The first inter party government, labelled by Sean Lemass, a makeshift majority lasted three years.
'A Makeshift Majority: The First Inter-party Government' is a study of the first coalition government written by David McCullagh.
The government of 1948 to '51 is best known for two episodes in Irish history, the declaration of the Republic and the mother and child crisis. At the time, Liam Cosgrave was parliamentary secretary to the Taoiseach John A Costello and today, at the launch of 'A Makeshift Majority', remembered the disparate group assembled at the cabinet table. The diverse government was made up of five parties and a group of independents.
David McCullagh describes this first coalition government as effective and ground-breaking. This first inter-party government laid the groundwork for what came later in Ireland under Seán Lemass.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 25 November 1998. The reporter is Colm Connolly.
