Diarmuid Lynch
Encyclopedia
Diarmuid Lynch was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
and Sinn Féin
member of the First Dáil
.
, County Cork
. His mother died while he was young and his father, who had remarried, died when Diarmuid was thirteen years of age.
In his autobiography, Lynch recalls being taken to a political meeting in Cork city by his father in 1886 which was addressed by Charles Stewart Parnell
. He also describes attending a monster Land League rally at Minane Bridge
which was addressed by William O'Brien
and Dr. Charles Tanner MP. He was politically influenced by his teachers, particularly Michael McCarthy, head master at Knocknamana National School.
and JJ Walsh, Lynch found employment in the Postal service
. He began working as a sorting clerk in the Cork GPO and studied at Skerry’s College
for entrance to the British Civil Service
. In an open competitive examination he secured a place as a "Boy Clerk" at the Mount Pleasant money order office
, London
. Mount Pleasant would play a very significant part in the growth of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB), because it was here that individuals such as Michael Collins, Sam Maguire
and others first became acquainted. Lynch himself would become a member of the IRB Supreme Council. While in London he played hurling
with the London Gaels.
. His skill as an organiser was soon recognised having joined the New York Philo-Celtic Society in the Summer of 1897. By December of that year, he had been elected secretary. Within a short period, membership in the organisation had almost quadrupled. The primary function of the society was the preservation of the Irish language
and culture in the Irish-American nationalist community. Lynch "was convinced that restoration of the Irish language would increase the self respect of the Irish people." His activities in New York, and in particular his work for the Irish language, saw him elevated to the position: of the State President of the Gaelic League of the State of New York, and it was this role which would bring him to the attention of the Clan na Gael
leadership of John Devoy
and Daniel F. Cohalan
, two of the most important figures in Irish-American politics. It was Lynch and his persuasive powers that influenced Judge Cohalan to accept "that the propagation of the language, instead of hindering the objective of the Clan, was essential to its achievement."
As Lynch's reputation grew so did his sphere of influence and before he returned to Ireland in 1907, he could boast a circle of friends which included: Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa
, Dr Thomas Addis Emmet
, Col Richard O'Sullivan Burke, John J. Breslin and Thomas Clarke.
Having spent almost eleven years in America, Lynch decided to return to Ireland. He had been back in 1902 for a short period, when, with the aid of Liam de Róiste
, he had organised an Irish cultural feis
at Minane Bridge.
. By 1911 he had been appointed to the IRB Supreme Council as the Divisional Representative for Munster.
Lynch played a role in the planning of the Easter Rising
. He was chosen by Patrick Pearse
go to the Tralee area and identify the best area to land German arms. Lynch reported directly to Pearse that Fenit
would be the most secure location for the proposed landing. At this time, he was the only member of the IRB Supreme Council to attend meetings of the even more secret IRB Military Council.
After Eoin MacNeill
cancelled the orders for the planned manoeuvres over the Easter period, Lynch attended a hastily arranged meeting at 27 Hardwick Street, which also included Pearse, Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Mary Plunkett
, Seán Mac Diarmada, at which it was decided to go ahead with the Rising.
to James Connolly
and Staff Captain in the GPO during the Rising. He was also considered to be the last man to leave the GPO. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was, like Éamon de Valera
's, commuted to life, because of his American citizenship. Lynch was sent to prison in England, but was released from Pentonville Prison on 16 June 1917.
and Thomas Ashe
, participated in the reorganisation the IRB. After the 1917 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, Lynch, like Collins, held three senior posts in the IRB, Sinn Féin and in the Irish Volunteers
.
His position as Sinn Féin food controller resulted in his deportation to England in 1918. During this period much of the Irish agricultural produce was being sent to Britain to support the war effort. Lynch ordered that a specific shipment of pigs at the North wall ready for shipment to England be slaughtered for the Irish market and the money given to owners of the stock. He was arrested and sentenced to deportation, but before this was enforced he was secretly married. His fiancée Mary Quinn and a priest were smuggled into Dundalk Jail and Lynch was married. This event was a propaganda coup as the British authorities had originally refused permission for the marriage.
, originally set up to raise funds and lobby in Washington DC to promote the Irish cause for independence. Under his tenure the organisation became a nation-wide organisation, and as a result of its lobbying, Congress voted 216 to 41, on 4 March 1919, to adopt the following motion: "That it is the earnest hope of the United states of America that the peace conference, now sitting in Paris, in passing upon the rights of various peoples, will favourably consider the claims of Ireland to the right of self-determination." While this was not what the recognition of the Irish Republic
which Lynch, Devoy and Colohan had sought, it was a call for Ireland to present its case at the Versailles Peace Conference.
