127-511: Ruairí Ó Brádaigh ( IPA: [ˈɾˠuəɾʲiː oː ˈbˠɾˠaːd̪ˠiː] ; born Peter Roger Casement Brady ; 2 October 1932 – 5 June 2013) was an Irish republican political and military leader. He was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1958 to 1959 and again from 1960 to 1962, president of Sinn Féin from 1970 to 1983, and president of Republican Sinn Féin from 1987 to 2009. Ó Brádaigh, born Peter Roger Casement Brady,
254-708: A Garda officer, Charlie Kerins , former Chief of Staff to the Anti-Treaty IRA , was hanged at Mountjoy Prison on 1 December 1944. The last execution carried out in the Republic of Ireland, that of Michael Manning , took place in Mountjoy Prison on 20 April 1954. Some Irish leaders involved with the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War were held there. On 14 May 1921, an IRA team led by Paddy Daly and Emmet Dalton mounted an attempt to rescue Sean McEoin from
381-707: A hunger strike demanding release from prison, and reinstatement of their status as political prisoners ( 1920 Cork hunger strike ). Three men died during this time including the Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork Terence MacSwiney . Among the most infamous of the Black and Tans actions were the Bloody Sunday massacre in November 1920 and the burning of half the city of Cork in December that same year. These actions, together with
508-449: A Young Irelander, addressing the peace resolutions, delivered his 'Sword Speech', in which he stated, "I do not abhor the use of arms in the vindication of national rights ... Be it for the defence, or be it for the assertion of a nation's liberty, I look upon the sword as a sacred weapon." John O'Connell , Daniel O'Connell's son, was present at the proceedings and interrupted Meagher's speech, claiming that Meagher could no longer be part of
635-512: A commerce degree ( BComm ), like his mother, and certification in the teaching of the Irish language . That year he took a job teaching Irish at Roscommon Vocational School in Roscommon . Ó Brádaigh was a deeply religious Catholic who refrained from smoking or drinking. He joined Sinn Féin in 1950. While at university, in 1951, he joined the Irish Republican Army . In September 1951, he marched with
762-598: A dynamite campaign in Britain. A total of twenty-five major explosions beset Irish nationalism's perception and dictated Britain's approach towards Ireland and the " Irish question ". In 1865 the Fenian Brotherhood in America had split into two factions. One was led by O'Mahony with Stephens' support. The other, which was more powerful, was led by William R. Roberts . The Fenians had always planned an armed rebellion, but there
889-524: A leave from teaching at Roscommon Vocational School. He was re-instated and began teaching again in late 1962, just after he was succeeded by Cathal Goulding in the position of Chief of Staff of the IRA. He remained an active member of Sinn Féin and was also a member of the IRA Army Council throughout the decade. In the 1966 United Kingdom general election , he ran as an Independent Republican candidate in
1016-600: A long time arguably still better than in the Republic of Ireland. Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison ( Irish : Príosún Mhuinseo ), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed The Joy , is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin , Ireland . The current prison Governor is Ray Murtagh. Mountjoy was designed by Captain Joshua Jebb of the Royal Engineers and opened in 1850. It
1143-524: A majority of the anti-treaty Sinn Féin of these views and the movement split again. In 1926, he formed a new party called Fianna Fáil ("Soldiers of Destiny"), taking most of Sinn Féin's TDs with him. In 1931, following the enactment of the Statute of Westminster , the country became a sovereign state along with the other Dominions and the United Kingdom. The following year, De Valera was appointed President of
1270-519: A member of the Commonwealth. As a result of this – and also because continuing struggle against the Dublin government was futile – the republican movement decided to focus on Northern Ireland from then on. The decision was announced by the IRA in its Easter statement of 1949. The area that was to become Northern Ireland amounted to six of the nine counties of Ulster, in spite of
1397-654: A minority and monarchy was the norm, with few long-lasting republics of note at time, such as the fully-fledged Dutch Republic and the Republic of Venice , as well as the Old Swiss Confederacy and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , which had republican aspects. However, as noted by Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich , the first ever document proposing a republic of Ireland independent from connections to England dates from 1627. Summaries of these plans are held in
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#17330931151761524-401: A number of prisoners attacked three prison officers with pool cues and balls during recreation. Reinforcements were brought in from around Dublin to quell the riot and a number of Alsatians dogs from the riot unit were also deployed. In 2016, figures were released showing that Mountjoy Prison saw a disproportionate number of prisoners hospitalised due to assaults and self-harm. In response,
1651-619: A pejorative term for Irish Catholics. Public support for the Fenian movement in Ireland grew in November 1861 with the funeral of Terence MacManus , a member of the Irish Confederation, which Stephens and the Fenians had organised – having "recognized the potential of street parades for mobilizing supporters and influencing onlookers". The popularity endowed by the procession and oration established
1778-537: A portion of his personal political papers detailing discussions between Irish Republican leaders and representatives of the British Government during 1974–1975 to the James Hardiman Library, National University of Ireland, Galway . In September 2009, Ó Brádaigh announced his retirement as leader of Republican Sinn Féin. His successor was Des Dalton . Ruairí Ó Brádaigh was also a long-standing member of
1905-576: A premature explosion at an arms depot attracted the attention of police, they were unaware of the United Irishmen activities at the time and did not have any information regarding the planned rebellion. Emmet had hoped to avoid the complications of the previous rebellion and chose not to organise the county outside of Dublin to a large extent. It was expected that the areas surrounding Dublin were sufficiently prepared for an uprising should one be announced, and Thomas Russell had been sent to northern areas of
2032-680: A pro-Treaty general. The new government , responding to this provocation and to intensified British pressure following the assassination by an anti-treaty IRA unit in London of Henry Wilson , ordered the regular army to take the Four Courts , thereby beginning the Irish Civil War . It is believed that Collins continued to fund and supply the IRA in Northern Ireland throughout the civil war, but, after his death, W. T. Cosgrave (the new President of
