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The Fifth Court
E158: Ronan McGreevy — The Secret in Seán Lemass's Past That History Missed
Season 1, Ep. 158
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AT 16, SEÁN LEMASS ACCIDENTALLY SHOT HIS BABY BROTHER. WHY DID FIVE OR SIX BIOGRAPHIES MISS IT?
RONAN MCGREEVY ON THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF IRELAND'S MOST CONSEQUENTIAL TAOISEACH.
What did Seán Lemass really think? And what has history overlooked?
Irish Times journalist and author Ronan McGreevy joins Peter Leonard and Mark Tottenham at the Kilkenny Law Festival to discuss Seán Lemass: The Lost Memoir — including a shocking discovery about Lemass's teenage years, his role in the revolutionary period, Bloody Sunday, his relationship with de Valera and the economic transformation of Ireland.
Plus, three legal cases: a disputed family guarantee, the evidence of a protected witness who admitted perjury, and the High Court's approach to capacity and vulnerability.
THE FIFTH COURT — No Ordinary Courtroom, presented by Peter Leonard and Mark Tottenham.
The legal cases section of this episode is sponsored by Charltons Solicitors, of Dún Laoghaire, Dublin — solicitors and collaborative practitioners specialising in family law, civil litigation, property, wills and probate.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome to The Fifth Court
02:13 The legal cases: family guarantees, protected witnesses and capacity
05:20 Ronan McGreevy at the Kilkenny Law Festival
06:09 Ronan's books and the Seán Lemass story
07:14 The lost memoir: 23 interviews and 22 hours of recordings
10:51 Seán Lemass's early life on Capel Street
12:50 The extraordinary discovery about Lemass's baby brother
16:25 Lemass and the 1916 Rising
18:07 Bloody Sunday: did Lemass kill Geoffrey Bagley?
20:11 The Treaty and the Civil War
21:41 The killing of Lemass's brother Noel
24:12 The extraordinary libel case and the Hospital Sweepstakes
25:59 Lemass and de Valera: a political partnership
28:44 Building Irish industry
34:56 The Lemass years and Ireland's economic crisis
37:18 Opening Ireland to foreign investment
39:20 Ireland, Europe and the EEC
42:44 Lemass reaches out to Northern Ireland
46:16 What Lemass thought of John F. Kennedy
47:56 Why Lemass left office
49:15 Charles Haughey: the son-in-law question
51:59 The private life of Seán Lemass
53:26 Closing the interview
ABOUT THE GUEST
Ronan McGreevy is a journalist with The Irish Times and an author and editor of several books on Irish history. His books include Wherever the Firing Line Extends: Ireland and the Western Front, Great Hatred: The Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson and Seán Lemass: The Lost Memoir.
ABOUT THE FIFTH COURT
The Fifth Court explores legal affairs, landmark cases, the people behind the law and the stories that shape Ireland.
Presented by Peter Leonard, barrister and mediator, and Mark Tottenham, barrister and trust and estate practitioner.
Recorded at the Kilkenny Law Festival.
Listen, follow and share The Fifth Court. If you enjoy the show, please leave a rating and review.
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