Official Propaganda in the Irish Free State

Abstract

This thesis examines official propaganda in the Irish Free State. It takes the perspective that propaganda helped build the state and had a beneficial purpose. This differs from traditional views of state propaganda in this period, especially relating to European states which spiralled into totalitarianism. It assesses the propaganda campaigns and other activities of Free State governments, and establishes that, while propaganda suffered from a lack of funding and official commitment, often stemming from civil service preoccupations, nonetheless governments enjoyed some propaganda successes. A brief insight into comparable campaigns and policy in Northern Ireland is offered throughout. The work comprises two sections: chapters one to three, and chapters four to eight. This permits a view of, firsdy, the context of propaganda, and, secondly, the contexts, or arenas, in which propaganda was practised.