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‘Paying no heed to public clamor’: Irish republican solipsism in the 1930s

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

Richard English
Richard English*
Affiliation:
Department of Politics, Queen’s University of Belfast
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Extract

To be frank, it is apparent that an agreement between your forces and the forces of the I.R.A. is a national necessity. They can do the things you will not care to do or cannot do in the face of public criticism, while the I.R.A. pay no heed to public clamor so long as they feel they are doing a national duty.

Joseph McGarrity to Eamon de Valera, 2 Oct. 1933

This article will concentrate on two Irish republican projects from the 1930s: Cumann Poblachta na h-Éireann and the I.R.A.’s British bombing campaign. It will, in each case, focus on one leading individual: Cumann Poblachta’s Seán MacBride and, for the bombing campaign, the I.R.A.’s Seán Russell. Drawing on much material which has not previously been discussed in the literature, it will examine the self-sustaining republican mentality which characterised both projects and both individuals. It will be argued that republicanism in the 1930s is best understood in terms of the concept of solipsism, defined as the view that self is ‘the only thing really existent’. The argument is that republicans acted as though their own political views, beliefs and culture were the only really existent ones and that those of others could, as a consequence, be ignored. Republicans could — in the words of leading Irish-American republican, Joseph McGarrity — ‘pay no heed to public clamor’ as long as they felt that they were ‘doing a national duty’. As such, they were in possession of a self-sustaining but, it will be argued, ultimately self-defeating mentality.

Type
Articles
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 28 , Issue 112 , November 1993 , pp. 426 - 439
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1993

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References

1 N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17441.

2 For a definition of the words ‘republican’ and ‘socialist’ as they will be used in this article see English, Richard, ‘Socialism and republican schism in Ireland: the emergence of the Republican Congress in 1934’ in I.H.S., xxvii, no. 105 (May 1990), p. 48 n. 2.Google Scholar

3 The shorter Oxford English dictionary (Oxford, 1973 ed.), ii, 2046.

4 McGarrity to de Valera, 2 Oct. 1933, (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17441).

5 Cronin, Seán, Frank Ryan: the search for the republic (Dublin, 1980), pp 69–72, 78, 106-7,172, 177-82Google Scholar; Bell, J. Bowyer, The secret army: the I.R.A., 1916-1979 (Swords, 1989 ed.), pp 125-6, 130, 133, 136, 140, 145-67Google Scholar; Coogan, Tim Pat, The I.R.A. (London, 1987 ed.), pp 115-16, 150-73.Google Scholar

6 Townshend, Charles, Political violence in Ireland: government and resistance since 1848 (Oxford, 1983)Google Scholar; Patterson, Henry, The politics of illusion: republicanism and socialism in modern Ireland (London, 1989)Google Scholar. Neither of these valuable works offers discussion of Cumann Poblachta, and they each allot less than a page to the bombing campaign (Townshend, p. 381; Patterson, p. 73).

7 English, Richard, ‘Peadar O’Donnell: socialism and the republic, 1925-37’ in Saothar, xiv (1989), pp 47–58 Google Scholar; idem, ‘Socialism & republican schism’; Patterson, Politics of illusion; Dermot Keogh, ‘De Valera, the Catholic church and the “red scare”, 1931-1932’ in O’Carroll, J. P. and Murphy, J. A. (eds), De Valera and his times (Cork, 1983), pp 134-59.Google Scholar

8 Irish Press, 28 Sept. 1935.

9 Coogan, The I.R.A., p. 115.

10 Cumann Poblachta na h-Éireann, Manifesto, constitution and rules for the organisation, pp 6-7 (Archives Department, University College, Dublin (henceforth U.C.D.A.), Coyle O’Donnell papers, P61/10 (1)).

