The Irish Times editorial of May 12th, 1945, was forthright in its views on censorship
The announcement that the Government had decided to abolish the censorship of newspapers came to us last night as a complete - indeed, as an almost overwhelming - surprise.
Yesterday we appealed to Mr de Valera to put an end to this sorry business as quickly as possible; but we had no idea that he would act so promptly! For the moment, we find ourselves in a position of some embarrassment.
We feel as anybody must feel who, having been confined in a dark cell for nearly six years, is released suddenly into the sunshine and blinded by the light. For that reason we shall confine our immediate comments to a few general remarks. Ever since the war broke out, the Irish newspapers have been subjected to an official discipline, in some respects as Draconian and irrational as anything that ever was devised in the fertile brain of the late Josef Goebbels.
This newspaper was singled out for particular attention. Its views already were well known. For years before the war we had made no secret of our hatred and contempt for the foul growths of Fascism and National Socialism that were stifling all freedom of thought and decency of living in the countries of their origin.
Throughout the Spanish Civil War we raised our voice, small and impotent as it may have been, in defence of democracy's fundamental principles, and in fearful protest against the inroads that were being made on the liberties of the human race. We were, as we still are, pro-British, inasmuch as we believed, and continue to believe, that the system of democracy which exists throughout the British Commonwealth represents, for all its faults, the highest achievement that yet has been made by man as a political being. We respected, and acquiesced in, the Irish Government's policy of neutrality.
Nevertheless, our sympathies from the start were with the opponents of tyranny and injustice; and our fervent prayer for long years of mental torture was that, in the fulness of time, God, in His goodness, would give final victory to Allied arms. Throughout those horrifying years, The Irish Times was forbidden to express, or even to hint at, its convictions. The censorship had plenary powers which it always was ready to employ.
We have been living and working in conditions of unspeakable humiliation; and if at times we have been forced to bow ourselves in the house of Rimmon, our compliance with orders which we have regarded as almost savagely unjust has been due to the fact that this newspaper is the property of a limited company with a very large number of shareholders, many of whom depend upon the dividends that they receive from the firm.
It is difficult - indeed, it is impossible - to write with moderation about the treatment which this newspaper has received from the censorship during recent years. Alone among the Dublin dailies, we have been compelled to submit to the autocrats of Dublin Castle every line that we proposed to print, from the leading article down to the humblest prepaid advertisement.
We always were careful to say nothing that might prejudice either the Government's policy of neutrality or the maintenance of public order; yet it was seldom, indeed, that our leading articles were not hacked and mutilated in such a way as to make them almost meaningless. Shoals of letters have reached this office from time to time accusing us of pro-Axis leanings; obviously, the writers had no conception of the way in which our mouths were muzzled. Now, thank God, the censorship is gone. In fairness to the Taoiseach, we do not believe that he ever realised the extent to which its powers were abused.
At any rate, we, in common with all democratic and freedom-loving citizens, are grateful to him now for his decision to discard this ugliest and most dangerous of all political weapons. Some time must pass before Irish journalists will be able to accustom themselves again to that freedom of expression which has been smothered for so long. In the meantime, let us rejoice that our time of tribulation is at an end. This is a proud day not only for the newspapers, but also for the Irish nation.