2159-548: A responsibility to pursue the opportunity, but were also sceptical of British intentions. In late December 1976, along with Joe Cahill , he met two representatives of the Ulster Loyalist Central Coordinating Committee , John McKeague and John McClure , at the request of the latter body. Their purpose was to try to find a way to accommodate the ULCCC proposals for an independent Northern Ireland with
2286-503: A shower block and a laundry. In the late 1980s, inmates diagnosed with HIV or AIDS were housed in the separation unit. This policy was brought to an end on 1 January 1995. Following the unit's refurbishment in 1997, all cells had in-cell sanitation. The separation unit was closed indefinitely in 2014 following an inspection by the Inspector of Prisons. The Mountjoy Campus is home to three other separate penal facilities. A former governor
2413-655: A spectacular escape by a hijacked helicopter by three Provisional Irish Republican Army prisoners, Kevin Mallon, Seamus Twomey and Joe B. O'Hagan . By 2006, a 60-hectare site had been acquired for €30 million at Thornton Hall, Fingal , where a replacement for Mountjoy was to be constructed. The new facility was intended to accommodate 1,400 prisoners. The site was planned to include court facilities, video-conference links, medical and therapeutic facilities, but due to government cutbacks these plans have now been sidelined. In August 2006, prisoners who were normally separated from
2540-612: A ten-member IRA group in an arms raid on Hazebrouck Barracks, near Arborfield , Berkshire. It was a depot for the No. 5 Radar Training Battalion of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers . It was the biggest IRA arms raid in Britain and netted 48,000 rounds of .303 ammunition, 38,000 9 mm rounds, 1,300 rounds for .380 weapons, and 1,300 .22 rounds. In addition, a selection of arms were seized, including 55 Sten guns, two Bren guns, two .303 rifles and one .38 pistol. Most if not all of
2667-402: Is an on-site kitchen and bakery where trusted inmates are given employment under supervision. The Medical Unit, otherwise referred to as the drug detoxification unit, is a three-storied structure. It provides accommodation for sixty prisoners in forty-eight single-person cells and three cells that can accommodate up to four people. All the cells in this unit have in-cell sanitation facilities. It
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#17330931151762794-647: Is equipped with medical facilities, classrooms and kitchen facilities. The Inspector of Prisons reported in 2009 that this unit was bright and clean and did not suffer from overcrowding. The Controlled Behavioural Unit, known as the CBU or the Block, is used for unruly prisoners or those on punishment and is located in the 'C' Base, underneath the C wing. This includes 24-hour lock-up, with the exception of one hour of open-air exercise, and no integration with other inmates. The Separation Unit had 35 cells. It also had kitchen facilities
2921-580: Is the political movement for an Irish republic , void of any British rule . Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both widely supported and iconoclastic. The modern emergence of nationalism, democracy, and radicalism provided a basis for the movement, with groups forming across the island in hopes of independence. Parliamentary defeats provoked uprisings and armed campaigns, quashed by British forces. A rising , amidst World War I, that ended in execution provided
3048-542: Is to establish a free and independent republic in Ireland: that the pursuit of this object we will relinquish only with our lives ... We war against no religious sect ... We war against English dominion. However, failed communications and arrangements produced a considerably smaller force than had been anticipated. Nonetheless, the rebellion began in Dublin on the evening of 23 July. Emmet's forces were unable to take Dublin Castle, and
3175-592: The Archives générales du Royaume in Belgium and were made familiar to Irish historians by the work of Fr. Brendan Jennings, a Franciscan historian, with his work Wild Geese in Spanish Flanders, 1582–1700 (1964). This early republican spirit was not ecumenical and was formed by exiled Irish Catholic Gaels with the support of Habsburg Spain as part of the Irish military diaspora who had fled into Spanish service in
3302-537: The Éire Nua policy, which was launched on 28 June 1972. The policy called for a federal Ireland. On 3 December 1972, he appeared on the London Weekend Television Weekend World programme. He was arrested by the Gardaí again on 29 December 1972 and charged in the newly established Special Criminal Court with Provisional IRA membership. In January 1973 he was the first person convicted under
3429-498: The 1961 Irish general election , and his vote fell to 2,598 (7.61%). Upon completing his prison sentence, he was immediately interned at the Curragh Military Prison , along with other republicans. On 27 September 1958, Ó Brádaigh escaped from the camp along with Dáithí Ó Conaill . While a football match was in progress, the pair cut through a wire fence and crept from the camp under a camouflage grass blanket and went "on
3556-532: The Celtic League , an organization which fosters cooperation between the Celtic people and promotes the culture, identity and eventual self-determination for the people, in the form of six sovereign states, for the Celtic nations - Wales , Cornwall , Brittany , Scotland , Isle of Man and Ireland. After suffering a period of ill-health, Ó Brádaigh died on 5 June 2013 at Roscommon County Hospital . His funeral
3683-773: The Fenian Brotherhood and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), fraternal organisations founded in the United States and Ireland respectively with the aim of establishing an independent republic in Ireland. The IRB was founded on Saint Patrick's Day 1858 in Dublin. Members present at the first meeting were James Stephens , Thomas Clarke Luby , Peter Langan, Joseph Denieffe, Garrett O'Shaughnessy, and Charles Kickham . Stephens had previously spent time exiled in Paris, along with John O'Mahony , having taken part in
3810-673: The Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency, polling 10,370 votes, or 19.1% of the valid poll. He failed to be elected. He opposed the decision of the IRA and Sinn Féin to drop abstentionism and to recognise the Westminster parliament in London, the Stormont parliament in Belfast and the Leinster House parliament in 1969/1970. On 11 January 1970, along with Seán Mac Stíofáin , he led the walkout from
3937-616: The Garda Síochána across the border the day after the attack, in County Cavan . They were tried and jailed for six months in Mountjoy Prison for failing to account for their whereabouts. O'Bradaigh was a leading abstentionist , upon his arrest he refused to recognize the authority of the Irish government and refused to renounce violence in exchange for his release. Although a prisoner, he
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4064-528: The Great Famine and the suspension of habeas corpus , which allowed the government to imprison Young Irelanders and other political opponents without trial, was hastily planned and quickly suppressed. Following the abortive uprising, several rebel leaders were arrested and convicted of sedition. Originally sentenced to death, Smith O'Brien and other members of the Irish Confederation were transported to Van Diemen's Land . The Fenian movement consisted of
