Following the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, a Committee on Evil Literature was appointed in 1926, reporting to the Department of Justice.
Books could be banned that were considered to be indecent or obscene, as could newspapers whose content relied too much on crime, and works that promoted the "unnatural" prevention of conception or that advocated abortion.
[3] In 1933, President Éamon de Valera felt that the arts in Ireland were to be encouraged when they observed the "holiest traditions", but should be censored when they failed to live up to this ideal.
Among Irish books or authors whose book(s) were banned were Liam O'Flaherty (1930), Seán Ó Faoláin (1932), Francis Stuart (1939), Oliver St. John Gogarty (1942), The Tailor and Ansty by Eric Cross (1942), The Gadfly by Ethel Lilian Voynich (1947), Maura Laverty (1948), Walter Macken (1948), Frank O'Connor (1951), Sam Hanna Bell (1952), Brian Cleeve (1952), Benedict Kiely (1954).
[7] Books containing references to terrorism or which could be considered slander under Irish law can still be banned – one will not be prosecuted for owning or importing them, but their sale is prohibited.
This covers books such as The Committee: Political Assassination in Northern Ireland, which has even been pulled from Amazon.com due to its content.