The Wall Street had only just happened in 1929, so the Americans were recalling their loans. Money was hard to come by for the ordinary person living in Ireland. For a year, Eoin Duffy made plans to feed, house, and organise the hundred of thousands visitors expected to arrive in Dublin. Holding such an event brought great hope amongst the Irish people, at the same time all around the country in parishes priests and people also prepared. They held prayer meetings, discussions on the Eucharist and collected money for flags and bunting to decorate their communities (M.E Collins 2012). .
In 1932, a general election was due late in the year, to save it from clashing with the Congress Cosgrave decided to have it in February. Much to Cosgrave's surprise, he lost and de Valera and Fianna Fáil came to power. Their victory caused tension. Fianna Fáil had promised to undo the Anglo-Irish Treaty and to withhold the money farmers owed to the British government for the purchase of their land earlier in the 20th century. They stuck to their word and implemented the promises straight away. The British government reacted straight away by putting a tax on all cattle sold to Britain from Ireland. This all created a sense of crisis in Ireland, the Eucharistic came as welcome relief to the Irish people. This was a great opportunity for de Valera to show the Catholic Church he wasn't violent man as he was condemned by the Catholic Church during the Civil War those who were fighting on the republican side and excommunicated them, this caused apprehensions among certain Catholic bishops and priests to his election. From de Valera's it was the prefect chance to show case Ireland to the world that they are independent from England, that they're able to organise an international event and to improve relations with the Catholic Church. In 1931 at the Fianna Fáil Árd Fheis de Valera said he was 'a Catholic first' A clear indication the importance of Catholicism.