11 Ibid., pp 4, 7.

12 Ibid., p. 11.

13 ‘They all liked him, they all loved him. He was a really good chief of staff’ (Sighle Bean Uí Dhonnchadha (Sheila Humphries, a leading figure in the republican women’s organisation, Cumann na mBan), interview with the author, Dublin, 26 Feb. 1987). Even some of those who had considerable differences of opinion with Twomey appear to have held him in affection and respect ( Mclnerney, Michael, Peadar O’Donnell: Irish social rebel (Dublin, 1974), p. 137 Google Scholar; Gilmore, George, The Irish Republican Congress (Cork, 1978 ed.), p. 24).Google Scholar

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18 Lee, J. J., ‘In search of Patrick Pearse’ in Dhonnchadha, Máirín Ní and Dorgan, Theo (eds), Revising the rising (Deny, 1991), p. 137.Google Scholar

19 Cumann Poblachta na h-Éireann, Manifesto, constitution & rules, p. 7 (U.C.D.A., Coyle O’Donnell papers, P61/10 (1)).

20 Ibid., p. 5.

21 Anti-state activities, April 1929-October 1931 (National Archives of Ireland, Dublin (henceforth N.A.I.), files of the Department of the Taoiseach, S 5864 A).

22 Gilmore, Irish Republican Congress, p. 25; Cork Workers’ Club, The Irish case for communism (Cork, n.d.), pp 42-3.Google Scholar

23 For biographical information on MacBride see MacBride, Seán in Uinseann Mac Eoin (ed.), Survivors (Dublin, 1987), esp. pp 105-33Google Scholar; Irish Times 16 Jan. 1988; see also Lee, J. J., Ireland, 1912-1985: politics and society (Cambridge, 1989).Google Scholar

24 Handwritten notes of Seán MacBride, Apr. 1923 (Cormac O’Malley papers (in the possession of Mr Cormac O’Malley)).

25 In a letter to Joseph McGarrity written in October 1933 MacBride gives details of these five meetings with de Valera. He gives no exact dates for the conversations, but they must have occurred after July 1932, as he states that he referred at each of the meetings to a communication of that date from the I.R.A. Army Council to the Fianna Fdil executive (MacBride to McGarrity, 19 Oct. 1933 (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17456)).

26 Ibid.

27 Irish Times, 11, 21 Feb. 1935,25 Mar., 28 Apr. 1936; Coogan, The I.R.A., pp 120-22.

28 Constitution of ’glaigh na h-Éireann (Irish Republican Army) as amended by General Army Convention, 14th-15th November, 1925 (U.C.D.A., Blythe papers, P24/165 (10)).

29 Summary of outrages and activities by members of irregular organisation since 1/1/31 (N.A.I., files of the Department of the Taoiseach, S 5864 A).

30 Daily Express, 24 Aug. 1931.

31 Twomey to McGarrity, 26 Oct. 1933 (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17490).

32 For biographical details on Russell see Cronin, Frank Ryan, p. 169; Foster, R. F., Modern Ireland, 1600-1972 (Harmondsworth, 1988), p. 548.Google Scholar

33 Russell to McGarrity, 31 [sic] Nov. 1936 (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17485).

34 Russell to McGarrity, 29 Jan. 1937 (ibid.); Cronin, Frank Ryan, p. 178; Bell, The secret army, p. 131.

35 Hayes, Stephen, ‘My strange story’ in The Bell, xvii, 4 (July 1951), p. 12 Google Scholar; Coogan, The I.R.A., pp 155-6; Cronin, Frank Ryan, p. 178.

36 Russell to McGarrity, 1 Dec. 1938 (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17485); cf. copy of I.R.A. radio broadcast, Dec. 1939, p. 8 (N.A.I., files of the Department of the Taoiseach, S 11564 A).

