry.
 * 1921-08-23: Second Dáil Cathal Brugha proposes changing name of Ministry's head from "President" to "President of the Republic"; George Gavan Duffy objected that head of state and government should be different people; others objected to the implication that the 1919–21 "President" had not been "President of the Republic"; Dev creative ambiguity "President who shall be Prime Minister".
 * 1921-08-26: Seán Mac Eoin "go mbeidh Eamonn de Valéra mar Uachtarán againn ... The honour has fallen on me to put before the Dáil the name of Eamonn de Valera as President of the Irish Republic"
 * 1922-01-07: Anglo-Irish Treaty Dáil vote
 * 1922-01-09 Dev says it is necessary "to resign my office and the responsibilities of it; and the members of the Cabinet all go with my resignation. ... The first business would be to make arrangements for the business of the Government of the State and for its continuance." Dáil defeated Kathleen Clarke's motion: "I wish to propose the re-election of Eamon de Valera, President of the Irish Republic, for the same position."
 * 1922-01-10: Arthur Griffith elected "President of Dáil Eireann"
 * De Valera: I want to know definitely if Mr. Griffith is going to be President of this assembly as the Chief Executive of the Irish Republic, as the President hitherto functioned? The reason I want to know is this: if he is not going to do that, I hold that this assembly is no longer the Sovereign Assembly of the Irish nation, acting as the Government of the Irish Republic which it is officially called.
 * Griffith: President de Valera yesterday threw this body into confusion by resigning and leaving no government in existence. Public order and security have to be maintained. If I am elected I will occupy whatever position President de Valera occupied.
 * De Valera: Hear, hear.
 * Griffith: Now, that is right. In that position he was not the President of the Republic, but the President of Dáil Eireann, according to the constitution (“No! no!”).
 * De Valera: It is President of Dáil Eireann, which is written down as the Government of the Republic of Ireland. So I was President of the Republic of Ireland.
 * Griffith: I do not mind a single rap about words. I say whatever position—if you like to put it that way— that the President resigned from yesterday, I will, if I am elected, occupy the same position until the Irish people have an opportunity of deciding for themselves.
 * De Valera: That is a fair answer. I feel that I can sit down in this assembly while such an election is going on, because it is quite constitutional that Mr. Griffith, if elected, is going to be in the same position which I held, which is President of Dáil Eireann; that is, President of the Government of the Republic of Ireland.
 * 1922-08-12: Griffith dies
 * 1922-089 Provisional Government merges
 * De Valera: That is a fair answer. I feel that I can sit down in this assembly while such an election is going on, because it is quite constitutional that Mr. Griffith, if elected, is going to be in the same position which I held, which is President of Dáil Eireann; that is, President of the Government of the Republic of Ireland.
 * 1922-08-12: Griffith dies
 * 1922-089 Provisional Government merges

1922-38

 * Irish republican legitimism
 * 1922-10-??: de Valera again of rump Second Dáil
 * 1926-03-28: Dev defeated on motion at Comhairle na dTeachtaí and resigns as President NLI MS 41,521/4/11
 * 1926-05-22: Comhairle na dTeachtaí elects Art O'Connor "President of the Republic and Príomh Aire of Dáil Éireann and Comhairle na dTeachtaí". Dev claims he was never "President of the Republic" since 1922-01, merely "Head of the Emergency Government". Denial "flew in the face" of his conduct including ceasefire order
 * Decree (No. 2 of 1926) regarding the title of the president in the Constitution, 1926. Austin Stack papers
 * 1927: O'Connor resigns, sede vacante (1927-12-10 said Fintan O'Toole, but not reliable considering he gives 1938 date as 1939. ) That date was first meeting of second Dáil since Dec 1926 and started with AOC still President.
 * 1938: handover to IRA Army Council
 * 1948: Sceilg's evidence in Sinn Féin Funds case, after discussing 1938 handover: Q: "In your eyes is there at present a person — I do not want any names — designated as president of the Irish republic?" A: "No"