asked the Minister for Defence if he will consider taking steps to alter the design of the crest impressed on communications from his Department; if he will state the date on which it was decided to use this crest; and, further, if he will indicate the words for which the letters in the centre of the crest stand, and whether he will now consider replacing such lettering by a national emblem.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Army Crest.
I do not propose to take any steps to alter the design of the crest used on communications from my Department or to replace the lettering in the centre of the crest. As far as the information at my disposal goes, the crest in question was designed by the late Dr. Eoin MacNeill about 36 years ago. The letters "F.F." in the centre of the crest stand for the words "Fianna Fáil". Again, as far as my information goes, the original proposal to recognise the words "Fianna Fáil" as the Irish equivalent of "the Irish Volunteers" was made by The O'Rahilly, supported by the late Mr. Desmond Fitzgerald, and adopted at the Irish Volunteer Convention held in the Abbey Theatre in October, 1914. In view of its historic associations, therefore, I do not, as I said at the outset, propose to interfere with the design of what is at present known as the Army Crest.