4191-725: The Irish Confederate Wars . In the summer of 1642, the Catholic upper classes formed the Catholic Confederation , which essentially became the de facto government of Ireland for a brief period until 1649, when the forces of the English Parliament carried out the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland and the old Catholic landowners were permanently dispossessed of their lands. The most explicit Irish separatist viewpoint from
4318-782: The Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War , and a smaller number of ex-IRA members, communists and others participated on the Republican side. In 1937, the Constitution of Ireland was drafted by the de Valera government and approved via referendum by the majority of the population of the Free State. The constitution changed the name of the state to Éire in the Irish language ( Ireland in English) and asserted its national territory as
4445-725: The Protestant Ascendancy . It also attracted support and membership from Catholic agrarian resistance groups, such as the Defenders organisation, who were eventually incorporated into the Society. The Society sought to unite the denominations of the island under the simple distinction of Irish. The Irish Rebellion of 1798 began on 23 May, with the first clashes taking place in County Kildare on 24 May, before spreading throughout Leinster , as well as County Antrim and other areas of
4572-597: The Provisional Irish Republican Army , who waged a campaign against the British state for approximately three decades. Represented by Sinn Féin , republicans would gradually invest in political action, including the Northern Ireland peace process and the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. The PIRA have since decommissioned and republicans have been elected to various echelons of government: those within
4699-638: The Second Dáil , thus ending the conflict. Though many across the country were unhappy with the Anglo-Irish Treaty (since, during the war, the IRA had fought for independence for all Ireland and for a republic, not a partitioned dominion under the British crown ), some republicans were satisfied that the Treaty was the best that could be achieved at the time. However, a substantial number opposed it. Dáil Éireann ,
4826-723: The Teeling Column (one of the four armed units prepared for the Campaign) in the west of Ireland. During the Campaign, he served as second-in-command of the Teeling Column. On 30 December 1956, he partook in the Teeling Column attack on Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in Derrylin , County Fermanagh . RUC Constable John Scally was killed in the attack; Scally was the first fatality of the new IRA campaign. Ó Brádaigh and others were arrested by
4953-615: The Whigs .' William Smith O'Brien , who had previously worked to achieve compromise between O'Connell and The Nation group, was also concerned, and claimed that he feared these resolutions were an attempt to exclude the Young Irelanders from the Association altogether. At an Association meeting held in July 1846 at Conciliation Hall , the meeting place of the Association, Thomas Francis Meagher ,
5080-471: The " Black and Tans ", to reinforce the Royal Irish Constabulary 's Auxiliary Division . Republicans were the primary adversary of these forces, whose warfare included pillaging and extrajudicial executions. Both sides used similar tactics: hair cutting , arson attacks, taking of hostages and executions. Republicans also established sovereign courts , a considerable symbol of the movement's public support. In August 1920 Irish Republican prisoners went on
5207-443: The 1798 rebellion, Emmet was a member of the United Irishmen, as was his brother Thomas Addis Emmet , who had been imprisoned for membership in the organisation. Emmet and his followers had planned to seize Dublin Castle by force, manufacturing weaponry and explosives at a number of locations in Dublin. Unlike those of 1798, preparations for the uprising were successfully concealed from the government and law enforcement, and though
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5334-442: The 1970 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis (party convention) after the majority voted to end the policy of abstentionism (although the vote to change the Sinn Féin constitution failed as a two-thirds majority was required to do so, whereas the motion only achieved the support of a simple majority of delegates' votes). The delegates who walked out reconvened at the Kevin Barry Hall in Parnell Square , Dublin and established Provisional Sinn Féin. He
5461-451: The Acts of Union 1800, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, by a vote of 158 to 115. A number of tactics were used to achieve this end. Lord Castlereagh and Charles Cornwallis were known to use bribery extensively. In all, a total of sixteen Irish borough-owners were granted British peerages . A further twenty-eight new Irish peerages were created, while twenty existing Irish peerages increased in rank. Furthermore,
5588-417: The Anglo-Norman settlers who settled during the Norman Invasion) rebelling against the English rulers. While some ideas from the 1627 proposals were carried on, the attempt to rally both Gaels and Old English to the banner, mean't trying to find common ground and one of these concessions was support for the Stuart monarchy under Charles I of England whom the Old English were strongly attached to. The motto of
5715-425: The British Army continued for a short time afterward in the Wicklow Mountains under the leadership of Michael Dwyer and Joseph Holt , involving attacks on small parties of yeomen . These activities were perceived by some to be merely "the dying echoes of an old convulsion", but others feared further large-scale uprisings, due to the United Irishmen continuing to attract large numbers of Catholics in rural areas of
5842-423: The British government to respond to proposals. British government officials also held talks with Ó Brádaigh in his position as president of Sinn Féin from late December to 17 January 1975. On 10 February 1975, the IRA Army Council, which may have included Ó Brádaigh, unanimously endorsed an open-ended cessation of IRA "hostilities against Crown forces", which became known as the 1975 truce. The IRA Chief of Staff at
5969-407: The Confederation would thus become Pro Deo, pro Rege et Patria, Hibernia unanimis ('Irishmen United for God, King and Country'), with any idea of a republic ditched. Beginning as a coup d'état with the aim of restoring lost lands in the north of Ireland and defending Catholic religious and property rights, (which had been suppressed by the Puritan Parliament of England ) it evolved into
6096-410: The English-controlled Kingdom of Ireland and set up an Irish government loosely aligned with the Habsburg Empire . One of the main problems was that within the leadership of the Hispano-Irish diaspora, there were rivalries and factionalism between two primary contenders, Shane O'Neill and Hugh O'Donnell , over who should be the overall leader and thus have rights to an Irish throne if the project
