Clann na Poblachta

Clann na Poblachta, Irish political party founded by Sean MacBride (1946).

In 1946 Sean MacBride founded a new political party - Clann na Poblachta. The party appealed to disillusioned young urban voters, and republicans who had lost hope of achieving anything through violence. More importantly, the party drew support from young people who were tired of the old nationalist policies and wanted more concern for social issues. In post-war Europe many people blamed the social evils of uneployment, poor housing, poverty and disease for the rise of fascism and communism. This new mood influenced people in Ireland also. Many people joined Clann na Poblachta as it appeared to offer a way out of the sterile hatreds of the Irish Civil War. The party grew evtensively and rapidly during 1947.

During 1947 Clann na Poblachta won several by-elections. The Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera, saw the threat posed by the new party and in February 1948 he called a snap general election to try and catch Clann na Poblachta off guard. His tactic was successful because Clann na Poblachta only won ten seats - far fewer than was expected. Fianna Fáil still remained the largest party with sixty-eight seats. It seemed inconceivable that Fianna Fáil wouldn't form the new government, however the first inter-party government was formed, ending sixteen years of Fianna Fáil in power. Fine Gael, Labour and Clann na Poblachta formed a coalition government. Fine Gael provided the Taoiseach in the form of John A. Costello. Sean MacBride of Clann na Poblachta became Minister for External Affairs. Noel Browne of the same party became Minister for Health.

As Minister foir External Affairs, and a strong republican, MacBride was seen as instrumental in the repeal of the External Relations Act (1936). This was seen as the last link binding Ireland to England. In September 1948 Costello made the formal announcement in Canada that the government was about to declare Ireland a Republic. At Easter 1949 the Republic of Ireland came into existence. Since then it has been the opinion that partition was the only obstacle preventing a united Ireland. This issue dominated the government's foreign policy. At foreign conferences, whether it was appropriate or not, Irish delegates stated their cause for the ending of partition. This campaign had no effect whatsoever on the unionist government in Northern Ireland.

As Minister for External Affairs, MacBride declined the offer of Ireland joining NATO to resist Soviet aggression. He refused because it would mean that the Republic recognised Northern Ireland. He did however state that Ireland was strongly opposed to Communism. In [[1950] he offered a bi-lateral alliance to the United States but this was rejected. Ireland remained outside the military alliance. In 1949 Ireland joined the Organisation for European Economic Co-Operation (OEEC) and the Council of Europe as founder-members.

Another Clann na Poblachta TD, Noel Browe, became Minister for Health. His primary objective was the reform of the health service. However he is best remembered for his attack on the killer tuberculosis (TB) virus. Free mass X-rays were introduced to identify TB sufferers. Sufferers were given free hospital treatment. New drugs were also introduced to fight the disease. In 1950 Browne tried to put the parts of the Fianna Fáil Health Act into effect. This Act would give free health care to all mothers and children up to the age of sixteen regardless of income. However, the Mother and Child Scheme as it became known faced stiff opposition from Irish doctors and the Catholic Bishops of Ireland. Doctors opposed the deal because they feared a reduction in their incomes and they were worried about state interference between patient and doctor. The Catholic Bishops opposed the Act because it seemed a dangerously communistic idea to them. They feared it might lead to the supply of birth control and abortion. Browne met with the Bishops and thought that he had satisfied them, but he was wrong. He was also losing Cabinet support on the issue. On 11 April 1951 MacBride demanded Browne's resignation and he withdrew from the Cabinet. Several other Clann na Poblachta TD's followed him out of the coalition.

In 1951 the coalition faced increasing pressure to remain afloat and so an election was called. Clann na Poblachta was reduced to just two seats. Noel Browne was elected but not as a Clann na Poblachta TD. He, and some other former Clann na Poblachta TD's, supported de Valera's minority government. In 1954 another general election was called and the second inter-party government was established. Fine Gael was once again the largest partner. The remaining Clann na Poblachta TD's also joined the coalition.

During the 1950's the Irish economy remained stagnant. By the end of the 1950's MacBride lost his Dáil seat and Clann na Poblachta disintegrated. The party contested the 161 general election but only one candidate was elected to Dáil Éireann. The party didn't contest the 1965 general elction and ceased to exist.