Ireland’s “Imponderable Dividends”: A Nascent Cultural Diplomacy Policy in the Postwar Years

Abstract

Focusing on Irish and French diplomatic archive material, this article analyses the conditions of the emergence of Ireland’s cultural diplomacy in the aftermath of the Second World War. From a diplomatic perspective, the Inter-Party government (1948-1951) marked a major turning point for Ireland. By passing the Republic of Ireland Act, the state officially became a Republic and withdrew from the Commonwealth. As the new Republic strove to achieve international recognition, the Cultural Relations Committee, an advisory board to the Department of External Affairs in charge of furthering the development of cultural relations with other countries was set up. The discussions among diplomats on membership of the Cultural Relations Committee and the topics to be addressed provide an insight into the competing visions of Irish culture and identity at a time of great political change. Finally, this paper gives an overview of the actions of the Committee in its first years of existence and explores the extent to which there was editorial independence in curating and commissioning work.