R. M. Smyllie

Robert Maire Smyllie (20 March 1893 – 11 September 1954), known as Bertie Smyllie, was editor of The Irish Times from 1934 until his death in 1954.

Biography Early life Robert Maire Smyllie was born on 20 March 1893 at Hill Street, Shettleston, Glasgow in Scotland. He was the eldest of four sons and one daughter of Robert Smyllie, a Presbyterian printer originally from Scotland who was working in Sligo town at the time, and Elisabeth Follis, originally from Cork. His father had married in Sligo on 20 July 1892 and later became proprietor and editor of the unionist Sligo Times. Smyllie attended Sligo Grammar School in 1906 and enrolled at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 1911.

Journalist After two years at TCD, Smyllie’s desire for adventure led him to leave university in 1913. Working as a vacation tutor to an American boy in Germany at the start of World War I, he was detained in Ruhleben internment camp, near Berlin, during the war. It was also in this period that Smyllie secured a personal interview with Lloyd George at the Paris Peace Conference. This helped Smyllie gain a permanent position with the Irish Times in 1920, where he quickly earned the confidence of editor John Healy. Together, they took part in secret but unsuccessful attempts to resolve the Irish War of Independence.

Following the war, Smyllie’s editorial stance shifted towards defending Ireland’s neutrality and diplomatic position. When Winston Churchill accused de Valera of fraternising with Axis powers, Smyllie countered by revealing Ireland’s covert collaboration with the Allies, such as military and intelligence cooperation, despite official neutrality.