Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

For the information of the House, I will give some background details. In July 1930, Mr. Blythe, as Minister for Finance of the Executive Council, decided that unofficial negotiations on the matter of an Irish honours system should be opened with the British Government at the earliest convenient opportunity. This was not pursued prior to the constitutional changes in 1937, at which point it became entirely a matter for the Irish Government. The system he had in mind was the Order of the Legion of St. Patrick, of whom there would be 25 commanders, foreign persons chosen by the Executive Council to be honorary commanders, with not more than 50 to be officers and not more than 100 chosen by the Executive Council to be members.

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