After the political success of the ceremonies to mark the 90th anniversary of 1916, Fianna Fáil will mark the 80th anniversary of its own foundation with an evening of celebration in Dublin's Mansion House on Sunday, which will feature an address by the Taoiseach and party president, Bertie Ahern.
Former president Patrick Hillery and former taoiseach Albert Reynolds will be among the distinguished guests, as will Terry de Valera, the last surviving child of the party's founder, and Fr Eoghan Haughey, brother of former taoiseach Charles Haughey.
Entitled The Advance of a Nation - 80 years of Fianna Fáil, the event will include a recitation by actor Barry McGovern of Éamon de Valera's address to the inaugural meeting of Fianna Fáil at the La Scala theatre (now site of Penneys department store), just off O'Connell Street on May 16th, 1926.
A historical narrative on the achievements of Fianna Fáil will be delivered by the Minister of State for Children, Brian Lenihan, and the event will feature an exhibition of photographs, election posters, party leaflets and letters from the party's archives, which are how held by University College Dublin.
A short history of the party, released in conjunction with the event, points to the fact that Fianna Fáil has been in power for almost 60 of its 80 years in existence. It omits mention of any of the embarrassing episodes in the party's history, including the arms crisis, the heaves against Mr Haughey and the split that led to the establishment of the Progressive Democrats. However, it does contain the interesting information that the comedian Jimmy O'Dea was the first financial donor to Fianna Fáil, giving the substantial sum of £100 in 1926.
The centrepiece of the exhibition is the first policy poster issued by the new national movement following the departure of de Valera and his followers from Sinn Féin in March 1926. The document, which was only discovered recently, predates the public announcement of the formation of the new party.
The decision to use the name "Fianna Fáil: The Republican Party" was taken at a meeting on April 2nd, 1926.
