The Curious Case of the Mayo Librarian Read Online Free PDF Page A

of a propagandist educational character – and I believe it must be such if it is to be of any value at all and worth the money spent on it – then I say the people of Mayo, in a county where, I think – I forget the figures – over 98 per cent of the population is Catholic, are justified in insisting upon a Catholic librarian …
    â€˜If the library system is an educational system, the same freedom should be accorded, and whatever is necessary to give the Protestant community their facilities, then it should be provided, but do not try to meet the difficulty in such a way as you are doing in Mayo.’ 11
    Deputy Thomas Mullins, an independent republican, pointed out the irony that the Minister for Local Government was also chairman of the Gaeltacht Commission which had been set up to investigate how best to preserve the Irish language. He condemned Richard Mulcahy as ‘one who out-Neros Nero. And who is more dictatorial than the Spanish Inquisition, presiding over the Department of Local Government, telling the people of Mayo – remember they are only bog-men and do not matter – to accept his instructions or to get out. Be it said to the credit of Mayo County Council they did get out rather than bend the knee.’
    Deputy Mullins was particularly critical of the religious, sectarian attitude introduced by some deputies. ‘There is plenty of material to damn the minister,’ he said, ‘and to crucify him fifteen times over, without introducing any other aspect.’ However, despite his reservations Deputy Mullins was still in favour of the amendment.
‘Corrupt in twopence-halfpenny matters’
    Deputy Frank Aiken argued that in the old days ‘it was said that local bodies were corrupt in twopence-halfpenny matters. But these are the gentlemen who are corrupt in matters of hundreds and thousands of pounds.’ 12
    As the debate was nearing its end, Richard Mulcahy made his defence at length. He defended the actions of his department. ‘We might have mandamused the council,’ he said, ‘and got an order from the court that the Mayo County Council should so act. We did not do so for the reason that in the final minutes of the Mayo County Council dealing with the matter they instructed their solicitor to take the fullest possible steps to resist the mandamus and they decided that they would defer until their next meeting what they would do about striking a library rate. There was no reason in the first place why the rate-payers of Mayo should be saddled with the cost of mandamus proceedings and there was no reason in my opinion why I, as representing this assembly, should allow the Mayo County Council to put us in the position that they had to evade their statutory duties by declining to provide the necessary funds for the carrying on of the library.’
    Mulcahy was particularly critical of Deputy de Valera’s remarks. ‘I say that the deputy has gone as near saying as constitutionally he can, that no Protestant librarian should be appointed to county libraries in this country.’
    He also mentioned that there had been Protestant librarians working in the Free State. ‘I do not think that you can have one religious policy in Mayo and another in Leix,’ he said. ‘I am in the position as Minister for Local Government of having an official document giving the greatest possible praise to a Protestant county librarian in one county and condemning the idea of having a Protestant as librarian in another county … I have nothing to show me that a Protestant librarian can be a danger to faith more or less in Mayo, but not in some other county. As an ordinary lay Irishman, I deny that County Mayo is any more Catholic than my own native county or any other county.’
    As he neared the conclusion of his defence, Richard Mulcahy raised the issue of finance, criticising Mayo County Council’s expenditure and in effect telling the