# Minister for Posts and Telegraphs

The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (Irish: Aire Poist agus Telegrafa) was the holder of a position in the Government of Ireland (and, earlier, in the Executive Council of the Irish Free State). From 1924 until 1984 – when it was abolished – the minister headed the Department of Posts and Telegraphs (also known as the P&T in English and P⁊T in Irish, and later stylised as p+t), the government-run postal, telegraph and telephone service covering the Republic of Ireland.

## History

The office of Minister for Posts and Telegraphs was created by the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, which reorganised the Irish system of government shortly after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The Minister exercised those functions which had formerly been exercised by the Postmaster General of the United Kingdom. Legislation in 1831 had amalgamated the earlier offices of Postmaster General of Great Britain and Postmasters General of Ireland, which became a jointly held role in the administration of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 defined the department's role:
   The Department of Posts and Telegraphs which shall comprise the administration and business generally of public services in connection with posts, telegraphs, and telephones, and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same, and shall include in particular the business, powers, duties and functions of the branches and officers of the public services specified in the Eighth Part of the Schedule to this Act, and of which Department the head shall be, and shall be styled, an t-Aire Puist agus Telegrafa or (in English) the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.
The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs was responsible for Ireland's postal and telecommunications services from 1924 to 1984. At its height the department was one of the largest civil service departments in Ireland. The reform of the sector and department began in 1978 with the creation of the Posts and Telegraphs Review Group. This led, following the delivery of a report in 1979, to the creation of the ad hoc Interim Board for Posts (An Bord Poist), chaired by Feargal Quinn, and the Interim Board for Telecommunications (An Bord Telecom), chaired by Michael Smurfit. These two boards continued to sit until An Post and Telecom Éireann, respectively, replaced them in 1984 as state-sponsored agencies.
The Department of Posts and Telegraphs ceased to exist in 1984, and its powers and responsibilities were transferred to the newly created Department of Communications. This was one of the largest reorganisations of the civil service in modern times, the old department having had a workforce of about 30,000 prior to dissolution. With the transfer of personnel to the new agencies, the number of civil service employees was almost halved overnight.
The Minister for Communications was created in 1983 to replace both the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and the Minister for Transport. In 1987, the transport functions of the department were moved to a new Department of Tourism and Transport. In 1991 the minister's functions were passed to the renamed Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications and the department ceased to exist, but was not formally abolished.
The functions which had initially been under the Minister for Communications are now under the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and the Minister for Transport.

### Alteration of name and transfer of functions

| Name | Change |
| 2 June 1924 | Establishment of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs |
| 2 January 1984 | Establishment of the Department of Communications Abolition of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs and the Department of Transport Transfer of functions to the Department of Communications |
| 31 March 1987 | Transfer of Shipping to the Department of the Marine |
| 31 March 1987 | Transfer of Transport to the Department of Tourism and Transport |
| 8 February 1991 | Transfer of all remaining functions to the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications |

## List of office-holders

Postmaster General 1922–1924 :
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| J. J. Walsh | 1 April 1922 | 2 June 1924 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 1st PG • 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC |
| Minister for Posts and Telegraphs 1924–1984 ||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| J. J. Walsh | 2 June 1924 | 12 October 1927 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 2nd EC • 3rd EC |
| Ernest Blythe | 12 October 1927 | 9 March 1932 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 4th EC • 5th EC |
| Joseph Connolly | 9 March 1932 | 8 February 1933 | | Fianna Fáil | 6th EC |
| Gerald Boland | 8 February 1933 | 11 November 1936 | | Fianna Fáil | 7th EC |
| Oscar Traynor | 11 November 1936 | 8 September 1939 | | Fianna Fáil | 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd |
| Thomas Derrig | 8 September 1939 | 27 September 1939 | | Fianna Fáil | 2nd |
| Patrick Little | 27 September 1939 | 18 February 1948 | | Fianna Fáil | 2nd • 3rd • 4th |
| James Everett | 18 February 1948 | 13 June 1951 | | National Labour Party | 5th |
| Erskine H. Childers (1st time) | 13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | | Fianna Fáil | 6th |
| Michael Keyes | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | | Labour | 7th |
| Neil Blaney | 20 March 1957 | 4 December 1957 | | Fianna Fáil | 8th |
| John Ormonde | 4 December 1957 | 23 June 1959 | | Fianna Fáil | 8th |
| Michael Hilliard | 23 June 1959 | 21 April 1965 | | Fianna Fáil | 8th • 9th • 10th |
| Joseph Brennan | 21 April 1965 | 10 November 1966 | | Fianna Fáil | 11th |
| Erskine H. Childers (2nd time) | 10 November 1966 | 2 July 1969 | | Fianna Fáil | 12th |
| Patrick Lalor | 2 July 1969 | 9 May 1970 | | Fianna Fáil | 13th |
| Gerry Collins | 9 May 1970 | 14 March 1973 | | Fianna Fáil | 13th |
| Conor Cruise O'Brien | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | | Labour | 14th |
| Pádraig Faulkner | 5 July 1977 | 11 December 1979 | | Fianna Fáil | 15th |
| Albert Reynolds | 12 December 1979 | 30 June 1981 | | Fianna Fáil | 16th |
| Patrick Cooney | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | | Fine Gael | 17th |
| John Wilson | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | | Fianna Fáil | 18th |
| Jim Mitchell | 14 December 1982 | 2 January 1984 | | Fine Gael | 19th |
| Minister for Communications 1984–1991 ||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Jim Mitchell | 2 January 1984 | 10 March 1987 | | Fine Gael | 19th |
| John Wilson | 10 March 1987 | 31 March 1987 | | Fianna Fáil | 20th |
| Ray Burke | 31 March 1987 | 6 February 1991 | | Fianna Fáil | 20th • 21st |

### Notes

* ↑ Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.
* 1 2 3 4 Also Minister for Transport
* ↑ Also Minister for Justice from 12 July 1989 to 11 February 1992

## List of ministers of state

Under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, the Executive Council could appoint Parliamentary Secretaries to assist Ministers in the Executive Council (renamed the Government in 1937). From 1978, this position was abolished and replaced by the position of Minister of State who could be appointed to a government department. The Minister of State did not hold cabinet rank.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs 1927–1978 :
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Responsibilities | Government |
| Michael Heffernan | 11 October 1927 | 29 January 1932 | | Farmers' Party | | 4th EC • 5th EC |
| Patrick Lalor | 16 November 1966 | 2 July 1969 | | Fianna Fáil | | 12th |
| Tom Fitzpatrick | 5 July 1977 | 1 January 1978 | | Fianna Fáil | | 15th |
| Minister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs 1978–1984 |||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Responsibilities | Government |
| Tom Fitzpatrick | 1 January 1978 | 11 December 1979 | | Fianna Fáil | | 15th |
| Mark Killilea Jnr | 12 December 1979 | 30 June 1981 | | Fianna Fáil | | 16th |
| Paddy Harte | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | | Fine Gael | Telecommunications | 17th |
| Terry Leyden | 23 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | | Fianna Fáil | Telecommunications | 18th |
| John Donnellan | 16 December 1982 | 15 December 1983 | | Fine Gael | Posts and Telegraphs Service | 19th |
| Ted Nealon | 18 February 1983 | 2 January 1984 | | Fine Gael | Broadcasting | 19th |
| Minister of State at the Department of Communications 1984–1987 |||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Responsibilities | Government |
| Ted Nealon | 2 January 1984 | 10 March 1987 | | Fine Gael | Radio and television | 19th |