By Thomas Mohr
Published in Irish Studies in International Affairs, 2026.
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Abstract

In 1930 James Scullin, Australia’s first Catholic prime minister, completed a week-long visit to Ireland. This article assesses the significance of the visit for the politics of the Irish Free State, Northern Ireland and Australia. The visit of the first overseas leader of Irish descent to the Irish Free State was hailed by contemporary media as one of the most significant events in the political life of the infant state. The Irish government already had reason to be grateful to Scullin who had been of assistance in a serious constitutional dispute with the British government. Scullin openly supported unification of the island of Ireland, which proved controversial when he visited Northern Ireland. These events were largely forgotten by the time of Scullin’s death in 1953. This article attempts to explain why Scullin’s Irish visit was largely forgotten and why it deserves to be restored to popular memory.