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Volume 3 1926~1932

Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 540 NAI DT S2485A

Letter from Seán Murphy (for Joseph P. Walshe) to Diarmuid O'Hegarty (Dublin)
(D.5978)

Dublin, 10 April 1931

With reference to my minute No. D. 5354 of the 3rd January1 concerning the sealing of the ratification of the Commercial Treaty with Portugal, I am directed by the Minister for External Affairs to inform you that, as a result of informal discussions on the general question of the sealing of Irish Free State documents which took place last month between the Secretary to this Department and certain officials of the Dominions Office,2 it was suggested that a solution of the difficulty on the following lines might be found:-

(1)

That there would be struck in the Irish Free State (a) a new Great Seal to be used on documents relating to the Irish Free State executed by the King,    (b) a Signet to be used by the Minister for External Affairs on Royal Sign Manual documents relating to the Irish Free State; both Seals to be similar in design, viz. containing on the obverse side a representation of the King enthroned (i.e. the same as on the British Great Seal) and on the reverse a Harp with the circumscription 'Saorstát Éireann'.
(2) That the King would be approached either direct by the Minister for External Affairs (or other Irish Free State Minister should occasion require) or through the High Commissioner.

These proposals were duly brought before the Executive Council by the Minister for External Affairs and, having been sanctioned by the Council, were formally submitted for the approval of the King. His Majesty's approval was obtained on the 19th March3 and steps are, accordingly, now being taken for the execution of the two new Seals.

[signed] Seán Murphy

1 Not printed.

2 See No. 523.

3 See No. 536.

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