Tánaiste launches On An Equal Footing With All

"Ireland’s accession to the League of Nations marked our country’s first steps as a player on the international stage, and is a very important chapter in the story of our nation. I commend the authors of On Equal Footing With All who have recounted this vital period of our history in an engaging way.

"Through its work with the League of Nations, Ireland proved that a small state, lacking in military and economic power, but possessed of an abundance of energy, talent and ambition, can become a force for good on the international stage, and help to forge a path toward lasting peace and reconciliation globally.

"Ireland’s engagement with the League laid the groundwork for the international cooperation that would follow through our work with the EU, the Council of Europe, and, in particular, with the United Nations. A century later, our small country can look back with pride on the stellar work we have done, and continue to do, in the name of peace, whether it be through our involvement in negotiating non-proliferation treaties, conducting peacekeeping missions, or helping to resolve conflicts around the world. This work was exemplified by our recent membership of the United Nations Security Council in 2021 and 2022.

"The book is accompanied by an innovative exhibition “On an equal footing with all: Ireland at the League of Nations, 1923-1946”, developed in partnership with the National Archives, Royal Irish Academy and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media which includes a special feature on Harry Clarke’s Geneva Window, and features official documents, photographs, recollections and letters, provided by the National Archives and the Royal Irish Academy, pays fitting tribute to those early days of our country’s efforts to establish itself internationally. So too, does the commemorative national stamp released by An Post recently.

"This final event in the Decade of Centenaries is a reminder of the importance of celebrating and learning from our past, and to safeguard the legacy of the League of Nations by fostering a peaceful world order for the future."

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