In the 1918 general election
after Eugene Crean
MP stood down, Lynch was returned unopposed while in absentia in America. He became Teachta Dála
(TD) in the First Dáil
for Cork South East.
De Valera and Lynch would again become embroiled in a bitter battle in which began 1929, when associates of De Valera tried unsuccessful to claim the funds which the Friends of Irish Freedom had since raised in 1919 and 1920 and which had remained unused. De Valera sought to claim this money to establish the [Irish Press]. Lynch's eventual victory in the case was attributable to his record-keeping and organisational skills.
Lynch played no part in the Irish Civil War
, but along with his IRB comrade Seán O'Hegarty
, made several unsuccessful attempts to stop it. In an impassioned letter, written in 1922 to the members of Friends of Irish Freedom, he wrote: "Our influence may be exercised towards securing for Ireland the greatest need of the moment – Peace."
In 1933 he returned to Ireland, living initially in Mallow but settling in Tracton. He contributed to the work of the Bureau of Military History
in collecting witness statements from those who had taken part in the War of Independence and in reviewing historical publications. He attempted to run for the Senate in 1944 but was not successful.
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
and Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
member of the First Dáil
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...
.
Early life
Lynch, initially named Jeremiah, was born in Granig, TractonTracton
Tracton is a southeast County Cork parish, lying roughly 7 kilometres south of Carrigaline. It is named after Tracton abbey a Roman Catholic monastery that was in the area in medieval times. The parish GAA team were Intermediate County hurling Champions in 1991. Irish Republican Diarmuid Lynch was...
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. His mother died while he was young and his father, who had remarried, died when Diarmuid was thirteen years of age.
In his autobiography, Lynch recalls being taken to a political meeting in Cork city by his father in 1886 which was addressed by Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
. He also describes attending a monster Land League rally at Minane Bridge
Minane Bridge
Minane Bridge is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is in the townland of Minane, 15 km south of Cork City and 5 km south of Carrigaline.-Sport:Minane bridge is home to Tracton GAA club....
which was addressed by William O'Brien
William O'Brien
William O'Brien was an Irish nationalist, journalist, agrarian agitator, social revolutionary, politician, party leader, newspaper publisher, author and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
and Dr. Charles Tanner MP. He was politically influenced by his teachers, particularly Michael McCarthy, head master at Knocknamana National School.
Career
Like other ambitious rural Irishmen of his generation, such as Michael CollinsMichael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
and JJ Walsh, Lynch found employment in the Postal service
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
. He began working as a sorting clerk in the Cork GPO and studied at Skerry’s College
Skerry's College Cork
Skerry's College was a series of colleges which primarily prepared candidates for Civil Service examinations.-1878-1885:Skerry’s College was inaugurated as a small training centre in Edinburgh in 1878 by George Skerry, a civil servant in Edinburgh who saw the need to prepare candidates for the new...
for entrance to the British Civil Service
British Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
. In an open competitive examination he secured a place as a "Boy Clerk" at the Mount Pleasant money order office
Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Sorting Office
The Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Sorting Office is the largest sorting office operated by Royal Mail in London, England....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Mount Pleasant would play a very significant part in the growth of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
Irish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
(IRB), because it was here that individuals such as Michael Collins, Sam Maguire
Sam Maguire
Samuel Maguire , an Irish republican and Gaelic footballer, is chiefly remembered as the eponym of the Sam Maguire Cup, given to the All-Ireland Senior Champions of Gaelic football.-Early life:...
and others first became acquainted. Lynch himself would become a member of the IRB Supreme Council. While in London he played hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with the London Gaels.
Emigration to US
Lynch accepted an offer of employment from his uncle Cornelius Dunlea in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His skill as an organiser was soon recognised having joined the New York Philo-Celtic Society in the Summer of 1897. By December of that year, he had been elected secretary. Within a short period, membership in the organisation had almost quadrupled. The primary function of the society was the preservation of the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and culture in the Irish-American nationalist community. Lynch "was convinced that restoration of the Irish language would increase the self respect of the Irish people." His activities in New York, and in particular his work for the Irish language, saw him elevated to the position: of the State President of the Gaelic League of the State of New York, and it was this role which would bring him to the attention of the Clan na Gael
Clan na Gael
The Clan na Gael was an Irish republican organization in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood...
leadership of John Devoy
John Devoy
John Devoy was an Irish rebel leader and exile.-Early life:Devoy was born near Kill, County Kildare. In 1861 he travelled to France with an introduction from T. D. Sullivan to John Mitchel...
and Daniel F. Cohalan
Daniel F. Cohalan
Daniel Cohalan was an Irish-American leader and judge of the Supreme Court of New York State .Born in Middletown, New York where he joined and became a prominent member of the Democratic Party and later involved in the leadership of the Tammany Society .In 1912, Cohalan was appointed a Judge of...
