I move amendment No. 1:—
In the First Schedule, Part I, page 4, for the name "Dublin North (East)" in the first column to substitute the name "Clontarf".
This amendment raises the point we discussed last evening on the Second Stage. The amendments in my name on the Order Paper down to and including amendment No. 6 refer to the constituencies in the City of Dublin and the proposal is to substitute for the geographical title other titles as set out in the amendments. Whatever decision is reached on amendment No. 1, I am prepared to agree, would cover all the others, except that perhaps there are special circumstances in some cases which ought to be referred to. At the moment, however, I am concerned with the constituency described in the Schedule as Dublin North (East). That I consider a most unsuitable description. The outstanding portion of that constituency includes Clontarf. Clontarf has very historic associations, which, in my opinion, ought to be recalled in the title of the constituency which includes that historic spot.
The Minister in reply to the debate last night referred to the geographical convenience of these constituencies, but that, of course, means nothing. One could say that had he gone further and adopted the American system of referring to 56th Street or 42nd Street, it would have been better still, but he has not done that. Even under the British régime, some attention was given to the historical associations of certain places in Dublin and these assocations were carried into the titles of the Parliamentary constituencies which existed here prior to 1923. You had for instance, St. Patrick's Division, College Green Division, St. Michan's Division, and St. Stephen's Green Division. All these old historic associations were recalled in British legislation when giving titles to the Parliamentary constituencies of Dublin. It appears to me that we ought not to be less mindful of these historic traditions than were the people responsible for designating the constituencies in British Acts of Parliament, and I urge the Minister that he should accept this amendment, or insert something better, if he prefers it, in the Bill.
He referred to Drumcondra as an equally appropriate title, but I am not speaking of appropriate titles. I am making the suggestion that there are certain historical landmarks in Dublin which might reasonably give the titles to our Parliamentary divisions. The question whether they are appropriate in relation to places is another matter. Take what happens in Northern Ireland. There is a division there which covers the South County of Down, but it is known not as South Down, but as Mourne. In Britain, there is a constituency, which geographically may mean nothing, known as the Forest of Dean. There is a constituency in Birmingham called the Park Division. There is a division convenient to London called Woodstock, which returns a very well-known gentleman to the British House of Commons, but Woodstock is purely and simply the name, as I understand it, of a little village in the midst of a constituency with 40,000 voters.