6223-430: The Executive Council , or prime minister) discontinued this support. By May 1923, the war ended in the order by Frank Aiken , telling IRA members to dump arms. However, the harsh measures adopted by both sides, including assassinations, executions and other atrocities , left a bitter legacy in Irish politics for decades to follow. In October 1923 mass hunger strikes were undertaken by Irish republican prisoners protesting
6350-541: The Executive Council of the Free State and began a slow process of turning the country from a constitutional monarchy to a constitutional republic, thus fulfilling Collins's prediction of "the freedom to achieve freedom". By then, the IRA was engaged in confrontations with the Blueshirts , a quasi-fascist group led by a former War of Independence and pro-Treaty leader, Eoin O'Duffy . O'Duffy looked to Fascist Italy as an example for Ireland to follow. Several hundred supporters of O'Duffy briefly went to Spain to volunteer on
6477-427: The Gardaí, the Protestant churchmen passed on proposals from the IRA leadership to the British government. These proposals called on the British government to declare a commitment to withdraw, the election of an all-Ireland assembly to draft a new constitution and an amnesty for political prisoners. The IRA subsequently called a "total and complete" ceasefire intended to last from 22 December to 2 January 1975 to allow
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#17330931151766604-404: The IRA at the unveiling of the Seán Russell monument in Fairview Park, Dublin . A teacher by profession, he was also a Training Officer for the IRA. In 1954, he was appointed to the Military Council of the IRA, a subcommittee set up by the IRA Army Council in 1950 to plan a military campaign against Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in Northern Ireland . On 13 August 1955, Ó Brádaigh led
6731-458: The Irish Penal Reform Trust said the "ongoing levels of violence and intimidation in Irish prisons, particularly in Mountjoy Prison, must be addressed". Mountjoy Prison is constructed along a radial design with four main wings, A through D, each of which has three landings, as well as an underground basement landing. The wings are connected to a central circle, known simply as 'the circle'. When originally built in 1850 it had 500 cells each of which
6858-422: The Irish parliament, voted by 64 votes to 57 to ratify it, the majority believing that the treaty created a new base from which to move forward. Éamon de Valera , who had served as President of the Irish Republic during the war, refused to accept the decision of the Dáil and led the opponents of the treaty out of the House. The pro-Treaty republicans organised themselves into the Cumann na nGaedheal party, while
6985-442: The Irish situation. In his presidential address to the 1971 Provisional Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, Ó Brádaigh said that the first step to achieving a United Ireland was to make Northern Ireland ungovernable. On 31 May 1972 he was arrested under the Offences Against the State Act and immediately commenced a hunger strike . A fortnight later the charges against him were dropped and he was released. With Dáithí Ó Conaill he developed
7112-414: The May 1974 Ulster Workers' Council strike, Ó Brádaigh stated that he would like to see "a phased withdrawal of British troops over a number of years, in order to avoid a Congo situation". On 10 December 1974, he participated in the Feakle talks between the IRA Army Council and Sinn Féin leadership and the leaders of the Protestant churches in Ireland. Although the meeting was raided and broken up by
7239-414: The National Council remained in existence as a pressure group with the aim of increasing nationalist representation on local councils. The first annual convention of the National Council on 28 November 1905 was notable for two things: the decision, by a majority vote (with Griffith dissenting), to open branches and organise on a national basis; and the presentation by Griffith of his 'Hungarian' policy, which
7366-421: The O'Mahony wing of the movement itself tried and failed to capture Campobello Island in New Brunswick in April 1866. Following this failure, the Roberts faction of the Fenian Brotherhood carried out its own, occupying the village of Fort Erie, Ontario on 31 May 1866 and engaging Canadian troops at the battles of Ridgeway and Fort Erie on 2 June. It was in reference to Fenians fighting in this battle that
7493-472: The Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1972 and was sentenced to six months in the Curragh Military Prison. In 1974, he testified in person before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations regarding the treatment of IRA prisoners in Ireland. He also had a meeting with prominent Irish-American congressman Tip O'Neill . The same year, the State Department revoked his multiple entry visa and have since refused to allow Ó Brádaigh to enter
7620-424: The Provisional IRA, became aware of it and condemned it on RTÉ Radio . As the loyalists had insisted on absolute secrecy, they felt unable to continue with the talks as a result. In the aftermath of the 1975 truce, the Ó Brádaigh/Ó Conaill leadership came under severe criticism from a younger generation of activists from Northern Ireland , headed by Gerry Adams , who became a vice-president of Sinn Féin in 1978. By
7747-507: The Sinn Féin's Éire Nua programme. It was agreed that if this could be done, a joint Loyalist -Republican approach could then be made to request the British government to leave Ireland. Desmond Boal QC and Seán MacBride SC were requested and accepted to represent the loyalist and republican positions. For months they had meetings in various places including Paris. The dialogue eventually collapsed when Conor Cruise O'Brien , then Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and vociferous opponent of
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#17330931151767874-404: The Unionist government was undemocratic, bigoted and favoured Protestants. Emigration for economic reasons kept the nationalist population from growing, despite its higher birth rate. Although poverty, (e)migration and unemployment were fairly widespread (albeit not to the same extent) among Protestants as well, on the other hand the economic situation in Northern Ireland (even for Catholics) was for
8001-405: The Young Irelanders) and 1865 and 1867 (by the Fenians) were followed by harsh reprisals by British forces. The National Council, was formed in 1903, by Maud Gonne and Arthur Griffith , on the occasion of the visit of King Edward VII to Dublin. Its purpose was to lobby Dublin Corporation to refrain from presenting an address to the king. The motion to present an address was duly defeated, but
8128-493: The Younger that he would bring about Catholic emancipation , though after the Acts of Union were successfully voted through, King George III saw that this pledge was never realised, and as such Catholics were not granted the rights that had been promised prior to the Acts. A second attempt at forming an independent Irish republic occurred under Robert Emmet in 1803. Emmet had previously been expelled from Trinity College , Dublin for his political views. Like those who had led
