A Laois historian's new book aims to highlight the instrumental role one politician played in the foundation of the Irish Free State.

Clonaslee historian Dr Michael Loughman recently launched his book 'James Ryan and the development of independent Ireland, 1892-1970' in Dublin's famous Hodges and Figgis book shop.

The launch night was attended by figures such as Taoiseach Micheál Martin and rugby player James Ryan, descendant of the former Minister.

Pictured: Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Clonaslee historian Dr Michael Loughman, Irish rugby player James Ryan

"It is a big thing for me to see that James Ryan gets recognition for his work, he was a significant figure in Irish politics and one of the longest serving ministers during a very important period," Dr Loughman told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"He was a very significant figure who was largely overlooked. James Ryan was involved in it all, yet he was quite an unassuming and modest figure," Dr Loughman explained. 

"I first began my PhD in September of 2020 on James Ryan, it took me four years to write. The book emerged from my thesis, while I had to modify it from a thesis to a book. It took a few months to create the book," he said.

One thing that surprised Dr Loughman in his research was the role James Ryan's wife played in Ireland's revolutionary cause.

"I never appreciated that his wife was a big part in the story as well, she was a fascinating figure in her own right," he said.

"Máirín Cregan was active in the War of Independence and the Civil War, she worked in tandem in the movements. She eventually became a writer and produced children's literature and a wide variety of works for adults too, she was always very interesting. You could look at the parallels with her and her husband's political beliefs," Dr Loughman said.

Pictured: Dr Loughman speaks at his book launch 

For Dr Loughman, he hopes that this book can help award James Ryan the recognition he deserves.

"Each ministerial position he held, it was through the most difficult and challenging periods of that sector. He was the Minister for Agriculture in the 1930's, and the Minister for Health in the 1950's. He was a trusted confidant of Éamon De Valera and Seán Lemass, yet his unassuming character denied him his due recognition," the historian said.

As Minister for Agriculture, Minister Ryan steered the pillar of the Irish economy through the turbulence of the 1930s and 1940s.

He later became the first minister in the newly established Departments of Health and Social Welfare, implementing substantial legislative reforms in the face of powerful vested interests.

Finally, upon his appointment as Minister for Finance in 1957, Ryan worked closely with Seán Lemass to lift Ireland out of its economic malaise.

Dr Michael Loughman's book can be purchased through Four Courts Press and all good bookshops.

First coming to prominence as the GPO’s medical officer during the Easter Rising, Ryan, alongside his wife, Máirín Cregan, continued to play an active part in the struggle for independence that followed.

His strident republicanism ensured he was on the losing side in the Civil War, but out of this defeat, he emerged as a founder of Fianna Fáil and one of Éamon de Valera’s most trusted lieutenants.

As one of the longest-serving ministers in the state’s history, Mr Ryan presided over momentous periods of crisis and change not only for the departments he managed but also for the country itself.

When James Ryan finally retired from public life in 1969, the then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, observed that Ryan’s life ‘could well provide material for an absorbing and exciting book’.

It has taken some time for such a work to emerge, but this book finally gives recognition to James Ryan and his role in the making of independent Ireland.

The Ryan family maintained a long association with Irish Politics and with Fianna Fáil.

His son, Eoin Ryan Snr, served as a Fianna Fáil Senator for 30 years. James Ryan, would have been extraordinarily proud of his great-grandson, and namesake, the terrific Leinster Second Row Forward, who performed so brilliantly this past weekend at Twickenham in Ireland’s 42-21 defeat of England.  

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Dr Michael Loughman recently completed his PhD on the life and career of James Ryan at Dublin City University. An Irish Research Council scholar, he is also the recipient of the 2020 Universities Ireland History Bursary.