censorship

censorship in Ireland has a long and complex history. Little is known of the situation prior to the 17th century, though printing was under way in Ireland from 1551. From 1604 to 1732 a royal patent theoretically created a printing monopoly in Ireland, enabling state control, while potentially suspect imported books could be seized by customs officials. Catholic devotional literature and seditious pamphlets were the main targets of these measures. However, the king's printer's monopoly was challenged from 1660, and book smuggling is known to have taken place. The English Licensing Act (1662) did not apply in Ireland. Instead the press was controlled by prosecutions at common law for libel or blasphemy. The success of such trials hinged on the fact that, until 1793, it was the judge who determined whether or not a work constituted a libel, juries deciding only on the fact of publication. Parliament also took summary proceedings against publishers who infringed its privileges. In the last quarter of the 18th century several acts were created to control the popular press. Stamp Acts of 1774, 1785, and 1798 imposed substantial duties on newspapers. Press Acts of 1784 and 1798 required publishers to register themselves with the stamp commissioners and provide large sureties against possible prosecution. The latter acts were inspired by growing political opposition in the press. Yet pamphlets were not so closely controlled, and political debate continued in this form.

These measures, supplemented by further legislation, continued as the effective means of censorship into the 19th century. By mid‐century, however, the focus of censorship had shifted from the seditious to the obscene. Between 1842 and 1889 several acts specifically imposed censorship on printed material. The Obscene Publications and Customs Consolidation Acts (1857 and 1876) were the most important. Together they allowed obscene material to be destroyed, owners to be prosecuted, and, unofficially, the maintenance of a blacklist. The First World War brought new priorities, and the censorship of news was surreptitiously undertaken. In the Anglo‐Irish War propaganda was perhaps more important than censorship.

After partition the law in Northern Ireland remained unamended. In the Irish Free State however, the government established the Committee on Evil Literature in 1926, and in 1929 set up the Irish Censorship Board. The board was given statutory powers to ban books or periodicals it saw as indecent, encouraging crime, or promoting contraception or abortion. This development was largely due to the lobbying of religious organizations. A broad measure of public support was accompanied by some condemnation. Banning reached a peak in 1936 when 171 orders were issued. The board was always a focus for controversy. Some liberalization occurred in 1946 when appeals were allowed. From 1967 bans were limited to twelve years, though rebanning was permitted. In 1979 the clause on contraception, but not abortion, was withdrawn.

Other media, as well as print, have also been subject to censorship. While British acts requiring plays to be submitted to the lord chamberlain never applied in Ireland, and the Censorship Board's remit did not include drama, indirect attempts at censorship in the theatre did take place. In 1909 the lord lieutenant threatened to remove the Abbey theatre's patent if it staged a George Bernard Shaw play which had previously been refused a licence in England, while in 1957 the producer of a play at Dublin's Pike theatre was arrested under the obscenity laws. Censorship of films in the Irish Free State was begun in 1923, while cinema in Northern Ireland comes under the auspices of the British Board of Film Censors. The broadcast media were effectively controlled by the state ownership of broadcasting bodies. From 1971 a number of organizations linked to terrorism were explicitly prohibited from featuring in broadcasts in the Irish Republic. In 1988 a similar ban was implemented in the United Kingdom. Both were rescinded in 1994.

Bibliography

Adams, M. , Censorship: The Irish Experience (1968)
Inglis, B. , The Freedom of the Press in Ireland 1784–1841 (1954)
Pollard, M. , Dublin's Trade in Books 1550–1800 (1989)

Neal Garnham