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BOOK LAUNCH
A large crowd attended the launch of a book on the life of James Dillon which was held in the library of Dillon House recently. Those in attendance included bishop Flynn, the chairman of Roscommon County Council, Michael Scally, John Blake Dillon, son of James Dillon, Liam Cosgrave who launched the book and author Maurice Manning. At the launch, John Blake Dillon said that the town of Ballaghaderreen had a huge influence on his father and he loved returning there. It was always a place of relaxation for him and the people made him feel very much at home. Coming home was always a great consolation to him. He praised all those involved in restoring the house to its former glory. Cllr Michael Scally said he was very impressed with all the development that had taken place in the town since Dillon House was first taken over. Things were looking up for the future, he said, particularly now that the town was to be the headquarters of the West, Border and Midland Regional Authority. Liam Cosgrave recalled the wonderful character of James Dillon and said he was a man of integrity and strong values. He was never afraid to stand up and speak the truth. He said that he had revolutionised the Department of Agriculture when he took over as Minister. He is perhaps best remembered for his colourful oratory and great wit and he was always a superb performer in the Chamber. Maurice Manning has been researching his biography for the past ten years and the book is a very carefully compiled history of the life of a great statesman and a fitting tribute to James Dillon. ECHOES OF BALLAGHADERREEN Anyone with photos, articles, short stories etc. for inclusion in the December ’99 edition is asked to forward them within the next 7 days to Echoes committee c/o the Presbytery, Ballaghaderreen. COMMUNITY GAMES NEWS A very enjoyable end of year party to celebrate the achievements of all the athletes in the Ballaghaderreen area was held in Durkin’s recently. Special guests were: Tom Farrell (Shannonside), main sponsor of the Community Games, local Cllr Hugh Lynn, Frances Morley and her son Gordon, and Mr and Mrs Noel Hughes. A total of 94 presentations were made to the children of the area who had won County titles. Michelle Kelly made a presentation to Fergus Frain, manager of the victorious under 15 soccer team. The under 16 choir also made a presentation to their manager, Freda Waldron. The Chairman, Brian Tansey, thanked his fellow Committee members for their dedication and also thanked the managers who travelled to Mosney to accompany the various teams. Michael Colleran was presented with the Noel Hughes trophy for best boy athlete for the year while Jenny Drake was presented with the Spelman / Morley Cup for the best girl athlete of the year. The Committee thanked Durkin’s for the use of their premises and all the parents who supplied the refreshments. ANOTHER WIN FOR ST. NATHY’S St. Nathy’s junior team had a great 0-1 win over Carrick-on-Shannon recently in the junior competition. Pat O’Gara got the crucial goal in the last minute to win the game for St. Nathy’s. JAMES DILLON OF BALLAGHADERREEN AS SEEN BY SENATOR MAURICE MANNING A long overdue life biography of the life of one of Ireland’s foremost parliamentarian, James Dillon was launched recently in Ballaghaderreen. The guest speaker at the launch was Liam Cosgrove who served as Taoiseach from 1973 to 1977. James Dillon stands among the greats of Irish politics. Across the decades, since the formation of the State, there have been many great and controversial political figures such as De Valera, Lemass, Browne and Haughey. For almost four of those decades, half the life of the State, James Dillon was placed at the centre of Irish life. By many estimates, Dillon was the most effective parliamentarian in the history of the State. He was never Taoiseach but in certain circumstances might have been. Today’s Ireland owes a great deal to his democratic commitment, to his fearless political honesty and to his practical patriotism. His is perhaps best remembered for his colourful oratory and great wit. But he was more than just a superb performer in the Chamber. He was a rare, almost exotic figure in Dail Eireann. He railed ceaselessly against the hypocrisy and dishonesty of the political culture of the newly Independent State. He stood outside the consensus which venerated 1916 and the War of Independence. In Dail Eireann he almost single-handedly challenged the morality of De Valera’s policy of neutrality in Word War II. His extraordinary contribution to the life of the State and his role as a searing critic of De Valera’s vision make fascinating reading. It examines from a hitherto unexplored perspective how the processes of parliamentary opposition operated in the new democracy which was the Irish Free State and later the Republic of Ireland. As a Minister he argued that the basis of future prosperity of Ireland would have to be Agriculture and his policies were far-reaching. This is a major biography of one of the key political figures of twentieth century Ireland. Maurice Manning’s study of James Dillon fills a significant gap in the political history of Ireland. Without it we would have an incomplete understanding of the making of Modern Ireland. * Maurice Manning has had a long and distinguished career as an academic, author and public representative. He is currently a lecturer in Political Science at University College Dublin and is a Senator in Seanad Eireann. He lives in Dublin with his wife, Mary, and son, Nicholas.
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