Press release
Tánaiste launches On An Equal Footing With All
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
The Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, will launch a book commemorating the centenary of Ireland’s accession to the League of Nations, as part of the United Nations General Assembly Week in New York on Tuesday, 19 September 2023.
On an Equal Footing With All: Ireland and the League of Nations 1923-1946, written by John Gibney, Michael Kennedy and Zoë Reid, explores Ireland’s membership of the League of Nations. The League was set up in the wake of the First World War to oversee international security and disarmament and was a forerunner to the United Nations. The launch of the book is part of a series of events marking the centenary by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
The Tánaiste said:
"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."
National Ploughing Championships, Ratheniska, Co. Laois
19 – 21 September 2023
United Nations Building, Palais des Nations, 10 Geneva Dr 12533, Geneva
25 September – 6 October 2023
Dublin Festival of History, Print Works, Dublin Castle
29 September to 1 October 2023
United Nations Headquarters, 405, Lexington Avenue, New York, 10174
20 November to 1 December 2023
Admission free.