Plan for ‘Irish knighthoods’ system fell flat, files from 1991 show

Cyclist Stephen Roche and musicians Bob Geldof and U2 could have been in line for a State honour if the government had pressed ahead with plans to introduce an honours system 30 years ago, files released by the National Archives suggest.

However, the less-than-enthusiastic response from Geldof and others may have scuttled the plans. Labour’s Michael Bell became the latest of many politicians to raise the question in the Dáil in February 1991, prompting a memo from the Department of the Taoiseach’s office.

Making the case for an honours list, the official said the lack of such a system had been highlighted in recent times by the achievements of Geldof, Roche and U2. Roche had won the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and World Championships in 1987, while U2 had claimed four Grammy awards by the time the memo was written.

“In the case of Mr Geldof it was left to the British Government to award him an honorary KBE,” the official noted. The Live Aid organiser was made a Knight of the British Empire in 1986 for his work in drawing public attention and funds to the plight of Ethiopians during the famine.

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Having a State decoration would also avoid “the present embarrassing situation whereby we are unable to reciprocate in cases where honours are conferred on citizens of Ireland by other states,” the official added.

‘Lot of rubbish’

Making the case against an honours system, the official attached newspaper reports of Geldof deriding the idea. It was “a lot of rubbish”, he claimed and said his many awards meant nothing to him. As well as Geldof’s comments, the memo included some negative views from letters to the editor of the Evening Press. One said that unless an honours list could be kept “absolutely free from the dirty paws of our politicians”, the idea should be dropped like a ton of bricks.

The official said they illustrated “the rather flippant attitude which may exist in certain sections of the community and the media towards any attempts to initiate an honours system”.

Then taoiseach Charles Haughey tried to organise a meeting with party leaders to progress the plan and they were amenable to discussing it. Democratic Left leader Proinsias de Rossa was perhaps the least enthusiastic, saying he did not see it as a priority issue. “However, if such a system were to be established, I believe it would have to be seen, very clearly, as free of political patronage. Neither should it be hereditary or of monetary value,” he advised the taoiseach.

The file does not record if the party leaders actually met to discuss the idea and it faded from the public conversation soon after.

Haughey was just one of many Fianna Fáil leaders and other politicians to promote the idea of an honours list. In 2015, the late senator Feargal Quinn published legislation which would have given a gradam an uachtaráin (president’s award) to people with outstanding achievements. But an election was called the following year and the Bill did not progress any further.

– (File 2021/1/37)