, two of the most important figures in Irish-American politics. It was Lynch and his persuasive powers that influenced Judge Cohalan to accept "that the propagation of the language, instead of hindering the objective of the Clan, was essential to its achievement."
As Lynch's reputation grew so did his sphere of influence and before he returned to Ireland in 1907, he could boast a circle of friends which included: Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa , was an Irish Fenian leader and prominent member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. His life as an Irish Fenian is well documented but he is perhaps known best in death for the graveside oration given at his funeral by Pádraig Pearse.-Life in Ireland:He was born at...
, Dr Thomas Addis Emmet
Thomas Addis Emmet
Thomas Addis Emmet was an Irish and American lawyer and politician. He was a senior member of the revolutionary republican group United Irishmen in the 1790s and New York State Attorney General 1812–1813.-Background:...
, Col Richard O'Sullivan Burke, John J. Breslin and Thomas Clarke.
Having spent almost eleven years in America, Lynch decided to return to Ireland. He had been back in 1902 for a short period, when, with the aid of Liam de Róiste
Liam de Róiste
Liam de Róiste was an Irish Sinn Féin politician, diarist and Gaelic scholar.He was a member of the Irish Volunteers and fought in the Easter Rising in 1916 with the Cork City Battalion. He was elected as a Sinn Féin MP for the Cork City constituency at the 1918 general election...
, he had organised an Irish cultural feis
Féis
A Feis or Fèis is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. The plural forms are feiseanna and fèisean .-History:In Ancient Ireland communities placed great importance on local festivals, where Gaels could come together in song, dance, music, theatre and sport...
at Minane Bridge.
Return to Ireland
On his return to Ireland, he was employed by Thomas McKenzie & Sons, Dublin, a large wholesaler of agricultural supplies. He later joined the IRB at the invitation of Seán T. O'KellySean T. O'Kelly
Seán Thomas O'Kelly was the second President of Ireland . He was a member of Dáil Éireann from 1918 until his election as President. During this time he served as Minister for Local Government and Minister for Finance...
. By 1911 he had been appointed to the IRB Supreme Council as the Divisional Representative for Munster.
Lynch played a role in the planning of the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
. He was chosen by Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916...
go to the Tralee area and identify the best area to land German arms. Lynch reported directly to Pearse that Fenit
Fenit
Fenit is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland, located on north side of Tralee Bay about west of Tralee town, just south of the Shannon Estuary. The bay is enclosed from the Atlantic by the Maharee spit which extends northwards from the Dingle peninsula...
would be the most secure location for the proposed landing. At this time, he was the only member of the IRB Supreme Council to attend meetings of the even more secret IRB Military Council.
After Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill
Eoin MacNeill was an Irish scholar, nationalist, revolutionary and politician. MacNeill is regarded as the father of the modern study of early Irish medieval history. He was a co-founder of the Gaelic League, to preserve Irish language and culture, going on to establish the Irish Volunteers...
cancelled the orders for the planned manoeuvres over the Easter period, Lynch attended a hastily arranged meeting at 27 Hardwick Street, which also included Pearse, Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett was an Irish nationalist, poet, journalist, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.-Background:...
, Seán Mac Diarmada, at which it was decided to go ahead with the Rising.
Easter Rising
Lynch was aide-de-campAide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to James Connolly
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
and Staff Captain in the GPO during the Rising. He was also considered to be the last man to leave the GPO. Initially sentenced to death, his sentence was, like Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
's, commuted to life, because of his American citizenship. Lynch was sent to prison in England, but was released from Pentonville Prison on 16 June 1917.
Sinn Féin reorganisation
Immediately following his release, Lynch became active again, and along with Michael CollinsMichael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
and Thomas Ashe
Thomas Ashe
Thomas Patrick Ashe born in Lispole, County Kerry, Ireland, was a member of the Gaelic League, the Irish Republican Brotherhood and a founding member of the Irish Volunteers...
