Cumann na nGaedheal
|
Cumann na nGaedheal
Cumann na nGaedheal |
|
|---|---|
| Leader | W. T. Cosgrave |
| Founded | 27 April 1923 |
| Dissolved | September 1933 |
| Split from | Sinn Féin |
| Merged into | Fine Gael |
| Ideology |
Conservatism Irish nationalism Pro-Treaty |
| Political position | Centre-right |
Cumann na nGaedheal (Irish pronunciation: [ˈkʊmˠənˠ nˠə ˈŋeːl̪ˠ]; "Society of the Gaels"), sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedhael, was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. In 1933 it merged with smaller groups to form the Fine Gael party.
In 1922 the pro-Treaty Government of the Irish Free State lost the support of Sinn Féin, its political party. The need to create a party supporting the Government was not immediate. Cumann na nGaedheal was the name of the antecedent nationalist umbrella organisation to Sinn Féin formed in 1900 (see Cumann na nGaedheal (1900)). The second Cumann na nGaedheal did not come into existence until more than a year later, on 27 April 1923 when the pro-Treaty TDs recognised the need for a party organisation to win elections. Initially, the party's ability to influence the government was limited.
The party was largely centre-right in outlook. The pro-Treaty wing of Sinn Féin had decided to break off and become a distinct party in late December 1922, but its launch was delayed until after the New Year as a direct consequence of the turmoil caused by the Irish Civil War.
The leadership of the pro-Treaty Sinn Féin in 1922 included Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and W. T. Cosgrave. Cosgrave and Griffith had been prominent in Sinn Féin since the 1900s, while Collins rose quickly through its ranks after the 1916 Easter Rising. Griffith and Collins died in August 1922 during the early stages of the Civil War, leaving Cosgrave to lead the pro-Treaty Provisional Government in the run-up to the formal establishment of the Irish Free State. Cosgrave had also fought in the Easter Rising and had been prominent in the Government of the Irish Republic; the burden of responsibility for building the new state on solid foundations was now on Cosgrave and his colleagues. Difficult years of state-building amidst political violence characterised its time in government.
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