Michael Clifford: Civil obedience in new political age

Neil Blaney: Used Civil War memories to win seats. Photo: European Parliament Multimedia Centre

The Civil War was alive in well in 1968 when Des O’Malley was running for the Dáil on the Fianna Fáil ticket. His uncle, Donagh, died in March of that year, requiring a by-election for his seat in Limerick East.

Des O’Malley was up against a James O’Higgins, who was a relation of Kevin O’Higgins, the State’s first justice minister, who had been assassinated in 1927.