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Volume 7 1941~1945

Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 39  NAI DFA 235/106

Minutes exchanged between John A. Belton and Joseph P. Walshe concerning a
lunch given by Eamon de Valera for Sir Robert Menzies

DUBLIN, 8-9 April 1941

Secretary
You will observe that the attached list of the attendance at the lunch given by An Taoiseach to Mr. Menzies included Mr. Davin, T.D.,1 although he did not attend the lunch. As you will recall, Mr. Davin accepted the invitation and we had no intimation whatever that he was unlikely to attend.

In this matter I understand that you received from Mr. Liam Burke, Secretary of the Fine Gael Party,2 a statement as to why members of that party would not accept the invitation to this lunch.

[initialled] J. A. B.
8 Abreán, 1941

Mr. Davin gave no notice of his intention to stay away. When rung up from the Dáil by Mr. L. Tobin he said he wouldn't go to a lunch for a 'bloody Orangeman'. Mr. Norton contracted a sudden toothache earlier in the day.

[initialled] J. P. W. 3
9/4/41

1 William Davin (1890-1956), Labour Party TD (1922-56).

2 Liam Burke (1885-1950), General Secretary and Director of Finance, Cumann na nGaedheal (1925-34) and Fine Gael (1934-50).

3 Handwritten minute by Walshe.

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