8255-442: The abolition of capital punishment. Executions were carried out by hanging and firing squads, after which the bodies of the dead were taken down from the gallows and buried within the prison grounds in unmarked graves . The list of Irish republican prisoners executed at Mountjoy Prison includes: Annie Walsh from Limerick, who was found guilty of murdering her husband, was executed in Mountjoy prison on 5 August 1925. She remains
8382-440: The aftermath of the Flight of the Earls during the Thirty Years' War . This was in the context of the break-down of the Spanish match and the onset of the Anglo-Spanish War of 1625–1630. Proposals were made at Madrid, with the involvement of Archbishop Florence Conry and Owen Roe O'Neill , for the Irish Regiment in the Spanish Netherlands then in the service of the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia , to invade and reconquer
8509-447: The anti-Treaty republicans retained the Sinn Féin name. The IRA itself split between pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty elements, with the former forming the nucleus of the new Irish National Army . Michael Collins became Commander-in-Chief of the National Army. Shortly afterwards, some dissidents, apparently without the authorisation of the anti-Treaty IRA Army Executive, occupied the Four Courts in Dublin and kidnapped JJ "Ginger" O'Connell ,
8636-512: The basis for success, including electorally. An Irish republic was declared in 1919 and officialized following the Irish War of Independence . The Irish Civil War , beginning in 1922 and spurred by the partition of the island , then occurred. Republican action, including armed campaigns, continued in the newly-formed state of Northern Ireland, a region of the United Kingdom. Tensions in the territory culminated in widespread conflict by 1969. This prompted paramilitaries: republicans assembled under
8763-455: The coalition government, announced his intention to declare Ireland a republic. The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 , which "described" the state as the Republic of Ireland (without changing its name or constitutional status), led the British government to pass the Ireland Act 1949 , which declared that Northern Ireland would continue as part of the United Kingdom unless the Parliament of Northern Ireland consented to leave; and Ireland ceased to be
8890-563: The continuation of their internment without trial by the newly formed Irish Free State - three men died during the 1923 Irish Hunger Strikes . De Valera, who had strongly supported the Republican anti-treaty side in the Civil War, reconsidered his views while in jail and came to accept the ideas of political activity under the terms of the Free State constitution. Rather than abstaining from Free State politics entirely, he now sought to republicanise it from within. However, he and his supporters – which included most Sinn Féin TDs – failed to convince
9017-408: The country and arms raids being carried out on a nightly basis. It was also feared that rebels would again seek military aid from French troops, and another rising was expected take place by 10 April. This perceived threat of further rebellion resulted in the Parliamentary Union between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After some uncertainty, the Irish Parliament voted to abolish itself in
9144-482: The country to prepare republicans there. A proclamation of independence, addressed from 'The Provisional Government' to 'The People of Ireland' was produced by Emmet, echoing the republican sentiments expressed during the previous rebellion: You are now called on to show to the world that you are competent to take your place among nations, that you have a right to claim their recognisance of you, as an independent country ... We therefore solemnly declare, that our object
9271-478: The country. 1975 Federal Bureau of Investigation documents describe Ó Brádaigh as a "national security threat" and a "dedicated revolutionary undeterred by threat or personal risk" and show that the visa ban was requested by the British Foreign Office and supported by the Dublin government. In 1997, Canadian authorities refused to allow him board a charter flight to Toronto at Shannon Airport . During
9398-562: The country. French soldiers landed in Killala on 22 August and participated in the fighting on the rebels' side. Even though they had considerable success against British forces in County Wexford , rebel forces were eventually defeated. Key figures in the organisation were arrested and executed. Though the Rebellion of 1798 was eventually put down, small republican guerrilla campaigns against
9525-738: The dropping of the Éire Nua policy by the party. On 2 November 1986, the majority of delegates to the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis voted to drop the policy of abstentionism if elected to Dáil Éireann , but not the British House of Commons or the Northern Ireland parliament at Stormont, thus ending the self-imposed ban on Sinn Féin elected representatives from taking seats at Leinster House . Ó Brádaigh and several supporters walked out and immediately set up Republican Sinn Féin (RSF); more than 100 people assembled at Dublin's West County Hotel and formed
9652-515: The early 1980s, Ó Brádaigh's position as president of Sinn Féin was openly under challenge and the Éire Nua policy was targeted in an effort to oust him. The policy was rejected at the 1981 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis and finally removed from the Sinn Féin constitution at the 1982 Ard Fheis. At the following year's ard fheis, Ó Brádaigh and Ó Conaill resigned from their leadership positions, voicing opposition to
9779-421: The fact that in the last all Ireland election ( 1918 Irish general election ) counties Fermanagh and Tyrone had Sinn Féin/Nationalist Party (Irish Parliamentary Party) majorities. In 1921, Ireland was partitioned. Most of the country became part of the independent Irish Free State . However, six out of the nine counties of Ulster remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland. During this time (1920–1922)
9906-509: The first Director of Publicity for Provisional Sinn Féin. Seán Ó Brádaigh continued in this position for almost a decade, when he was succeeded by Danny Morrison , who had been editor of An Phoblacht /Republican News . Sean Ó Brádaigh was the first editor of the paper. In the 1970s Ó Brádaigh made multiple visits to the Basque Country and considered the Basque independence movement as akin to
10033-493: The government of Great Britain sought to replace Irish politicians in the Irish parliament with pro-Union politicians, and rewards were granted to those that vacated their seats, with the result being that in the eighteen months prior to the decision in 1800, one-fifth of the Irish House of Commons changed its representation due to these activities and other factors such as death. It was also promised by Prime Minister William Pitt
10160-499: The island had occurred prior to the emergence of the Irish republican ideology. In the 1590s and early 1600s, resistance was led by Hugh O'Neill (see the Nine Years' War ). The Irish chieftains were ultimately defeated, leading to their exile (the ' Flight of the Earls ') and the aforementioned Plantation of Ulster in 1609. In Europe, prior to the 18th and 19th centuries, republics were in
