In the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...

, the Governor-General's Address or Governor-General's Speech was a formal address delivered by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

, modelled on the

speech from the throne A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining th ...

given in other

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

s of the

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

. The address was written by the Executive Council and outlined the bills it intended to introduce. Technically the address was only to the Dáil, not to a

joint session A joint session or joint convention is, most broadly, when two normally separate decision-making groups meet, often in a special session or other extraordinary meeting, for a specific purpose. Most often it refers to when both houses of a bicame ...

of both Houses of the

Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...

. However, members of

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...

were invited into the Dáil chamber to attend the address, and subsequently discussed it after returning to their own chamber. The address was a brief, businesslike event, lacking the pomp and ceremony of the

State Opening of Parliament The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It includes a speech from the throne known as the King's (or Queen's) Speech. The event takes place ...

. This reflected the general lack of enthusiasm for

monarchy in the Irish Free State The state known today as Ireland is the successor state to the Irish Free State, which existed from December 1922 to December 1937. At its foundation, the Irish Free State was, in accordance with its constitution and the terms of the Anglo-Irish ...

. Only the first two sessions of the Free State Oireachtas, in 1922 and 1923, had such an address. Whereas in the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...

bills do not persist from one session to the next, the Free State Oireachtas allowed pending bills to carry over from the previous session. Thus the beginning of a new session did not correspond with the introduction of a completely new slate of legislation.

The first Address: December 1922

The first address was delivered by the newly appointed Governor-General,

Timothy Michael Healy Timothy Michael Healy, KC (17 May 1855 – 26 March 1931) was an Irish nationalist politician, journalist, author, barrister and a controversial Irish Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and ...

, on 12 December 1922, six days after the coming into existence of the

. Unlike other examples internationally the speech itself was delivered not to the upper house but to the lower house,

, and involved no ceremony. Members of

, at the invitation of the

Ceann Comhairle The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session a ...

, assembled in the Dáil chamber to witness the Speech. Labour Party members boycotted the speech. tim healy

The Governor-General began by reading a message sent by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

which read:

With the final Enactment of the Constitution the self-governing Dominion of the Irish Free State comes into being. The Constitution is itself founded on the Treaty that was framed a year ago between the Representatives of Great Britain and of Ireland. It is my earnest hope that by the faithful observance on all sides of the Pact so concluded the peace and prosperity of Ireland may be secured. It is in the spirit of that Settlement that I have chosen you to be the first Representative of the Crown in the Irish Free State. With all my heart I pray that the blessing of God may rest upon you and upon the Ministers of the Irish Free State in the difficult task committed to your charge.

In the Speech itself, which was written by the Executive Council, the Governor-General told members of the creation of the

Boundary Commission A boundary commission is a legal entity that determines borders of nations, states, constituencies. Notable boundary commissions have included: * Afghan Boundary Commission, an Anglo-Russian Boundary Commission, of 1885 and 1893, delineated the no ...

The Parliament of that portion of the Province of Ulster called Northern Ireland, taking advantage of Article 12 of the Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland, has seen fit to present an address to His Majesty, by the effect of which the powers of your Parliament and Government have ceased to extend to Northern Ireland. Accordingly it becomes the duty now of my Government to take such steps as may be necessary for constituting the Commission which is to determine in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants, so far as may be compatible with economic and geographic conditions, the boundaries between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland.

Members were also informed of forthcoming legislation that would deal with the implementation of the

Irish Free State Constitution The Constitution of the Irish Free State ( ga, Bunreacht Shaorstát Eireann) was adopted by Act of Dáil Éireann sitting as a constituent assembly on 25 October 1922. In accordance with Article 83 of the Constitution,Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

, the creation in law of the Civil Guards (later named the ''Garda Síochána'') and other legal reforms. After its conclusion, a motion of thanks was proposed in each House for the Governor-General's Speech. The Houses then debated in detail the full contents of the speech.

The second Address: October 1923

The second Governor-General's Address was delivered in the Dáil on 3 October 1923, shortly after the Oireachtas reconvened after the 27 August general election. The text had been distributed in advance. Its contents were discussed in detail in subsequent weeks in both Houses. No further Governor-General's Addresses were ever given.

References

Texts

;1922: * Address: Dáil debates, Vol.
c.97–102
* Dáil debate Vol.

* Seanad debate Vol.

;1923: * Address: Dáil debates, Vol.5 Appendi

* Dáil debate Vol.

* Seanad debate Vol.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Governor-General's Address to Dail Eireann Speeches by heads of state Government in the Irish Free State

The first Address: December 1922

The second Address: October 1923

See also

References

Texts

Notes