The minister for posts and telegraphs () was the holder of a position in the Government of Ireland (and, earlier, in the Executive Council of the Irish Free State). From 1924 until 1984 – when it was abolished – the minister headed the Department of Posts and Telegraphs (also known as the P&T in English and P⁊T in Irish, and later stylised as p+t), the government-run postal, telegraph and telephone service covering the Republic of Ireland.
History The office of Minister for Posts and Telegraphs was created by the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, which reorganised the Irish system of government shortly after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The minister exercised those functions which had formerly been exercised by the Postmaster General of the United Kingdom. Legislation in 1831 had amalgamated the earlier offices of Postmaster General of Great Britain and Postmasters General of Ireland, which became a jointly held role in the administration of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 defined the department's role:
The minister for posts and telegraphs was responsible for Ireland's postal and telecommunications services from 1924 to 1984. At its height the department was one of the largest civil service departments in Ireland. The reform of the sector and department began in 1978 with the creation of the Posts and Telegraphs Review Group. This led, following the delivery of a report in 1979, to the creation of the Interim Board for Posts (An Bord Poist), chaired by Feargal Quinn, and the Interim Board for Telecommunications (An Bord Telecom), chaired by Michael Smurfit. These two boards continued to sit until An Post and Telecom Éireann, respectively, replaced them in 1984 as state-sponsored agencies.
The Department of Posts and Telegraphs ceased to exist in 1984, and its powers and responsibilities were transferred to the newly created Department of Communications. This was one of the largest reorganisations of the civil service in modern times, the old department having had a workforce of about 30,000 prior to dissolution. With the transfer of personnel to the new agencies, the number of civil service employees was almost halved overnight.
The minister for communications was created in 1983 to replace both the minister for posts and telegraphs and the minister for transport. In 1987, the transport functions of the department were moved to a new Department of Tourism and Transport. In 1991 the minister's functions were passed to the renamed mnister for tourism, transport and communications and the department ceased to exist, but was not formally abolished.
The functions which had initially been under the minister for communications are now under the minister for climate, energy and the environment, the minister for culture, communications and sport, and the minister for transport.
Alteration of name and transfer of functions Name Change2 June 1924Establishment of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs2 January 1984Establishment of the Department of CommunicationsAbolition of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs and the Department of TransportTransfer of functions to the Department of Communications31 March 1987Transfer of Shipping to the Department of the Marine31 March 1987Transfer of Transport to the Department of Tourism and Transport8 February 1991Transfer of all remaining functions to the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications
List of office-holders Postmaster General 1922–1924NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)J. J. Walsh1 April 19222 June 1924 1st PG2nd PG5th DM1st EC2nd ECMinister for Posts and Telegraphs 1924–1984NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)J. J. Walsh2 June 192412 October 1927 2nd EC3rd ECErnest Blythe12 October 19279 March 1932 4th EC5th ECJoseph Connolly9 March 19328 February 1933 6th ECGerald Boland8 February 193311 November 1936 7th ECOscar Traynor11 November 19368 September 1939 7th EC8th EC1st2ndThomas Derrig8 September 193927 September 1939 2ndPatrick Little27 September 193918 February 1948 2nd3rd4thJames Everett18 February 194813 June 1951 5thErskine H. Childers (1st time)13 June 19512 June 1954 6thMichael Keyes2 June 195420 March 1957 7thNeil Blaney20 March 19574 December 1957 8thJohn Ormonde4 December 195723 June 1959 8thMichael Hilliard23 June 195921 April 1965 8th9th10thJoseph Brennan21 April 196510 November 1966 11thErskine H. Childers (2nd time)10 November 19662 July 1969 12thPatrick Lalor2 July 19699 May 1970 13thGerry Collins9 May 197014 March 1973 13thConor Cruise O'Brien14 March 19735 July 1977 14thPádraig Faulkner5 July 197711 December 1979 15thAlbert Reynolds12 December 197930 June 1981 16thPatrick Cooney30 June 19819 March 1982 17thJohn Wilson9 March 198214 December 1982 18thJim Mitchell14 December 19822 January 1984 19thMinister for Communications 1984–1991NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)Jim Mitchell2 January 1984 10 March 1987 19thJohn Wilson10 March 198731 March 1987 20thRay Burke31 March 19876 February 1991 20th21st Notes
List of ministers of state Under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, the Executive Council could appoint parliamentary secretaries to assist ministers in the Executive Council (renamed the Government in 1937). From 1978, this position was abolished and replaced by the position of minister of state who could be appointed to a government department. The minister of state did not hold cabinet rank. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs 1927–1978NameTerm of officePartyResponsibilitiesGovernmentMichael Heffernan11 October 192729 January 1932 4th EC5th ECPatrick Lalor16 November 19662 July 1969 12thTom Fitzpatrick5 July 19771 January 1978 15thMinister of State at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs 1978–1984NameTerm of officePartyResponsibilitiesGovernmentTom Fitzpatrick1 January 197811 December 1979 15thMark Killilea Jnr12 December 197930 June 1981 16thPaddy Harte30 June 19819 March 1982 Telecommunications17thTerry Leyden23 March 198214 December 1982 Telecommunications18thJohn Donnellan16 December 198215 December 1983 Posts and Telegraphs Service19thTed Nealon18 February 19832 January 1984 BroadcastingMinister of State at the Department of Communications 1984–1987NameTerm of officePartyResponsibilitiesGovernmentTed Nealon2 January 198410 March 1987 Radio and television19th
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