10287-505: The island. The Tudor conquest of Ireland took place in the 16th century. This included the Plantations of Ireland , in which the lands held by Gaelic Irish clans and Hiberno-Norman dynasties were confiscated and given to Protestant settlers ("Planters") from England and Scotland . The Plantation of Ulster began in 1609, and the province was heavily colonised with English and Scottish settlers. Campaigns against English presence on
10414-458: The law of God [ 'laws of morality'] to the commands of my superior officers; and that I shall preserve inviolable secrecy regarding all the transactions [ 'affairs'] of this secret society that may be confided in me. So help me God! Amen. The Fenian Brotherhood was the IRB's counterpart organisation, formed in the same year in the United States by O'Mahony and Doheny. The Fenian Brotherhood's main purpose
10541-416: The likes of John Locke and Thomas Paine , they initially propagated parliamentary reform and Catholic emancipation . Degradation in the legal achievement of these outcomes, coupled with the burgeoning perception of England as a foreign conqueror, inspired revolutionary sentiment and eventual action. At this stage, the movement was led primarily by liberal Protestants, particularly Presbyterians from
10668-471: The movement opposed to this outcome are often referred to as dissident republicans . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, Ireland, or parts of it, had experienced alternating degrees of rule from England. While some of the native Gaelic population attempted to resist this occupation, a single, unified political goal did not exist amongst the independent lordships that existed throughout
10795-521: The name "Irish Republican Army" was first used. These attacks (and those that followed) in Canada are collectively known as the " Fenian raids ". Irish republican and other independence movements were suppressed by the British authorities following the merging of Ireland with Britain into the United Kingdom after the Act of Union in 1801 . Nationalist rebellions against British rule in 1803, by Robert Emmet, 1848 (by
10922-545: The new organisation. As an ordinary member, he had earlier spoken out against the motion (resolution 162) in an impassioned speech. The Continuity IRA became publicly known in 1996. Republican Sinn Féin's relationship with the Continuity IRA is similar to the relationship between Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA when Ó Brádaigh was Sinn Féin's president. Ó Brádaigh believed RSF to be the sole legitimate continuation of
11049-650: The newly formed Northern Ireland saw "savage and unprecedented" communal violence between unionists and nationalists (see The Troubles in Ulster (1920–1922) ). In the 1921 elections in Northern Ireland: This territory of Northern Ireland, as established by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 , had its own provincial government which was controlled for 50 years until 1972 by the conservative Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). The tendency to vote on sectarian lines and
11176-593: The north. He condemned his erstwhile comrades in Provisional Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA for decommissioning weapons while British troops remain in the country. In his opinion, "the Provo sell-out is the worst yet – unprecedented in Irish history ". He has condemned the Provisional IRA's decision to seal off a number of its arms dumps as "an overt act of treachery", "treachery punishable by death" under IRA General Army Order Number 11. In July 2005, he handed over
11303-666: The only woman ever executed by the Irish State which was founded in 1922. On 13 October 1923, Irish Republican prisoners in Mountjoy Prison began the 1923 Irish Hunger Strikes , protesting being interned without charges or trial and poor prison conditions. Close to 500 men began the hunger strike in Mountjoy and the strike quickly spread to other camps and prisons with over 5,000 prisoners taking part nationwide. Andy O'Sullivan , from County Cavan, died on hunger strike on 23 November 1923 in Mountjoy Prison. After being convicted of murdering
11430-594: The period, found in Disputatio Apologetica , written in Lisbon in 1645 by Fr. Conor O'Mahony , a Jesuit priest from Munster, argued instead for a Gaelic monarchy to be set up in an explicitly Catholic Ireland, with no mention of a republic. The origin of modern Irish republicanism exists in the ideology and action of the United Irishmen. Founded in 1791 and informed by the Enlightenment , popular sovereignty and
11557-459: The popularity of the republican ideals in Ireland and repression of republican political expressions by the British government, led to widespread support across Ireland for the Irish rebels. In 1921, the British government led by David Lloyd George negotiated the Anglo-Irish Treaty with republican leaders led by Arthur Griffith who had been delegated as plenipotentiaries on behalf of
11684-520: The pre-1986 Sinn Féin, arguing that RSF has kept the original Sinn Féin constitution. RSF readopted and enhanced Ó Brádaigh's Éire Nua policy. His party has had electoral success in local elections only, and few at that, although they currently have one elected Councillor in Connemara, County Galway. He remained a vociferous opponent of the Good Friday Agreement , viewing it as a programme to copperfasten Irish partition and entrench sectarian divisions in
11811-418: The preamble to a public declaration of intent to withdraw. In fact, as British government papers now show, the British entertained talks with the IRA in the hope that this would fragment the movement further, and scored several intelligence coups during the talks. It is argued by some that by the time the truce collapsed in late 1975 the Provisional IRA had been severely weakened. This bad faith embittered many in
11938-632: The press in Britain to describe members of the Repeal Association (a group campaigning for the repeal of the Acts of Union 1800 which joined the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain) who were involved with the Irish nationalist newspaper The Nation . Encouraging the repeal of the Acts of Union, members of the Young Ireland movement advocated the removal of British authority from Ireland and
12065-448: The prison. They used a captured armoured car to gain access to Mountjoy, but were discovered and had to shoot their way out. The Fenian poet, author of the popular song "Rising of the Moon", John Keegan 'Leo' Casey was imprisoned here during the 1860s; subsequently in the 20th century, playwright and IRA activist Brendan Behan was also gaoled within. On 31 October 1973, it was the scene of
12192-642: The proportions of each religious denomination ensured that there would never be a change of government. In local government, constituency boundaries were drawn to divide nationalist communities into two or even three constituencies and so weaken their effect (see Gerrymandering ). The (mainly Catholic) Nationalist population in Northern Ireland, besides feeling politically alienated, was also economically alienated, often with worse living standards compared to their Protestant (mainly Unionist) neighbours, with fewer job opportunities, and living in ghettos in Belfast , Derry, Armagh and other places. Many Catholics considered
