42 Facts About Ernest Blythe

Ernest Blythe was an Irish journalist, managing director of the Abbey Theatre, and politician who served as Minister for Finance from 1923 to 1932, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and Vice-President of the Executive Council from 1927 to 1932 and Minister for Local Government from 1922 to 1923.

Ernest Blythe was a Senator for the Labour Panel from 1934 to 1936.

Ernest Blythe served as a Teachta Dala for the Monaghan constituency from 1921 to 1933 and Member of Parliament for Monaghan North from 1918 to 1922.

Ernest Blythe was the son of James Blythe, a farmer, and Agnes Thompson.

Ernest Blythe was educated locally, at Maghaberry Cross Roads primary school.

Sean O'Casey invited Ernest Blythe to join the Irish Republican Brotherhood, which Ernest Blythe accepted.

Ernest Blythe joined Conradh na Gaeilge, where his first Irish teacher was Sinead Flanagan, the future wife of Eamon de Valera.

Ernest Blythe was hesitant to join at first because he was an Ulster Protestant and was afraid he would be kicked out.

Ernest Blythe "converted to Sinn Fein" after reading the 'Sinn Fein newspaper'.

In 1909, Ernest Blythe became a junior news reporter with the North Down Herald and stayed with the paper till 1913.

On 26 September 1910 Ernest Blythe joined the Newtownards Orange Order and remained in the Order until 14 February 1912.

Ernest Blythe was at one point the "centre" or head of the Belfast IRB but was asked to step down by Bulmer Hobson and Denis McCullough so that McCullough could be promoted to a higher office.

Ernest Blythe's activity spread all over the south-west region to counties Kerry, Cork, Limerick and Clare.

Ernest Blythe became Captain of the Lipsole Company and toured the region with a list of names of people to recruit.

Ernest Blythe was one of the few organisers sent out into the country and with little qualification was largely self-taught.

Ernest Blythe refused to transport to Britain so was sent to spend three months in Crumlin Road prison, Belfast.

Ernest Blythe then failed to report to police and was sent to Oxford Prison, Blythe was unable to participate in the Easter Rising due to his imprisonment there.

Ernest Blythe was released at Christmas 1916, and was ordered never to return to Ireland.

Ernest Blythe was later released and went to Skibbereen to edit the Southern Star which had been purchased by Sinn Fein.

Ernest Blythe ignored a court martial to leave Munster, which resulted in a 12 months imprisonment in Dundalk and Belfast.

Ernest Blythe first became involved in electoral politics in 1918 when Sinn Fein won the general election of 1918 and he became a TD for Monaghan North.

Ernest Blythe served as the Minister for Trade and Commerce until 1922.

Awareness of religious differences was acute: for his part, Ernest Blythe noticed that there was a Catholic priest in the IRB.

Ernest Blythe was committed to keeping a balanced budget at all costs, which was not at all easy.

Ernest Blythe funded the Shannon hydroelectric scheme during the late 1920s.

Ernest Blythe prepared the speeches of Blueshirt leader Eoin O'Duffy and participated in Blueshirt meetings all over the country.

Ernest Blythe cultivated fascist ideology within the Blueshirts, and envisaged the movement as an all-powerful 'state within the state'.

In January 1934, Ernest Blythe was elected to fill a vacancy in the Senate created by the death of Ellen Cuffe, Countess of Desart.

Ernest Blythe served in the Senate until the institution was abolished in 1936.

Ernest Blythe had been a member of the Craobh na Aiseirghe branch of the Gaelic league which was the predecessor of the party.

Ernest Blythe advised O Cuinneagain on the drafting of the party's constitution, gave it backing in his journal The Leader, as well as making financial contributions.

Ernest Blythe supported the idea of a one-party state stating it could fill the gap left in Irish society created by the destruction of the tanistry system.

Ernest Blythe was highly criticised during his time as Managing Director.

Ernest Blythe remained as a member of the theatre board until 1972.

Ernest Blythe was an active member of the Television Authority.

Ernest Blythe added "as we pledged ourselves not to coerce them, it is as well that they should not have a threat of coercion above them all the time", while believing there is "no prospect of bringing about the unification of Ireland within any reasonable period of time by attacking the North East".

Ernest Blythe wrote a book Briseadh na Teorann which was published in 1955.

Ernest Blythe opposed coercion as a method of achieving a united Ireland: "Partitionist practitioners of violence do more to keep Partition in being than the most extreme section of orangemen".

Ernest Blythe challenged the republican belief regarding who was to blame for partition:;"There would be twenty times for truth in describing partition as Ireland's crime against herself than in describing it according to our propagandist formula as England's crime against Ireland".

Ernest Blythe encouraged Micheal MacLiammoir and Hilton Edwards to found an Irish language theatre in Galway.

Ernest Blythe published three volumes of autobiography: Trasna na Boinne, Slan le hUltaibh and Gaeil a Muscailt.

Ernest Blythe saw his role in politics, as previously stated in this article, as having to keep the economy balanced at all times, this is why his name has 'established a public notoriety far beyond' political circles.