Irish Oratory: Publishers have been periodically compiling collections of Irish speeches for some time now. This latest collection follows in the footsteps of Great Irish Speeches of the Twentieth Century edited by Michael McLoughlin and published by Poolbeg in 1998, and the volume Great Irish Voices, edited by Gerard Reid and published by Irish Academic Press in 1999. It's easy to see why publishers are keen on them; they are not labour intensive, look handsome, and are very useful reference books.
This volume, edited by Richard Aldous and with additional research by Niamh Puirséil, is no exception. It contains many of the speeches in the previously published volumes as well as more recent additions.
It is a polished, accessible production, but is somewhat safe and predictable, and it lacks in-depth analysis, with the exception of the foreword by Colm Tóibín. This goes beyond the usual perfunctory endorsement; it is a thoughtful, personal and eloquent reflection on the speeches in the context of societal and legislative change, continuities and new departures.
It is a pity Aldous did not match this with a detailed historical overview of the role of public speech and debate in the evolution of Irish history, some attempt at a cohesive thesis, and an explanation for his choice of speeches. Some elaboration on the issues Tóibín raises, particularly his contention that "oratory in Ireland has often been a way for the weak to make their mark; real and abiding victory often belonged to those who remained quiet", would have added significantly to a collection of this kind.
To his credit, Aldous has written incisive and often insightful one-page introductions to each speech (or as is often the case, extracts from the speech) to explain the circumstances in which they were delivered. There are 50 speeches, beginning with Henry Grattan's speech to the House of Commons in Dublin in 1782 in which he addresses "a free people", and ending with Bertie Ahern's impressive address to the House of Lords in May in which he announced that "Ireland's hour has come; a time of peace, of prosperity, of old values and new beginnings".
The 48 speeches in between are rich and varied. The earlier ones include Robert Emmet's speech to the Green Street courthouse in 1803, the Bishop of Kerry David Moriarty's visceral attack on the Fenians after the 1867 Rising in which he spoke of the "fathomless depth of this infamy", and Michael Davitt's speech to the Special Irish Commission in London in 1889, in which he referred to Ireland as "an isle of destiny". This phrase was also used by John F Kennedy when speaking in Dublin in 1963 and by Bertie Ahern in London this year, an indication that there has been much recycling of sound bites over the last 200 years.
Other icons of Irish history surface, including James Larkin, always proud to be "rescuing the workers of Dublin from the brutalising and degrading conditions under which they labour", and Michael Collins defending the Treaty (a speech described by his biographer Peter Hart as "one of the greatest statements of political rationality in Irish history").
Eamon de Valera appears twice, with his "That Ireland which we dreamed of" speech of 1943 and his defence of neutrality following Churchill's attack in 1945. Noël Browne is quoted attacking the "want of courage" of his fellow ministers in 1951, and Seán Lemass in 1955, acknowledging the failure of Fianna Fáil's protectionist economic policies. Brendan Corish's 1967 speech promising that the 1970s would be socialist is also here, Aldous noting that it was drafted by two Irish Times journalists, which prompted a question in my mind: how many of these speeches were actually written by the orators themselves?
Bernadette Devlin's precocious verbal assault on the political establishment in 1969 ("There was never born an Englishman who understands the Irish people") is included, as is Liam Cosgrave's attack on the "mongrel foxes" in 1972, a reminder that discarding the script can often enhance the impact. John Hume's insistence in 1981 that "we have to live together in the future - patient political effort will not fill graves, violence will" is a pertinent reminder of his towering historical legacy. Des O'Malley's refusal "to be one of the lads, the safe way in Ireland" by not voting against the 1985 contraception legislation is recorded, though it is not pointed out that following the speech he abstained, or as one cynic put it, he spoke and then "sat on his arse for Ireland". His contribution stands alongside Garret FitzGerald's appeal for maturity, humanity and compassion in Irish society.
MORE RECENT EVENTS and upheavals are also granted space: Mary Robinson's inaugural speech as president, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn's speech justifying the decriminalisation of homosexuality, Joe Higgins's searing attack on "Ansbacher man" (his inclusion a reminder that, sadly, there are precious few orators left in Irish politics), Mícheál Martin's introduction of the smoking ban, and David Trimble's Nobel prize speech, in which he said he did have dreams, "but I try to have them at night".
The book is a valuable chronicle of societal and legislative change, and one can trace the disappearance of the obsession with the dead generations towards a preoccupation with the living and an emphasis on inclusion, sharing and tolerance. But it could have been more adventurous and marked itself out as substantially different from its predecessors if it had incorporated culture, education, the Irish language and gender instead of confining itself to high and largely male politics.
One searches in vain for James Connolly's vision for Ireland, for W B Yeats's defence of Synge and artistic freedom after the Playboy riots in 1907, and Donogh O'Malley's speech in 1966 to the NUJ announcing free secondary education. Is there not a single speech from the women's movement in the 1960s and 1970s that deserves a look-in? Has the Irish Senate only produced one memorable speech in its history - that of Yeats on divorce in 1925? What about Mary Robinson and John Horgan's efforts in the 1960s and 1970s in relation to contraception, or David Norris in the 1980s and 1990s regarding human rights? Where is Pope John Paul II telling the youth of Ireland he loved them? Where are the speeches of the 1980s about women and their bodies that exemplified what Nell McCafferty described as "the pig-ignorant slurry of woman hating", and the responses to them by the likes of Monica Barnes and Nuala Fennell? And where is poor Michael D Higgins; poet, philosopher, and impassioned orator?
Diarmaid Ferriter is a senior lecturer in Irish history at St Patrick's College, DCU. His new book, Judging Dev, will be published next month by the Royal Irish Academy and RTÉ
Great Irish Speeches, Ed Richard Aldous, Quercus, 224pp. £20