12319-436: The province of Ulster . The founding members of the United Irishmen were mainly Southern Irish Protestant aristocrats. The key founders included Wolfe Tone , Thomas Russell , Henry Joy McCracken , James Napper Tandy , and Samuel Neilson . By 1797, the Society of United Irishmen had around 100,000 members. Crossing the religious divide in Ireland, it had a mixed membership of Catholics, Presbyterians, and even Anglicans from
12446-569: The re-establishment of the Irish Parliament in Dublin. The group had cultural aims also, and encouraged the study of Irish history and the revival of the Irish language . Influential Young Irelanders included Charles Gavan Duffy , Thomas Davis and John Blake Dillon , the three founders of The Nation . The Young Irelanders eventually seceded from the Repeal Association. The leader of the Repeal Association, Daniel O'Connell , opposed
12573-525: The republican movement, and another ceasefire was not to happen until 1994. In 2005, Ó Brádaigh donated, to the James Hardiman Library of University College, Galway, notes that he had taken during secret meetings in 1975–76 with British representatives. These notes confirm that the British representatives were offering a British withdrawal as a realistic outcome of the meetings. The Republican representatives—Ó Brádaigh, Billy McKee and one other—felt
12700-510: The rest of the population for safety were mixed together for a night with mentally ill inmate Stephen Egan. Prisoner Gary Douche was killed by Egan who was found not guilty of murder due to a lack of responsibility. This prompted the Minister of Justice to seek a limit of 520 inmates on the capacity of the prison. In October 2010, the prison was placed under lockdown after a night of violence and rioting involving more than 70 inmates. It started when
12827-485: The rising broke down into rioting, which ensued sporadically throughout the night. Emmet escaped and hid for some time in the Wicklow Mountains and Harold's Cross , but was captured on 25 August and hanged on 20 September 1803, at which point the Society of United Irishmen was effectively finished. The Young Ireland movement began in the late 1830s. The term 'Young Ireland' was originally a derogatory one, coined by
12954-542: The run". This was an official escape, authorised by the officer commanding of the IRA internees, Tomás Óg Mac Curtain . He was the first Sinn Féin TD on the run since the 1920s. That October, Ó Brádaigh became the IRA Chief of Staff , a position he held until May 1959, when an IRA Convention elected Sean Cronin as C/S; Ó Brádaigh became Cronin's adjutant general. Ó Brádaigh was arrested in November 1959, refused to answer questions, and
13081-693: The said Republic and one could exercise his office on land and the other at sea." These proposals were approved by Philip IV and forwarded to Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia in Brussels. As the Anglo-Spanish War became more tepid, the plans were never put into practice. A decade later, the Irish Rebellion of 1641 began. This consisted of a coalition between the Irish Gaels and the Old English (descendants of
13208-514: The same association as O'Connell and his supporters. After some protest, the Young Irelanders left Conciliation Hall and the Repeal Association forever, founding the Irish Confederation 13 January 1847 after negotiations for a reunion had failed. The Young Ireland movement culminated in a failed uprising (see Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848 ), which, influenced by the French Revolution of 1848 and further provoked by government inaction during
13335-870: The street to the Mater Misericordiae Hospital on 25 September 1916 where he died a few hours after arrival. Peadar O'Donnell , IRA Commander of the 2nd Northern Division, was imprisoned in Mountjoy Gaol and the Curragh. Following the end of the Irish Civil War, he participated in the mass republican hunger strike (1923 Irish Hunger Strikes), remaining on hunger strike for 41 days. O'Donnell's prison experience and eventual escape in March 1924 are described in his 1932 memoir The Gates Flew Open . Morrissey 's 2014 album World Peace Is None of Your Business by includes
13462-467: The time was Seamus Twomey , of Belfast. Another member of the Council at this time was probably Billy McKee, of Belfast. Daithi O'Connell, a prominent Southern Republican, was also a member. It is reported in some quarters that the IRA leaders had mistakenly believed they had persuaded the British Government to withdraw from Ireland and the protracted negotiations between themselves and British officials were
13589-502: The tradition of republican funerals , a ritual instrumental as evidenced by the oration at Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa's funeral . Popular perception elsewhere deemed the movement as terrorisitic – a persistent perception of republicanism thereafter. Nevertheless, the likes of Rossa would raise the public profile of the movement by their evocation of martyrdom and highlighting of prisoner maltreatment. Support from America proved both lucrative and troublesome as transatlantic members waged
13716-652: The uprising of 1848 and fleeing to avoid capture. O'Mahony left France for America in the mid-1850s and founded the Emmet Monument Association with Michael Doheny . Stephens returned to Ireland in 1856. The original oath of the society, drawn up by Luby under Stephens' direction, read: I, AB., do solemnly swear, in the presence of Almighty God, that I will do my utmost, at every risk, while life lasts, to make [other versions, according to Luby, establish in'] Ireland an independent Democratic Republic; that I will yield implicit obedience, in all things not contrary to
13843-423: The use of physical force to enact repeal, and passed 'peace resolutions' declaring that violence and force were not to be employed. Though the Young Irelanders did not support the use of violence, the writers of The Nation maintained that the introduction of these peace resolutions was poorly timed, and that to declare outright that physical force would never be used was 'to deliver themselves bound hand and foot to
13970-403: The weapons were recovered in a relatively short period of time. A van, travelling too fast, was stopped by the police and IRA personnel were arrested. Careful police work led to weapons that had been transported in a second van and stored in London. The IRA Border Campaign commenced on 12 December 1956. As an IRA General Headquarters Staff (GHQ) officer, Ó Brádaigh was responsible for training
14097-517: The whole of Ireland. The new state was headed by a President of Ireland elected by universal suffrage. The new Constitution removed all reference to the monarchy but foreign diplomats continued to present their credentials to the King in accordance with the Executive Authority (External Relations) Act 1936 which had not been repealed. The new state had the objective characteristics of a republic and
