Arms Crisis

From Freepedia

The Arms Crisis was a political scandal in the Republic of Ireland, in which two government ministers from the Fianna Fáil political party were accused of attempting to illegally import £100,000 worth of weapons for the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The money for the weapons had been diverted from funds intended as emergency aid for Catholic civilians affected by the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Charles Haughey, Minister for Finance and Neil Blaney, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries were sacked by the Taoiseach Jack Lynch on May 6 1970, over their involvement in the illegal arms smuggling. Kevin Boland, the Minister for Social Welfare resigned from the government in protest at the sackings.

On 28 May 1970, Haughey and Blaney went on trial in Dublin, together with an Irish Army intelligence officer, Captain James Kelly, a Belfast republican named John Kelly and Belgian arms trader Albert Luykx. Blaney was found not guilty on July 2 1970, and the other four defendants were cleared on October 23.

The scandal caused a bitter division in Fianna Fáil between supporters of the sacked ministers Haughey and Blaney and supporters of Jack Lynch, a division which was only intensified when Haughey succeeded Lynch as party leader in 1979. Several opponents of Haughey, led by expelled Fianna Fáil member Desmond O'Malley, formed the Progressive Democrats political party in 1985. Other opponents of Haughey, such as Charlie McCreevy, would have to wait on the Fianna Fáil backbenches until the end of Haughey's political career in 1992 before being appointed as ministers.

External links

• Dáil Éireann - Volume 246 - 07 May, 1970 — first part of Dáil debate on the day following the sacking of Haughey and Blaney
• Dáil Éireann - Volume 246 - 07 May, 1970 — second part of Dáil debate on the day following the sacking of Haughey and Blaney