This week’s talk on Wednesday evening is Kevin O’Higgins, his Friends and Enemies by Arthur Mathews. Kevin O’Higgins, born in Stradbally in 1892, was prominent locally and nationally in the Irish War of Independence, Irish Civil War and early years of the Irish Free State. Yet Laois people have always been slow to celebrate the legacy of this particular native.
It is undeniable that O’Higgins played a vital role in the establishment and stabilisation of the Irish Free State. He is credited with consolidating the newly created institutions of post-treaty Ireland and establishing civil control of the new state by founding the unarmed Garda Siochana and successfully confronting the private factions within the Free State army. However, he is also associated with the passing of the Army Emergency Powers Resolution, which authorised internment, military courts, and executions as legal instruments for the national army during the Irish Civil War. The execution of 71 republican prisoners (3 in Maryborough Gaol) in retaliation for republican attacks during the Irish Civil War, made him a particular object of hate for republicans and resulted in his assassination in 1927.
In his new book Walled in by Hate, Arthur Mathews examines not just the life and death of O’Higgins, focussing on that acrimonious time in his life, but also examines the role of his contemporaries, such as Rory O’Connor and Erskine Childers, who shaped the course of events around him. The book also delves deep into Kevin O’Higgins’s relationship with the women around him and chronicles the reactions of the men who killed him, subjects that have remained largely unexplored until now.
Arthur Mathews is best known as the co-writer of the seminal Irish sitcom Father Ted, but his varied career also includes acting, producing and writing novels and plays. Join Arthur Mathews for his exploration of Kevin O’Higgins, the politician and the man, on Wednesday 24th July at 7 pm in Portlaoise Library. Booking is advised by contacting the library on 0578622333, portlaoiselibrary@laoiscoco.ie or book online here.
