On This Day / July 16, 1971

Summary: On This Day – 16th July 1971, Jack Lynch and Brian Faulkner clashed over Partition while the Nationalist Party backed the SDLP’s plan to leave Stormont. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.

Lynch-Faulkner Clash | On This Day – 16th July 1971

IT WAS now obvious that the experiment of partition had failed to achieve peace in the north east of the country, said the Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch in the Dail yesterday.

The leaders of the present and past British governments had stated that, as far as they were concerned, if it was possible for Irishmen to achieve unity, Britain would not stand in the way, said Mr Lynch.

Dr Conor Cruise O’Brien [Labour] asked if the Taoiseach thought that this was a suitable occasion on which to address an appeal to members of ‘the other tradition’.

The Taoiseach said that July 11th last was the fiftieth anniversary of July 11, 1921 [the Truce].

‘I hope that the Labour Party will not take me to task for advocating Irish reunification on such a day,’ he said.

Faulkner on Lynch

‘MR LYNCH could develop with the North a relationship of mutual respect in which, while acknowledging our fundamental differences, we can do business on practical issues.’

So said the Stormont Premier, Mr Brian Faulkner yesterday.

‘Or he could switch to a hardline anti-partition stance, addressing himself to London rather as if the Northern government and the people who elected it did not exist. He couldn’t have both.’

Mr Faulkner continued: ‘Can we not all see clearly the real threat to peace and democracy throughout Ireland today?

‘Even for the Nationalists, is it not better to have Ireland divided but free and democratic, rather than Ireland united but enslaved? The IRA have been frank about their intentions.

‘Just as they dispose of life and death today without responsibility to anyone, so they would propose for their desired united Ireland a period of military government.’

Nationalist Party Quits Stormont

THE Nationalist Party has come out in support of the SDLP plan to withdraw from Stormont.

This decision was taken at a three-hour meeting in Armagh last night.

But the party wants to have more details about the ‘alternative assembly’ suggested by the SDLP before reaching a final decision.

(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: DESPITE his hardline image, Brian Faulkner – ‘the wee shirt-maker’ – was schooled in Dublin at St Columba’s College and even had a few words of Irish.

At school his closest friend was the future Fianna Fail Senator, Michael Yeats, son of the Irish poet.

Unlike unionists today, Faulkner had no issue with speaking easily about ‘the north’.

On his advent as premier he had authorised talks between his officials and their Dublin counterparts on the economic development of border areas.

However, by the summer of 1971, as internment loomed, relations between north and south were set to deteriorate drastically.)

On This Day – 16th July 1971

Further Reading on Irish History:

List of other On This Day columns

Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive

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