, participated in the reorganisation the IRB. After the 1917 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, Lynch, like Collins, held three senior posts in the IRB, Sinn Féin and in the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
.
His position as Sinn Féin food controller resulted in his deportation to England in 1918. During this period much of the Irish agricultural produce was being sent to Britain to support the war effort. Lynch ordered that a specific shipment of pigs at the North wall ready for shipment to England be slaughtered for the Irish market and the money given to owners of the stock. He was arrested and sentenced to deportation, but before this was enforced he was secretly married. His fiancée Mary Quinn and a priest were smuggled into Dundalk Jail and Lynch was married. This event was a propaganda coup as the British authorities had originally refused permission for the marriage.
Return to the US
Lynch was deported to America and shortly afterwards was appointed Secretary of the Friends of Irish FreedomFriends of Irish Freedom
The Friends of Irish Freedom was an Irish-American Republican organisation founded at the third Irish Race Convention held in New York . Supported by the United Irish League, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and other leading Irish-American organisations...
, originally set up to raise funds and lobby in Washington DC to promote the Irish cause for independence. Under his tenure the organisation became a nation-wide organisation, and as a result of its lobbying, Congress voted 216 to 41, on 4 March 1919, to adopt the following motion: "That it is the earnest hope of the United states of America that the peace conference, now sitting in Paris, in passing upon the rights of various peoples, will favourably consider the claims of Ireland to the right of self-determination." While this was not what the recognition of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
which Lynch, Devoy and Colohan had sought, it was a call for Ireland to present its case at the Versailles Peace Conference.
In the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
after Eugene Crean
Eugene Crean
Eugene Crean was an Irish nationalist politician and MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and member of the Irish Parliamentary Party 1892–1910, for the All-for Ireland Party 1910–1918....
MP stood down, Lynch was returned unopposed while in absentia in America. He became Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) in the First Dáil
First Dáil
The First Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 1919–1921. In 1919 candidates who had been elected in the Westminster elections of 1918 refused to recognise the Parliament of the United Kingdom and instead assembled as a unicameral, revolutionary parliament called "Dáil Éireann"...
for Cork South East.
Tension with De Valera
The arrival of Éamon de Valera to America was followed by the establishment of a rival organisation to the Friends of Irish Freedom. On 6 August 1920, Lynch resigned his Dáil seat in disgust, stating that: "Differences have arisen since July 1919, between De Valera and the recognised leaders of the movement here as to the proper conduct of the campaign in America for the recognition of the Irish Republic and these circumstances have governed my actions in resigning."De Valera and Lynch would again become embroiled in a bitter battle in which began 1929, when associates of De Valera tried unsuccessful to claim the funds which the Friends of Irish Freedom had since raised in 1919 and 1920 and which had remained unused. De Valera sought to claim this money to establish the [Irish Press]. Lynch's eventual victory in the case was attributable to his record-keeping and organisational skills.
Lynch played no part in the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, but along with his IRB comrade Seán O'Hegarty
Seán O'Hegarty
Seán O'Hegarty was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army in Cork during the Irish War of Independence and served as O/C of the Cork No. 1 Brigade of the IRA after the deaths of Tomás Mac Curtain and Terence MacSwiney....
, made several unsuccessful attempts to stop it. In an impassioned letter, written in 1922 to the members of Friends of Irish Freedom, he wrote: "Our influence may be exercised towards securing for Ireland the greatest need of the moment – Peace."
In 1933 he returned to Ireland, living initially in Mallow but settling in Tracton. He contributed to the work of the Bureau of Military History
Bureau of Military History
The Bureau of Military History was established in January 1947 by Oscar Traynor TD, Minister for Defence and former Captain in the Irish Volunteers. The rationale for the establishment of the Bureau was to give individuals who played an active part in the events which brought about Irish...
in collecting witness statements from those who had taken part in the War of Independence and in reviewing historical publications. He attempted to run for the Senate in 1944 but was not successful.
Sources and links
- Diarmuid Lynch & Florence O'DonoghueFlorence O'DonoghueFlorence O'Donoghue was an Irish historian and head of intelligence of the Cork No. 1 Brigade of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence.He was born in Rathmore, County Kerry, Ireland in 1895...
: The IRB and the 1916 insurrection, Cork: Mercier Press, 1957. - Group photograph with Harry Boland, De Valera, John Devoy, Liam Mellows and Pat McCartan. New York circ. 1919/'20. From Harry Boland's Irish Revolution ISBN 9781859183861