Ernest Blythe
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Ernest Blythe (Ir: Earnán de Blaghd) (April 13, 1889 – February 23, 1975) was an Irish politician.
Ernest Blythe was born to a Protestant family near Lisburn, County Antrim in 1889. He was the son of a farmer and was educated locally. At the age of fifteen he started working as a clerk in the Department of Agriculture in Dublin. Blythe also joined the Gaelic League and the IRB. In the Gaelic League his Irish teacher was Sinéad Flanagan, the future wife of Eamon de Valera. In 1909 Blythe became a junior news reporter with the North Down Herald.
Blythe soon became involved in the activities of the Irish Volunteers. This led to years of arrests, imprisonment, and hunger strikes. He spent the Easter Rising of 1916 in prison. In the general election of 1918 Blythe was elected as a TD for North Monaghan. From then until 1922 he served as Minister for Industry & Commerce. Blythe was a strong supporter of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and in 1923 he became Minister for Finance in President W.T. Cosgrave's first government. Blythe was committed to keeping a balanced budget at all costs, he did however fund the Ardnacrusha or Shannon Scheme. There was widespread criticism when he reduced old-age pensions from 10 shillings (50p) to 9 shillings (45p) a week. Blythe also served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and Vice-President of the Executive Council. In the 1933 general election Blythe lost his seat. He served in the Senate until the institution was abolished in 1936. He then retired from politics.
Throughout his life he was committed to the revival of the Irish language. He encouraged Micheál MacLiammóir and Hilton Edwards to found an Irish language theatre in Galway.
Between 1941 and 1967 he served as managing director of the Abbey Theatre. It was said that he rejected many good plays in favour of ones which were more financially rewarding. In 1957 he published an autobiographical account of his life until 1913.
Ernest Blythe died in Dublin on February 23, 1975, aged 85.
Ministerial Career
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