By Brian Igoe
By Brian Igoe
As was probably inevitable with any coalition, never mind one with so many partners, the first Fine Gael Government only lasted 3 years. I think it achieved a remarkable amount in that time span. Records were broken for the building of new houses. Electricity supplies were extended dramatically throughout the country. The Industrial Development Authority and Cras Trchtla (The Board of Trade, but always referred to in English as well as Irish as Cras Trchtla) was set up.
And a huge advance in the treatment of tuberculosis was made. The architect of that advance, and indeed many others in the field of national health, was Sen MacBride's colleague from Clann na Poblachta, Dr. Noel Browne.
That is the first paragraph of the chapter, which then goes on to look at the Organisation for European Economic Co-Operation, the Council of Europe, Sen MacBride, Clann na Poblachta , 'Mother and Child', Medical Council, Catholic Church, De Valera, Sen Lemass as Minister of Industry and Commerce, President of Ireland, amon Andrews, television, Gay Byrne, 'Late, Late Show' , Aer Lingus, T K Whitaker, Secretary at the Department of Finance, Whitaker Committee, White Paper, 'The Programme for Economic Expansion', IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Microsoft, Intel, Japan to Holland and France, England, Bord Baine, Kerrygold, 'the North', 'The Troubles', Sir Basil Brooke, Terence O'Neill, Jim Malley, the Reverend Ian Paisley, Bernadette Devlin, the IRA and the UVF and the British Army, Good Friday Agreement which was signed on 10th April 1998 (Good Friday).
The Book is called 'The Story of Ireland'.
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