Joe Walshe
Encyclopedia
Joseph Walshe was an Irish
civil servant
. As Secretary of the Department of External Affairs
of the Irish Free State
from 1923-46, he was the department's most senior official.
, County Tipperary in 1886. In 1893 he joined the Society of Jesus
(Jesuits) as a novice. Two years later he was sent by them to study in the Netherlands
with exiled French members of the order. Walsh returned to Ireland where he began teaching at the prestigious Jesuit-run boarding school of Clongowes Wood. He left the order in 1916 due to illness, before studying for a general law degree at University College Dublin
. He went on to obtain a masters degree in French
.
at the Paris Peace Conference
. While the Irish War of Independence
continued, Walshe worked with Ó Ceallaigh and his small team for international recognition of the nascent government of which he was now an employee, and which the British authorities considered illegal. Walsh was formally engaged in Paris from 1 November 1920 until his recall to Dublin on 31 January 1922. His transfer and meteoric promotion were precipitated by the split within the Irish government due to disagreements over the Anglo-Irish Treaty
and which soon led to the Irish Civil War
. Robert Brennan
, who was Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs prior to the split, and who sided with the anti-treaty faction, recommended to the pro-treaty George Gavan Duffy
that Walsh would be a capable replacement for him to organise the Department. Gavan Duffy accepted the recommendation of his erstwhile colleague and Walsh was appointed Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government
.
, he was viewed as being pro-German by outside observers, especially in the United Kingdom
. In June of 1940, he met with Eduard Hempel
, the German ambassador to Ireland. According to Hempel's report back to Berlin:
On May 2, 1945, he and Taoiseach
Éamon de Valera
visited Hempel at home in Dún Laoghaire
to express the Irish Government's official condolences on the suicide
of Adolf Hitler
. He retired to Rome
and died in Cairo
on the 6th February 1956.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
. As Secretary of the Department of External Affairs
Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland)
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for promoting the interests of Ireland in the European Union and the wider world...
of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
from 1923-46, he was the department's most senior official.
Early life and education
Walsh was born in the largely agricultural and coal mining region of KillenauleKillenaule
Killenaule is a town and a civil parish in the barony of Slievardagh, South Tipperary in Ireland. It is also one half of the ecclesiastical parish of Killenaule and Moyglass in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. It is located east of Cashel on the R689 and R691 regional roads...
, County Tipperary in 1886. In 1893 he joined the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
(Jesuits) as a novice. Two years later he was sent by them to study in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
with exiled French members of the order. Walsh returned to Ireland where he began teaching at the prestigious Jesuit-run boarding school of Clongowes Wood. He left the order in 1916 due to illness, before studying for a general law degree at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
. He went on to obtain a masters degree in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
From Irish Republic to Treaty split
Having completed his studies, Walsh went on holidays to France where he met with Seán T. Ó Ceallaigh, whom he had known at the University. Ó Ceallaigh had been sent to Paris in 1919 to lobby the international delegates for recognition of the revolutionary Irish RepublicIrish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
at the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
. While the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
continued, Walshe worked with Ó Ceallaigh and his small team for international recognition of the nascent government of which he was now an employee, and which the British authorities considered illegal. Walsh was formally engaged in Paris from 1 November 1920 until his recall to Dublin on 31 January 1922. His transfer and meteoric promotion were precipitated by the split within the Irish government due to disagreements over the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
and which soon led to the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
. Robert Brennan
Robert Brennan (journalist)
Robert Brennan was an Irish writer, diplomat and a founder of The Irish Press newspaper. He took part in the 1916 Easter Rising and later became the Irish Free State's first minister to the United States.-Life:...
, who was Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs prior to the split, and who sided with the anti-treaty faction, recommended to the pro-treaty George Gavan Duffy
George Gavan Duffy
-Family:George Gavan Duffy was born in Rock Ferry, Cheshire, England in 1882, the son of Sir Charles Gavan Duffy and his third wife, Louise. His half-brother Sir Frank Gavan Duffy was the fourth Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, sitting on the bench of the High Court from 1913 to...
that Walsh would be a capable replacement for him to organise the Department. Gavan Duffy accepted the recommendation of his erstwhile colleague and Walsh was appointed Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government
Provisional Government of Southern Ireland
The provisional Government of Southern Ireland was the provisional government for the administration of Southern Ireland between 16 January 1922 and 6 December 1922. The government was effectively a transitional administration for the period between the ratifying of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the...
.
Second World War
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was viewed as being pro-German by outside observers, especially in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In June of 1940, he met with Eduard Hempel
Eduard Hempel
Eduard Hempel was the Nazi German Minister to Ireland between 1937 and 1945 — in the build up to and during The Emergency...
, the German ambassador to Ireland. According to Hempel's report back to Berlin:
"The conversation, in which Walshe expressed great admiration for the German achievements, went off in a friendly way ... (Walshe) remarked that he hoped that the statement of the Leader in his interview with WeygandMaxime WeygandMaxime Weygand was a French military commander in World War I and World War II.Weygand initially fought against the Germans during the invasion of France in 1940, but then surrendered to and collaborated with the Germans as part of the Vichy France regime.-Early years:Weygand was born in Brussels...
respecting his absence of intention to destroy the British Empire, did not mean the abandonment of Ireland."
On May 2, 1945, he and Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
visited Hempel at home in Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
to express the Irish Government's official condolences on the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. He retired to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and died in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
on the 6th February 1956.