Volume 9 1948~1951


Doc No.
Date
Subject

No. 547 NAI DFA/10/P211

Letter from Daniel Costigan to Seán Nunan (Dublin)
(118/388)

Dublin, 27 February 1951

Dear Nunan,
In Coyne's absence I am acknowledging your letter of the 24th instant in regard to Sir Oswald Mosley.1 Sir Oswald Mosley expressed an intention in 1946 of coming to live in this country and our Minister, after consultation with the Taoiseach, had Sir Oswald's solicitor informed, at an interview in this Department, that there would be no objection to his coming to the country particularly if he were coming for a short visit.2 It was suggested that that time was perhaps not opportune for him to take up permanent residence and that he might delay his decision for some time until international tempers were quieter. It was also suggested to Sir Oswald's solicitor that if he communicated with the Department again, say, in a further six months we would be in a better position to indicate the Government's attitude. Since then we have not heard of the matter.

I need scarcely say that there is no power in law to prevent Sir Oswald Mosley taking up residence in this State even if the Government were so minded.

Yours sincerely,
[unsigned]

1 Oswald Mosley (1896-1980), former leader of the British Union of Fascists.

2 Mosley moved to Ireland in 1951 buying properties in Galway and Cork, but by the later 1950s he spent most of his time living in Paris.