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It’s the 98th anniversary of Michael Collins’ death. Since the days of my PhD research on Cumann na nGaedheal I’ve been intrigued by the way the party and, in particular, Fine Gael have invoked his legacy. 
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The most obvious example is the framing of Michael Collins as a sort of father figure. His image appears in different ways. Eg this YFG recruitment poster. It’s also been used in various ways at Ard Fheiseanna over the years (sometimes alongside Arthur Griffith).
Collins’ name and legacy appeared a lot after the bailout. Enda Kenny cast his role in dealing with the challenges facing the state’s sovereignty after the bailout in the same context as Collins’ work to secure Irish
independence in 1921/22. 3/
independence in 1921/22. 3/
It’s taken for granted by many party members / supporters that, had he lived, Collins would have been a card carrying member of Fine Gael. 4/
Some have played down the extent to which he holds a special place in the party’s pantheon of heroes. Jim Higgins once remarked, ‘if Fianna Fáil had Collins, there would have been a statue to him in every town in the country’. 5/
The appeal of Collins is obvious - the fallen hero is a romantic figure. As Anne Dolan has pointed out, he was marketable even before his death and various international newspapers and publishers offered him hefty sums for his memoirs. 6/
But the other obvious reason for Collins’ appeal (even over WT Cosgrave, the Cumann na nGaedheal leader) is that he’s a more favourable alternative to Eoin O’Duffy, the controversial leader of the Blueshirts and first president of Fine Gael. 7/7