37 Wolfe Tone Weekly, 17 Dec. 1938.

38 Coogan, The I.R.A., pp 164-5.

39 Hansard 5 (Commons), cccl, 1049-50 (24 July 1939).

40 The Times, 26 Aug. 1939; Coogan, The I.R.A., p. 167.

41 Bell, The secret army, pp 161-2; Coogan, The I.RA., pp 167, 171. On the trial relating to the Coventry explosion see Fairfield, J. L. D. (ed.), The trial of Peter Barnes and others: the I.R.A. Coventry explosion of 1939 (London, 1953).Google Scholar

42 Reilly to Smith, 22 Dec. 1939 (N.A.I., files of the Department of the Taoiseach, S 11575 A).

43 Minutes of meeting ofWestport Urban District Council held on the 18th December, 1939 (ibid.).

44 Russell to McGarrity, 31 [sic] Nov. 1936 (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17485).

45 Hayes, ‘My strange story’, p. 12.

46 Ibid., p. 13; Francis Stuart, interview with the author, Dublin, 24 Feb. 1987; Gilmore, Irish Republican Congress, p. 25; Mac Eoin (ed.), Survivors, pp 148, 391.

47 O’Doherty to McGarrity, 22 Mar. 1939 (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17472).

48 Hayes, ‘My strange story’, pp 12-13.

49 English, Richard, ‘Radicals and the republic: socialist republicanism in the Irish Free State, 1925-37’ (unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Keele, 1990), pp 253-5.Google Scholar

50 Fitzpatrick and Kennedy to de Valera, 22 Aug. 1940 (N.A.I., files of the Department of the Taoiseach, S 12069).

51 English, ‘Radicals & the republic’, p. 252.

52 Unlawful Organisation (Suppression) Order, 1939 [23 Jun. 1939] (N.A.I., files of the Department of the Taoiseach, Cabinet Minutes, G3/3).

53 See, e.g., de Valera to McGarrity, 31 Jan. 1934 (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17441).

54 Fitzpatrick and Kennedy to de Valera, 22 Aug. 1940 (N.A.I., files of the Department oftheTaoiseach, S 12069).

55 MacBride to de Valera, 5 Sept. 1940 (ibid.).

56 Referring to the MacBride/de Valera conversations quoted earlier in this article, MacBride stated that de Valera’s ‘general attitude’ had been ‘that the I.R.A. should disband itself’ (MacBride to McGarrity, 19 Oct. 1933 (N.L.I., McGarrity papers, MS 17456)).

57 Russell to Luther, 25 Oct. 1936 (ibid., MS 17485).

58 Russell to McGarrity, 21 Sept. 1938 (ibid.). In fact there was very little clarity concerning the precise way in which the bombings were supposed to achieve republican objectives; cf.Smith, M. L. R., ‘The role of the military instrument in Irish republican strategic thinking: an evolutionary analysis’ (unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of London, 1991), p. 152.Google Scholar

59 Rumpf, Erhard and Hepburn, A. C., Nationalism and socialism in twentieth-century Ireland (Liverpool, 1977), p. 94.Google Scholar

60 Cronin, Frank Ryan, p. 173; Byrne, Patrick, Memories of the Republican Congress (London, n.d.), p. 3.Google Scholar

61 For a fuller discussion of this point see English, Richard, ‘Green on red: two case studies in early twentieth-century Irish republican thought’ in Boyce, D. G., Eccleshall, Robert and Geoghegan, Vincent (eds), Political thought in Ireland since the seventeenth century (London, 1993), pp 161-89.Google Scholar

62 Copy of I.R.A. radio broadcast, Dec. 1939, pp 1, 7 (N.A.I., files of the Department of the Taoiseach, S 11564 A).

63 See, e.g., list of I.R.A. activities, 1932-41 (ibid.).

64 List of I.R.A. activities, 1935-45 (ibid.).

65 Memorandum on the policy of the government with regard to offences against the state, pp 1-4 (ibid.).

66 Lee, Ireland, p. 198.

67 Pearse, P. H., Political writings and speeches (Dublin, 1952), p. 121.Google Scholar

68 Edwards, Ruth Dudley, Patrick Pearse: the triumph of failure (Swords, 1990 ed.), p. 70.Google Scholar

69 Anderson, Benedict, Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (London, 1983), p. 15.Google Scholar

70 Fukuyama, Francis, The end of history and the last man (New York, 1992), p. 15.Google Scholar