Abstract:
Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ireland boasted a tradition of
seeking international support for domestic issues. Irish dignitaries like the Redmond brothers,
John Dillon, and Michael Davitt toured the United States and Australasia to promote Irish
Home Rule. Calling for monetary and moral support, these Irish politicians successfully
engaged the Irish diaspora. Yet, with the violence of the prolonged Irish fight for
independence (1916–1923), international Irish populations progressively cut ties with the
homeland. Eamon de Valera, the surviving commandant of the 1916 Easter Rising and
leading politician, attempted to continue the tradition of engaging overseas audiences in Irish
affairs. However, de Valera’s actions as Taoiseach during World War II, paired with
Ireland’s policy of neutrality, severely impacted his success. Travelling to the United States,
Australia, and New Zealand in 1948 to promote his renewed obsession with the reunification
of Ireland, de Valera attempted to mobilise Irish populations for his cause. He also laid the
foundations for the Australian and New Zealand Leagues for an Undivided Ireland. My thesis
utilises letters to the editors to identify many contemporary voices who expressed opinions
about de Valera’s anti-partition tour. Most of them alluded to a hostile Australasian
environment towards most things Irish, a stark contrast to the Home Rule era. De Valera left
Dr Albert Dryer and Kathleen O’Shea to establish the Australian and New Zealand Leagues.
However, he failed to account for the impossible environment the pair faced in Australasia. I
find that a combination of internal disputes and external factors, like the changing face of the
Australian Catholic Church and international developments, were directly responsible for the
collapse of both Leagues by 1957.