14224-557: Was Charles Arthur Munro, brother of the Edwardian satirist Saki . The schizophrenic French surrealist playwright Antonin Artaud was briefly detained in Mountjoy before his deportation from Ireland as "a destitute and undesirable alien". Thomas Ashe was also a former inmate of the jail for his involvement in the Easter Rising 1916. After a protest of starvation, he was transferred across
14351-567: Was a French-speaking Swiss Lutheran . His father died when he was ten, and was given a paramilitary funeral led by his former IRA colleagues. His mother, prominent as the Secretary for the County Longford Board of Health, lived until 1974. Ó Brádaigh was educated at Melview National School at primary level and attended secondary school at St. Mel's College , leaving in 1950, and University College Dublin, from where he graduated in 1954 with
14478-486: Was a success. A third option was to resolve the conflict between the two factions before an invasion by making them family, with a marriage proposed between Hugh O'Donnell's sister Mary Stuart O'Donnell and Shane O'Neill, but this broke down. Ministers in Madrid , to Philip IV of Spain , instead drew up proposals on 27 December 1627 for a "Kingdom and Republic of Ireland" and that "the earls should be called Captains General of
14605-552: Was a turning point in Irish history, leading to the War of Independence and the end of British rule in most of Ireland. From 1919 to 1921 the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was organised as a guerrilla army, led by Richard Mulcahy and with Michael Collins as Director of Intelligence and fought against the British. During the Anglo-Irish War , the British government formed a paramilitary police force consisting of former soldiers, known as
14732-615: Was attended by 1,800 mourners including Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan and was policed by the Emergency Response Unit and Gardaí in riot gear, for "operational reasons", a show of force believed to have been to deter the republican tradition of firing a three-volley salute of shots over the final place of rest during the graveyard oration. As a result there was some minor scuffles between gardai and mourners. Irish republicanism Inactive Defunct Irish republicanism ( Irish : poblachtánachas Éireannach )
14859-416: Was based on the design of London's Pentonville Prison also designed by Jebb. Originally intended as the first stop for men sentenced to transportation , they would spend a period in separate confinement before being transferred to Spike Island and transported from there to Van Diemen's Land . A total of 46 prisoners (including one woman, Annie Walsh) were executed within the walls of the prison, prior to
14986-523: Was born into a middle-class republican family in Longford that lived in a duplex home on Battery Road. His father, Matt Brady, was an IRA volunteer who was severely wounded during an attack with the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1919. His mother, May Caffrey, was a Cumann na mBan volunteer and graduate of University College Dublin , class of 1922, with a degree in commerce. His maternal grandmother
15113-551: Was deemed that 'prisoners were using too much water'. However, all cells in the main jail have in-cell sanitation following refurbishment in the period 2010 to 2015. These cells contain a toilet, a sink, a television and a small kettle. Facilities in the prison include gymnasiums, computer classes, carpentry, masonry and a wide variety of school activities such as music, drama and cookery. Prisoners can undertake to complete academic exams in school such as Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate and even Open University. Additionally, there
15240-414: Was designed for single capacity. Many parts of the original building have either been renovated or destroyed. At the time of the 2009 inspection, there were 371 cells in the main unit of the prison. These are the original cells which were built in 1850 for single occupancy. Their size varies from 3.91m x 2.06m to 3.43m x 2.06m. The prison was built with in-cell sanitation but this was removed in 1939 when it
15367-626: Was elected a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála (TD) for the Longford–Westmeath constituency at the 1957 Irish general election , winning 5,506 votes (14.1%). Running on an abstentionist ticket, Sinn Féin won four seats which went to Ó Brádaigh, Eighneachán Ó hAnnluain , John Joe McGirl and John Joe Rice . They refused to recognise the authority of Dáil Éireann and stated they would only take a seat in an all-Ireland parliament—if it had been possible for them to do so. Ó Brádaigh did not retain his seat at
15494-673: Was jailed under the Offences against the State Act in Mountjoy. He was released from Mountjoy in May 1960 and, after Cronin was arrested, he again became C/S. Although he has always emphasised that it was a collective declaration, he was the primary author of the statement ending the IRA Border Campaign in 1962. At the IRA 1962 Convention he indicated that he was not interested in continuing as chief of staff. After his arrest in December 1956, he took
15621-588: Was now called the Sinn Féin policy. This meeting is usually taken as the date of the foundation of the Sinn Féin party. In 1916 the Easter Rising , organised by the Irish Republican Brotherhood , was launched in Dublin and the Irish Republic was proclaimed, albeit without significant popular support. The Rising was suppressed after six days, and most of its leaders were executed by the British authorities. This
15748-479: Was now disagreement as to how and where this rebellion might be carried out. Roberts' faction preferred focusing all military efforts on British Canada (Roberts and his supporters theorised that victory for the American Fenians in nearby Canada would propel the Irish republican movement as a whole to success). The other, headed by O'Mahony, proposed that a rising in Ireland be planned for 1866. In spite of this,
15875-516: Was referred to as such by de Valera himself, but, it remained within the British Commonwealth and was regarded by the British as a Dominion, like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Furthermore, the claim to the whole of the island did not reflect practical reality and inflamed anti-Dublin sentiment among northern Protestants. In 1948, Fianna Fáil went out of office for the first time in sixteen years. John A. Costello , leader of
16002-631: Was to supply weapons and funds for its Irish counterpart and raise support for the Irish republican movement in the United States. The term "Fenian" was coined by O'Mahony, who named the American wing of the movement after the Fianna – a class of warriors that existed in Gaelic Ireland . The term became popular and is still in use, especially in Northern Ireland and Scotland, where it has expanded to refer to all Irish nationalists and republicans, as well as being
16129-546: Was voted chairman of the Caretaker Executive of Provisional Sinn Féin. That October, he formally became president of the party. He held this position until 1983. It is also likely that he served on the Army Council or the executive of the Provisional Irish Republican Army until he was seriously injured in a car accident on 1 January 1984. Among those joining him in Provisional Sinn Féin was his brother, Seán Ó Brádaigh ,
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