Mel Farrell
Historian specialising in Irish political history, 1900-1937. I am also interested in the Irish Revolution, and the era of decolonisation after 1945. My new book, 'Party Politics in a New Democracy: The Irish Free State, 1922-37 (Palgrave, 2017), positions independent Ireland's politics in the wider context of Europe, 1918-39. This research was partly funded by a Government of Ireland, postgraduate scholarship (IRCHSS) 2009-11.
In recent years I have taught history in: Maynooth University, Dublin City University and University College Dublin. I have been course co-ordinator on core and optional modules taken by undergraduate students and have supervised postgraduate M.A. theses. I have been nominated for teaching awards in both DCU and UCD.
I have been course co-ordinator on core modules in Irish History as well as the following optional courses: 'Decolonisation in Southern Africa, 1961-1994'; 'The Irish Free State, 1922-37'; 'The Origins of Modern Nationalism'; 'End of Empire: A Southern Hemisphere Perspective, 1945-1994'; and 'Irish Cultural Nationalism'. I also co-ordinated a team taught ,first year course 'Turning Points in History'.
Supervisors: Professor Terence Dooley, Maynooth University (internal examiner), Professor Fearghal McGarry, Queen's University Belfast (external examiner), and Professor Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses, Maynooth University, (supervisor)
In recent years I have taught history in: Maynooth University, Dublin City University and University College Dublin. I have been course co-ordinator on core and optional modules taken by undergraduate students and have supervised postgraduate M.A. theses. I have been nominated for teaching awards in both DCU and UCD.
I have been course co-ordinator on core modules in Irish History as well as the following optional courses: 'Decolonisation in Southern Africa, 1961-1994'; 'The Irish Free State, 1922-37'; 'The Origins of Modern Nationalism'; 'End of Empire: A Southern Hemisphere Perspective, 1945-1994'; and 'Irish Cultural Nationalism'. I also co-ordinated a team taught ,first year course 'Turning Points in History'.
Supervisors: Professor Terence Dooley, Maynooth University (internal examiner), Professor Fearghal McGarry, Queen's University Belfast (external examiner), and Professor Filipe Ribeiro de Meneses, Maynooth University, (supervisor)
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Books by Mel Farrell
Born in blood, the new Irish Free state was set on course to become a remarkably stable democracy in the late 1920s and early 1930s, in stark contrast to the rise of dictatorships across Europe. The Irish public had an opportunity to cast their judgement on who they wanted to govern their new free state, and cast their opinion on the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, even though it had been ratified in January 1922. A record 376 candidates stood for election, so every seat was contested - another first in Irish electoral history.
Vying for Victory: The 1923 General Election in the Irish Free State unifies writings by leading scholars on various aspects of the 1923 election. It offers fresh and thought-provoking insights rooted deeply in original archival research. The Cumann na nGaedheal Party's 'safety first' election campaign; the importance of the election for Éamon de Valera; the perspectives of the Labour and Farmers' Parties; the propaganda and electioneering tactics deployed by the various parties, and newspaper coverage of the election, amongst many other areas, are all richly explored. Further this collection takes a forensic look at: the end of the Irish Civil War and the August 1923 Election in a wider European context; the Catholic Church's attitude to the election; the roles of women in the 1923 election; and the engagement of the Irish diaspora in North America.
Vying for Victory offers a deeply researched, original, and fascinating analysis of the very first democratic step of a free Irish nation. It will be a valuable resource to Irish history enthusiasts, as well as students and scholars of Irish history.
By offering an historical re-appraisal of the Irish Free State’s politics, anchored in the wider context of inter-war Europe, Mel Farrell argues that the Irish party system is not unique in having two dominant parties capable of adapting to changing circumstances, and suggests that this has been a key strength of Irish democracy. Moreover, the book challenges the tired cliché of ‘Civil War Politics’ by demonstrating that events subsequent to Civil War led the Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil cleavage dominant in the twentieth-century.
The relationship between policy and the emerging state is also explored in chapters focusing on Free State election posters, loyalty and treason, the 1923 Land Act, the Irish Farmers’ Party and parliamentary democracy. Other dynamic contributions look at how economic policy shaped the lives of ordinary Irish citizens and continue to have an impact today.
Journal Articles by Mel Farrell
This article will test the prevailing consensus by looking at the Cumann na nGaedheal party from the perspective of its grass-root machinery in three constituencies chosen for their representative qualities.
However, within a year of the civil war’s end, Cumann na nGaedheal was plunged into a fresh crisis that would culminate in the resignation of nine pro-Treaty Dáil deputies in October 1924. In a tense political climate, the significance of these resignations should not be understated. These resignations came at a time when the parties were fighting by-election campaigns to fill five Dáil vacancies. Having performed poorly in those by-elections on November 18, and with the abstentionist Sinn Féin party having gained ground, Cumann na nGaedheal was in the midst of a maelstrom by the time the parliamentary party met on November 20. At this meeting, the proposal for a new organizing committee was first put forward, before being confirmed by the party’s standing committee seven days later.
