The motion standing in my name is as follows:—
"That a Committee of the Seanad be appointed to endeavour to reach agreement as to the dates upon which Bank Holidays in Saorstát Eireann should fall, and that the further stages of the National Holidays Bill be postponed until the Committee has reported.
"The Committee to consist of Senators Jameson, Esmonde, Douglas, O'Farrell, Duffy, McKean, Bennett, and MacLysaght."
Since I raised this question some time ago it has received an extraordinary amount of criticism, some favourable. There have been complaints that I did not make all the Catholic holidays Bank holidays and some have complained to the opposite effect. As regards the opposite criticism I find myself variously described as a backwoodsman who comes from a remote part of the country interfering with the affairs of bankers and other business men about which I know nothing. Others refer to me as a sinister Papal agent trying to force Catholicity down people's throats. These are somewhat foolish. In regard to the religious point, what I am really interested in is having holidays suitable to Ireland, and it happens that this country keeps Catholic holidays and consequently I selected one or two such holidays. I do not know in a country where Protestant employers have Catholic workers that such employers find anything sectarian in the fact that their workers keep Catholic holidays. The least said about this matter the better. As regards banking objections where these are real genuine ones, and not a cloak for religious objections, they deserve every sort of consideration, and they will get them from me. For example, it was brought before my attention that the 29th June is the day upon which half-yearly accounts are made up, and so it would be a very bad day for a Bank Holiday. I am not sure that it is necessary for general holidays to be on the same days as Bank Holidays. On New Year's Day the banks are closed, and nobody is much inconvenienced.