Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 6 Mar 1996

Vol. 462 No. 6

Written Answers. - Historical Material Availability.

Síle de Valera

Question:

15 Miss de Valera asked the Minister for Defence his views on whether the historical material collected by the Bureau of Military History during its term of office from 1947 to 1959 and relating to the history of the movement for Irish independence from the foundation of the Irish Volunteers on 25 November 1913 to 11 July 1921, should be made available in full to historians and research students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3188/96]

Minister for Defence (Mr. Barrett)

The Bureau of Military History was established in 1947 with the object of collecting and collating material on which might be based an authentic history of the events following on from the formation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913 up to the date of the Truce in 1921.

The bureau ceased to function with effect from 31 March 1959. The material collected by the bureau together with the bureau records and documents have been stored in the Department of the Taoiseach. This arrangement is in accord with a Government decision taken on 20 December 1957.

It was a fundamental rule of the bureau from the outset that no material entrusted to it would be disclosed to anyone outside the bureau save with the express consent of the donor. This was to ensure that persons who made statements could do so with complete confidentiality. When the bureau was set up the then Minister for Defence, with the consent of the then Taoiseach, decided that the material collected should not be released to historians or others during the lifetimes of persons who took part in the events with which the bureau was concerned. This decision was confirmed in 1955 in a radio broadcast by the then Minister for Defence who, in 1956, quantified the release period at 25 years.

The 25 year period expired on 27 July 1981 but as some of the persons concerned were still alive it was decided that the bar on the release of material should be extended for a further five years. The matter has been reviewed regularly since, in consultation with the Director of National Archives, and the bar on general release has been extended for successive periods, the latest of which is due to expire on 27 July this year.

Each person who made a statement to the bureau was given a copy of their statement at the time but subsequent requests for copies of statements whether from the persons themselves or their relatives were always refused. In 1987 the Government decided that the Minister for Defence should be allowed discretion to release material presented to the bureau on application by immediate relatives of donors.

The question of making this material generally available to historians and researchers will be examined again by the Government prior to the expiration of the bar on their release.