Todd Andrews

Christopher Stephen "Todd" Andrews (6 October 1901 – 11 October 1985) was an Irish political activist and public servant. He participated in the Irish War of Independence and Civil War as a political and military activist in the Irish Republican movement. Todd Andrews never ran for election and never held public office. He was a supporter, though not a member, of Fianna Fáil.

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Todd Andrews
Birth nameChristopher Stephen Andrews
Born(1901-10-07)7 October 1901
Summerhill, Dublin, Ireland
Died11 October 1985(1985-10-11) (aged 84)
Phibsborough, Dublin, Ireland
Allegiance Ireland
Service/branchIrish Republican Army
Years of service1919–1923
Wars
Spouse(s)Mary Coyle (m. 1928; d. 1967) Joyce Duffy (m. 1968; d. 2008)
Children4, including David and Niall
Relations
Other workPublic servant

Early life and education

Andrews was born in Summerhill in Dublin in 1901. He acquired the nickname "Todd" because of his perceived resemblance to English comic strip hero Alonzo Todd, who appeared in The Magnet.[1] Andrews briefly attended St. Enda's School and completed his secondary education at Synge Street CBS.[1][2] He went on to study Commerce at University College, Dublin, and although his studies were interrupted by his participation in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War, he returned to the university where he obtained a degree in Commerce.[1]

Nationalist revolutionary

Andrews joined the Irish Volunteers at the age of fifteen, and had an active role in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1920; however, he was released after ten days on hunger strike. He was interned at the Curragh in 1921, but escaped. Andrews took the Republican side during the Irish Civil War. He was interned by the government of the Irish Free State until 1924. He then continued with his studies and graduated with a Commerce degree.

Public servant

After graduation, Todd found employment as an accountant with the then-fledgling Irish Tourist Association where he structured their accounts office, as well as editing several of their publications. In the summer of 1930 he was offered a position as an accountant with the Electricity Supply Board at a time when they were expanding the National Grid and constructing significant Hydro-Electric projects such as Ardnacrusha.

In 1933, Andrews was appointed to the Department of Industry and Commerce, where he dealt with the industrialisation of Irish turf development. Andrews initially set up a network of co-ops that locally harvested and sold turf but quickly saw that this arrangement was insufficient to successfully modernise turf production in Ireland on a commercial scale; it also drew the ire of coal merchants who worried about the effect of a State-led completion to their markets. However such worries were overcome by Andrews through shrewd and active man management, culminating with the establishment of the Turf Development Board in 1934. The new Semi State company helped overcome future issues in managing peat harvesting on a grand scale and schemes set up to help fuel Ireland during The Emergency, and ultimately led to the formation of Bord Na Mona in 1946, a body that he ultimately became Chief Executive.

CIE

In 1958 Andrew was offered and accepted the chairmanship of the Irish transport company Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), which was in a perilous fiscal state. Following on from the findings of the Beddy Report,[3] he drew from his business experience and oversaw a large restructuring of the Irish rail system.. This included the purchase of diesel electric engines from General Motors, the introduction of modern coaching stock, the phased closure of uneconomic services and elimination of slow stopping services, the introduction of new braked good wagons as well as a revamp of ticketing arrangements. He also oversaw the closures of several lines that were perennially uneconomic and loss-making. This included...

  • the Bray to Harcourt Street railway line. The line had not been profitable for decades, in spite of it seeing many cost-cutting measures to try and improve business. Electric signalling, AEC railcars and summer special trains to Wicklow and Wexford had been introduced on the line to try and increase its footfall and to lover costs to no avail. On foot of a recommendation of the Beddy Report, the line ceased services on December 31st, 1958 and formally abandoned in January 1959. As the city expanded outwards in the mid and late 70's the route was kept clear and partially reopened as part of the LUAS Green Line.
  • the substantial railway network west of Cork city. This included lines to Bandon, Bantry and Macroom, and branch lines to Clonakility, Skibbereen and Kinsale. Again, the lines struggled for business and saw diminishing business as cars, buses and lorries became more affordable and able to address passenger needs more practically.
  • the Hill of Howth Tramway, which was inherited from the Great Northern Railway. This anomalous line was built around Howth Head to exploit an expected tourism boom in the seaside village that never came to be. While the line served its sparse locality quite well it never turned a profit and escaped closure several times while under the auspices of the Great Northern Railway Board. However, its infrastructure and rolling stock had not been replaced during its lifetime and, with this weighed against a need for essential cost-cutting, its closure was inevitable giving CIE's poor fiscal state and statutory requirements to become profitable.
  • the West Clare Railway. Again, this line's came against a backdrop of cost-cutting but unlike other narrow gauge lines it saw the introduction of a fleet of modern diesel locomotives and railcars. While the new stock improved service levels and economics of the lines considerably they weren't enough to save the line.
  • the Cahersiveen, Kenmare and Kanturk lines.

Todd also oversaw the resurgence and modernisation of CIE road transport, provincial and city bus services in Ireland. Issues of Partition often affected the operation of the company; the CIE was forced to introduce additional bus services in border areas upon the withdrawal of the Ulster Transport Authority from cross border services, notably with the GNRB in 1958 and the County Donegal Railway Joint Committee in 1959.

Todd Andrews retired from CIE upon his 65th birthday but before he stood down he became Chairman of the RTÉ Authority at the request of Sean Lemass. Asked the difference between his new job as Chairman of RTÉ and his old job as head of the national transport system, he is reputed to have declared: "RTÉ carries more passengers" (though this was a fairly common joke among Dubliners at that time).[4] He resigned in 1970 when his son David Andrews was appointed Chief Whip to the Taoiseach.[5]

Later life and family

He was the recipient of several honorary doctorates and degrees from various universities. He published his autobiography in two volumes in 1979 and 1982, under the titles of Dublin Made Me and Man of No Property.

Andrews died in Dublin at the age of 84.

Two of his sons, Niall Andrews and David Andrews, became TDs; David Andrews became Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Todd Andrews' brother Paddy Andrews was a football player, most notably with Bohemians who was also capped by the Irish Free State. Todd Andrews' grandson Ryan Tubridy is a radio presenter and television chatshow host on RTÉ, while grandsons Barry Andrews and Chris Andrews were also TDs. Another grandson is David Andrews junior, better known as comedian David McSavage.

Gay Byrne, one of Tubridy's predecessors on The Late Late Show, in his 1989 memoir The Time of My Life and subsequently in an RTÉ documentary in 2005, related how Andrews, when chairman of the RTÉ Authority, phoned the Director-General of RTÉ Tim McCourt and ordered him to fire "that fucker Byrne"; McCourt refused to dismiss Byrne.[6][7]

Bibliography

Autobiography

  • Dublin Made Me (Lilliput, 2001) ISBN 978-1-901866-65-0
  • Man of no Property (Lilliput, 2001) ISBN 978-1-901866-66-7

References

  1. "Founding Father Dr. C. S. "Todd" Andrews 1901–1985". Scéal na Móna. 13 (41): 18–21. April 2002.
  2. McCarthy, John P. (2006). Ireland: A Reference Guide From The Renaissance To The Present. Facts on File, Inc. pp. 184–185. ISBN 0-8160-5378-2.
  3. "CIE Fact Sheet" (PDF). www.irishrailwayarchives.ie. 2020. |first= missing |last= (help)
  4. The Pear is Ripe, A Memoir, John Montague
  5. https://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?David-Andrews. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. "Gaybo feared sack – just what chairman ordered". Irish Independent. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  7. "Lorraine's Xposé will do her no harm – Gay". 28 August 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
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