Other Publications by Mel Farrell
The article appears in the 2015 issue of Teathbha, vol. 4 no. 2
Conference & Seminar Papers by Mel Farrell
However, within a year of the civil war’s end, Cumann na nGaedheal was plunged into a fresh crisis that would culminate in the resignation of nine pro-Treaty Dáil deputies in October 1924. In a tense political climate, the significance of these resignations should not be understated. These resignations came at a time when the parties were fighting by-election campaigns to fill five Dáil vacancies. Having performed poorly in those by-elections on November 18, and with the abstentionist Sinn Féin party having gained ground, Cumann na nGaedheal was in the midst of a maelstrom by the time the parliamentary party met on November 20. At this meeting, the proposal for a new organizing committee was first put forward, before being confirmed by the party’s standing committee seven days later.
Born in blood, the new Irish Free state was set on course to become a remarkably stable democracy in the late 1920s and early 1930s, in stark contrast to the rise of dictatorships across Europe. The Irish public had an opportunity to cast their judgement on who they wanted to govern their new free state, and cast their opinion on the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, even though it had been ratified in January 1922. A record 376 candidates stood for election, so every seat was contested - another first in Irish electoral history.
Vying for Victory: The 1923 General Election in the Irish Free State unifies writings by leading scholars on various aspects of the 1923 election. It offers fresh and thought-provoking insights rooted deeply in original archival research. The Cumann na nGaedheal Party's 'safety first' election campaign; the importance of the election for Éamon de Valera; the perspectives of the Labour and Farmers' Parties; the propaganda and electioneering tactics deployed by the various parties, and newspaper coverage of the election, amongst many other areas, are all richly explored. Further this collection takes a forensic look at: the end of the Irish Civil War and the August 1923 Election in a wider European context; the Catholic Church's attitude to the election; the roles of women in the 1923 election; and the engagement of the Irish diaspora in North America.
Vying for Victory offers a deeply researched, original, and fascinating analysis of the very first democratic step of a free Irish nation. It will be a valuable resource to Irish history enthusiasts, as well as students and scholars of Irish history.
By offering an historical re-appraisal of the Irish Free State’s politics, anchored in the wider context of inter-war Europe, Mel Farrell argues that the Irish party system is not unique in having two dominant parties capable of adapting to changing circumstances, and suggests that this has been a key strength of Irish democracy. Moreover, the book challenges the tired cliché of ‘Civil War Politics’ by demonstrating that events subsequent to Civil War led the Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil cleavage dominant in the twentieth-century.
The relationship between policy and the emerging state is also explored in chapters focusing on Free State election posters, loyalty and treason, the 1923 Land Act, the Irish Farmers’ Party and parliamentary democracy. Other dynamic contributions look at how economic policy shaped the lives of ordinary Irish citizens and continue to have an impact today.
This article will test the prevailing consensus by looking at the Cumann na nGaedheal party from the perspective of its grass-root machinery in three constituencies chosen for their representative qualities.
However, within a year of the civil war’s end, Cumann na nGaedheal was plunged into a fresh crisis that would culminate in the resignation of nine pro-Treaty Dáil deputies in October 1924. In a tense political climate, the significance of these resignations should not be understated. These resignations came at a time when the parties were fighting by-election campaigns to fill five Dáil vacancies. Having performed poorly in those by-elections on November 18, and with the abstentionist Sinn Féin party having gained ground, Cumann na nGaedheal was in the midst of a maelstrom by the time the parliamentary party met on November 20. At this meeting, the proposal for a new organizing committee was first put forward, before being confirmed by the party’s standing committee seven days later.
The article appears in the 2015 issue of Teathbha, vol. 4 no. 2
However, within a year of the civil war’s end, Cumann na nGaedheal was plunged into a fresh crisis that would culminate in the resignation of nine pro-Treaty Dáil deputies in October 1924. In a tense political climate, the significance of these resignations should not be understated. These resignations came at a time when the parties were fighting by-election campaigns to fill five Dáil vacancies. Having performed poorly in those by-elections on November 18, and with the abstentionist Sinn Féin party having gained ground, Cumann na nGaedheal was in the midst of a maelstrom by the time the parliamentary party met on November 20. At this meeting, the proposal for a new organizing committee was first put forward, before being confirmed by the party’s standing committee seven days later.
boundary commission to determine the border between the two jurisdictions. Moreover, the Treaty stipulated that members of the Free State parliament would have to swear an oath of fidelity to the British monarch. While these terms were repugnant to most Sinn Féiners, the leaders of the Irish delegation, Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, emphasised the document’s potential. For Collins, in particular, the Treaty
offered Ireland its first real step on the road to full independence. By mid-December, he and Griffith had to go before the Dáil to convince Sinn Féin’s elected representatives that they had made the correct decision.