Sir - In his review of Peter Somerville-Large's book Irish Voices, Brian Fallon makes reference to the fact that de Valera consulted Dr Gregg and other Protestant Church leaders concerning the "special position" clause in the 1937 Constitution. In fact, there is an even more intriguing Protestant connection with the clause.
While conducting research on the extent of the involvement of the Irish Protestant Churches in the campaign to oppose Home Rule, I came across a reference to the arrest of a Presbyterian minister, Rev Dr James Alexander Hamilton Irwin of Killead, near Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, for possession of arms in 1921. When Senator Joseph Connolly's memoirs were subsequently published, they contained details of how Irwin offered himself as a spokesman to go to America to speak on de Valera's platform (presumably because the Protestant Churches sent a delegation to oppose de Valera's fund-raising efforts there). The arms find was considered to be part of the fall-out from Irwin's American visit. His son, Roy, a child at the time and with whom I corresponded, recalls the raid. He recollects an old shotgun of his grandfather's being found but said he never heard of a revolver and ammunition (Irwin was found guilty of possession of these at a court-martial and given one year in jail, although the bulk of the sentence was remitted). Roy Irwin believes they were trumped-up charges.
Although Irwin subsequently left Killead to take up the ministry in Edinburgh, the story of his involvement in Irish politics does not end there. He moved to Lucan in 1935 where he remained until his death in 1954. From 1945 until his death he was a member of the Fianna Fail executive, a lifelong friend of de Valera, who was present at his funeral at Mt Jerome, and his son has confirmed he was offered the opportunity to stand for the Presidency of the Free State but declined to do so. Significantly too, for four years Irwin was on the commission which drew up the 1937 Constitution and his son believes he had quite an influence on the section relating to religion.
Hitherto Armour of Ballymoney has been identified as the archetypal Presbyterian Home Ruler of the period, although Richard McMinn questions his credentials. Indeed Armour is included as one of Denis Carroll's Twelve Radical Clergy in his book Unusual Suspects and Irwin merits only a reference. This is not surprising perhaps, because Irwin is not mentioned, let alone prominent, in the records of the political debates on the Home Rule issue. However, it is clear that he was much more radical than Armour in his political views and maintained his commitment to Irish nationalism until his death, which leaves his relative omission from the historiography of the period somewhat puzzling. - Yours, etc. DR. David McConnell,
Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5DZ.