History of Censorship in Ireland
The history of censorship in Ireland is marked by significant legislative actions and cultural movements, particularly in the 20th century. Following the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the government enacted the Censorship of Films Act in 1926 and the Censorship of Publications Act in 1929, establishing formal mechanisms to control literature and media deemed indecent or lacking literary merit. The Censorship of Publications Act allowed a board to assess publications, leading to widespread bans on works that addressed sexuality, crime, or birth control. This era was deeply influenced by the Catholic Church and nationalist sentiments, which sought to protect Irish identity from foreign influences.
Despite some liberalization efforts, including the addition of an appeal board in 1946 and restrictions on the duration of bans in 1967, censorship remained stringent, with thousands of titles prohibited well into the latter half of the century. While the public and writers, including notable figures like W.B. Yeats and George Bernard Shaw, voiced opposition to censorship on grounds of artistic freedom, societal moralism often suppressed dissent. The evolution of censorship in Ireland reflects the complex interplay between cultural identity, religious values, and the desire for national purity, shaping the literary landscape and public discourse throughout the decades.
History of Censorship in Ireland
Description: Independent Western European nation with a predominantly Roman Catholic population
Significance: Ireland’s moral conservatism and resistance to foreign influences are reflected in government efforts to suppress the serious literature of modern world writers
The moral ethics of Ireland’s Roman Catholic government are most effectively demonstrated in the Censorship of Films Act of 1926 and the Censorship of Publications Act of 1929. The Irish theater was not rigorously subjected to censorship before the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Although cases of unofficial censorship of the theater took place before the Censorship of Films Act was passed, official censorship of the theater had not existed and did not become a significant political issue in the Irish Free State.
The purpose of the Censorship of Publications Act that became law in 1929 was to ban publications considered to be without literary merit: those deemed indecent or obscene, that focused on crime, or that advocated birth control. The most distinctive feature of the law was its provision for a censorship board of five members appointed by the minister of justice. Their duty was to assess the suitability of publications circulating in the nation. Once a publication was banned, its publication, importation, or distribution were prohibited in Ireland.
The Censorship of Publications Act was modified twice after 1929. Provision for an appeal board was incorporated in 1946. Although this legislation liberalized the act, it had little real impact because of the small number of appeals brought before the board. In 1967 the length of a ban was limited to twelve years. However, the impact of this modification was also limited because provision for rebanning publications was also incorporated into the act. The greatest impact of the 1967 legislation was the automatic removal of several thousand publications from the government’s Register of Prohibited Publications. The Censorship of Publications Act was further modified in 1979 when the Irish Parliament passed the Health Act. This act removed the Censorship Board’s authority to ban literature advocating birth control.
Proponents and Opponents of Censorship
After World War I several nations advocated government regulation of obscene publications. Formation of the Committee of Inquiry on Evil Literature in Ireland in 1926 was a response to a global trend in censorship of indecent publications. Ireland’s censorship law, however, represented more than a government’s effort to restrict pornography. Before Ireland achieved its independence in 1922, British Statutes regulated publication of literature in Ireland. Establishment of the Irish Free State that year generated a Gaelic cultural revival in which Irish national identity was defined around the Roman Catholic religion and the country’s early Gaelic culture. This was evident in the “Irish Ireland” movement, which advocated government-sponsored protection from foreign influences. This movement’s philosophy was rooted in the assumption that Ireland could retain its unique qualities only through cultural isolation. Ireland’s Catholic government accepted responsibility for protecting the public from external influences, particularly those from England.
Public support for censorship was generated by Irish vigilante societies. Catholic activists, particularly the Catholic Truth Society, campaigned for censorship. Several Irish journals, including The Catholic Bulletin and The Irish Rosary, published articles condoning censorship. In addition, the Roman Catholic church itself lobbied the government to regulate literature. Many Irish politicians advocated censorship. Eamon de Valera, who was Taoiseach of the Free State in 1932, considered censorship a necessary tool to achieve national purity.
Opposition to the Censorship of Publications Act began before the bill even became law. Several writers objected to it out of fear that it would stifle intellectual life. Authors William B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, and George Russell—whose work was latter censored—opposed the act because they believed it was part of an effort to restrict individual freedom. Opposition to the act culminated in the establishment of the Irish Academy of Letters in 1932. Founded to protect Irish writers from censorship, the academy was largely unsuccessful in its efforts.
Censorship in Action
The Censorship of Publications Act legitimized the unofficial censorship that existed before it became law in Ireland. The xenophobia and cultural puritanism evident in unofficial censorship was apparent in the actions of the Censorship Board. Books containing references to sexual activity and birth control were banned. Novels by European and American writers also were prohibited. In addition, foreign periodicals and the work of many modern Irish writers were barred. Nude images were deemed indecent, and removed from public display in locations such as the National Gallery.
The Censorship Board was aided by Catholic societies and custom officials. The board banned literature based on the recommendations of Catholic activists, and relied on custom officials to seize banned books published in foreign countries upon their arrival in Ireland. Writers whose work was censored became stigmatized. A moralism dominated Irish society so much between the 1930s and the 1950s that anyone objecting to censorship risked both public and private persecution. The supplies of libraries and bookstores shrank until only literature relating to religion and Irish culture was available to the Irish reading public.
The rigor of censorship began to lessen in the 1940s. Controversy over the banning of Tailor and Antsy (1942) by the English scientist Eric Cross escalated into a serious debate on censorship policy, and resulted in the establishment of an Appeal Board in 1946. However, the work of Irish, American, and European writers continued to be banned in the post war period. Approximately 1,034 publications were banned by 1954.
The 1950s and 1960s were a period of political change in Ireland. This is demonstrated by the changing attitudes toward censorship. An investigation of the Censorship Board in 1956 resulted in the appointment of two new members to the board. The new Fianna Fail minister of justice appointed three additional new members to the board a short time later. The changing social values of Ireland were evident in the new board’s attempts to limit their duties to the regulation of offensive literature. As Ireland modernized, censorship and authoritarian control could not fight foreign influences.
Although a growing part Ireland’s modern reading public has become familiar with modern literature, a restrictive mentality has remained in the country. The government’s Register of Prohibited Publications contained four thousand titles in 1970. The Censorship of Publications Act remained law, and additional literature continued to be banned in Ireland more than in any other Western European nation.
Twenty-First Century
While the film censorship board moved into a new role as the film classification office and focused more on rating films than deciding whether they should be shown at all, Ireland's reputation for banning books and periodicals continued into the twenty-first century. The Censorship Board officially still prohibits "indecent or obscene" publications and those discussing abortion, which remains illegal in Ireland. In practice, discussion of abortions and even contraception has been the reason behind nearly all Irish book bans in the twenty-first century. The Fianna Fáil attempted to abolish the Censorship Board in 2013, but was not successful. As of 2015, 274 books and magazines remained banned in Ireland. Ireland also introduced a law against blasphemy in 2009, levying a hefty fine for the "publication or utterance of blasphemous matter."
Bibliography
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