Irish delegation travels to Geneva but no date confirmed for League of Nations entry
Geneva, 5 September 1923 - A date has not yet been confirmed for Irish entry into the League of Nations, despite a successful visit by a large Irish delegation to Geneva, led by President William T. Cosgrave. Ireland’s admission to the League is considered to be a formality and seats have already been assigned for occupation by Irish delegates once entry has been secured.
The official list of those who will form the Irish delegation has been provided in both Irish and English languages; it will be led by the President of the Irish Free State, Mr. W.T Cosgrave, alongside Dr. Eoin MacNeill (Minister for Education), Mr. Desmond Fitzgerald (Minister for Foreign Affairs), Mr. Hugh Kennedy K.C (Attorney General)., Mr. MacSwiney, Mr. Kevin O’Shiel (General Secretary) and Mr. MacWhite.
Already fifty-two of the leading nations of the world have been admitted to membership of the League of Nations, with Ireland expected to bring that number to fifty-three. Non-member countries included the United States, Mexico, Turkey, Russia, Afghanistan and Ecuador amongst others.
En route to Geneva, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Desmond Fitzgerald spoke to Reuters about the domestic situation in Ireland and offered reassurance as to its improving condition. ‘The situation in ireland is tranquil’, Mr. Fitzgerald said. ‘A great quantity of arms are still hidden, but the Government cannot permit a new rebellion. Hence de Valera, who is the leading agitator, must remain in prison until the country is completely pacified.’
Mr. Fitzgerald’s remarks were made in Rome, but prior to that, he had been questioned in Paris as to whether the proposed Free State representation in the League would stand for all Ireland, Mr. Fitzgerald said that it would not.
Notably, in its relations with the League, Ireland will adopt French as the official language, though President Cosgrave is expected to speak before the Assembly in the native Irish language.
The Irish delegation departed from Dun Laoaghire on August 29, reaching Paris the following day. A number of the delegates travelled to Genoa to attend the celebration of the thirteenth centenary of St. Columbanus at Bobbio, before later joining the rest of the delegation to travel onwards to Geneva. President Cosgrave and his fellow Ministers are due to return to Dublin on September 13.
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
