This article is from page 16 of the 2006-06-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
CHARLES Haughey’s rise to the top of Fianna Fáil was 13 years in the building. He had designs on leadership in ’66. These weren’t completed until ’79 and Clare’s contribution to it cannot be underestimated.
It was Dr Bill Loughnane who fired the first shots of a battle that eventually saw Haughey replace Jack Lynch as Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach.
“The trouble with the Fianna Fáil party originated with the formation of a cabinet advisory group which completely ignored the ordinary TDs, who are in constant touch with the people in towns and rural areas of the country,” said Loughnane on July 27, 1979.
“These people were mostly theorists with no practical experience of the ordinary TD’s situation. The rural TDs were never asked about it until the Ard Fheis, when he had to withdraw it and show his incompetence,” he added.
Loughnane also called for Neil Blaney’s return to Fianna Fáil. It was seen as a direct pitch of support for the leadership ambitions of Haughey, something Dr. Bill further embellished when saying “there is compatibility between Blaney and Haughey, while there is no compatibility between Blaney and Lynch”.
Then came Deputy Síle de Valera’s attack at the Liam Lynch Commemoration on September 9 in Fermoy, when she openly criticised the Taoiseach’s policy on Northern Ireland.
“If our political leaders are not seen to be furthering our republican aspirations through constitutional means, the idealistic young members of our community will become disillusioned and discontented with politicians, and far more important, they will lose heart in the political and constitutional process and turn to violence to achieve their aims, which the politicians, in their eyes, have ceased to further,” she said.
“As a young person whose one wish is to further the task, which such young men as Liam Lynch had set before us, I look upon our party and particularly our leader to demonstrate his republicanism and bring these beliefs to fruition in our people,” added Deputy de Valera..
This outburst caused a sensation within Fianna Fáil ranks, even if it was thought that many members of the parliamentary party shared her views and her direct challenge to the Taoiseach. That challenge had its day on December 5th that year, when Jack Lynch resigned as Taoiseach and party leader to be replaced by Haughey.