The political week in years gone by: Dev's election victory, the Arms Crisis and an historic visit to Buckingham Palace

Deputy political editor, Elaine Loughlin, continus her weekly trawl through the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

Front page coverage of the arms crisis in 1972.

Deputy political editor, Elaine Loughlin, continues her weekly trawl through the archives and highlights some of the major political events which were making the headlines this week in years gone by.

1944 

May 30: Éamon de Valera was returned as Taoiseach after a General Election. The Cork Examiner reported a 74% turnout in the Cork City constituency. "One of the most remarkable aspects of the polling was the manner in which the recent split in the Labour camp, and the standing of two parties - the Irish Labour Party and the National Labour Party - militated against the party interests," the paper reported.

Election coverage from 1944

1970 

May 28: Charles Haughey, Neil Blaney and Captain James Kelly appeared in court accused of conspiracy to import arms. As the controversy engulfed the Government, Taoiseach Jack Lynch was forced to reject calls to hold a special Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis. The Cork Examiner reported that in calling for the party conference TD Kevin Boland stated: "There certainly is a leadership crisis". You can read Daniel McConnell's special report on how the ghosts of the arms trial still haunt Fianna Fáil half a century later HERE.

1972 

May 26: The Special Criminal Court was established to curb the activities of illegal organisations. On the same day as the three-judge court with no jury was announced, the Cork Examiner reported on five bomb blasts that had rocked Belfast and Derry the previous day.

1993 

 May 27: President Mary Robinson signalled a new era in Anglo-Irish relations when she became the first Irish head of state to meet with a British monarch. The mechanics of the historic meeting with Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace were well planned with the President and her husband Nick arriving at 4.55pm sharp before leaving again at 5.29pm.

The British Queen with President Mary Robinson.

2018 

25 May: A referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment passed with 66.4% voting in favour of legislating for abortion in Ireland. A special report looked behind the scenes of a five-year plan to put personal stories and medical facts, not legal and religious arguments, at the heart of the campaign which resulted in a repeal of the Eighth.

May 28, 2018

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