Joe Stynes
Encyclopedia
Joseph Andrew Stynes was an Irish Republican
and a sportsman, excelling in particular at Gaelic football
and soccer.
and attended Newbridge College
, where he first played Gaelic football and hurling
. He moved to Dublin after World War I
to find work. He was sworn into the IRA
in 1920 by Sean Lemass
, joining "C" Company, 2nd battalion, Dublin brigade. He was stewarding in Croke Park
on Bloody Sunday 1920
, while carrying concealed guns for the IRA. When British security forces raided the ground, he dumped the guns and escaped over a wall.
Stynes played Gaelic football for the McCracken's club on the Northside
, then transferred to the elite O'Tooles
club in February 1922. He was an 'outstanding' forward with 'rare qualities'. He took the anti-Treaty
side during the Irish Civil War
, but managed to play several games for the Dublin senior football team while "on the run" from the Irish Free State
authorities. However, he missed Dublin's win in the 1922 All-Ireland final
(played 7 October 1923) as by then he was interned
in the Curragh Camp
. Major General
Tom Ennis of the Irish Army
, a former teammate of Stynes who took the pro-Treaty side, secured Stynes' availability for subsequent Dublin matches, and he got a winner's medal for the 1923 final
(played 28 September 1924), in which he scored the final two points. He missed the 1924 final
(played 26 April 1925) after being suspended by the GAA
for breaching its ban on playing "foreign" games by playing soccer, a game he had learnt while in the Curragh.
While suspended from the GAA, he played League of Ireland
soccer for amateur club Bohemians, where he scored 13 times in 28 appearances during 1925-26. In the Leinster Senior Cup
final of 1926, he played well, but retired injured, as Bohs beat Shelbourne
2-1. He also played semi-professional
ly for Shelbourne at a time when work was hard to find, partly because of his unpopular political views.
, settling in New York City
, where he worked as an accountant
with Cartier jewelers
. He remained active in both North American GAA and emigrant Irish Republican groups. In later years, he returned annually to Ireland for the All Ireland football
final in Dublin and political meetings in Northern Ireland
.
In May 1927, he played for a New York GAA
side that beat the visiting All-Ireland champions, Kerry
. He regularly returned to visit Ireland, and represented America in football internationals against Ireland at the Tailteann Games
in Dublin in both 1928 and 1932. During his 1928 trip, he turned out once more for Dublin in their Leinster Final defeat to Kildare
. He also represented New York touring sides against Mayo
in 1932 and Kerry in 1933. In December 1932, he won a Dublin junior club title with Sean McDermotts. He won New York state championships with Kildare in 1938 and with Kilkenny
as late as 1947. He also played on the New York hurling teams in 1943 and 1946.
In 1938, Stynes signed on behalf of the American GAA an Irish-American petition
for the release of Frank Ryan
, the IRA leader imprisoned by Franco
's Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War
for fighting in the International Brigades
. In 1939, he was indicted and charged with attempting to bribe U.S. Customs
officials while operating as an agent for the Irish Sweepstakes. He was politically active in Clan na Gael
, and after 1948 was leader of the few branches that had remained loyal to the rump of the IRA. In 1949, Stynes supported a decision, which split the Clan, to use its funds for a monument in Dublin to Seán Russell
rather than retaining them for a future IRA campaign. After the decline of Clan na Gael, and the outbreak of the Northern Troubles
, he was sympathetic to NORAID
. He sided with Republican Sinn Féin
after its 1986 split from Provisional Sinn Féin, and in 1987 he co-founded the National Irish Freedom Committee (NIFC; ) for its American supporters.
He died at his home in Queens, New York.
, in 1930 in New York. They had nine children. His grandson Chris Stynes
played Major League Baseball
.
Joe Stynes' brother Peter played Gaelic football for Dublin in the 1925 and 1926 Leinster championships, and got a 1926 League
runners-up medal. Peter won Dublin club titles with O'Toole's in 1925, 1926, and 1928. He was the grandfather of Jim Stynes
, Australian rules football
er, and his brother Brian
, who won an All-Ireland with Dublin in 1995
.
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
and a sportsman, excelling in particular at Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and soccer.
In Dublin
Stynes was born in Newbridge, County KildareNewbridge, County Kildare
The earliest known mention of Newbridge was by traveller and bookseller John Dunton in 1698, though he does not refer to any settlement other than at Ballymany....
and attended Newbridge College
Newbridge College
Newbridge College is a co-educational fee-paying secondary school in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland, run by the Dominican Order. The Dominican Fathers founded Newbridge College in 1852 as a boarding school for boys...
, where he first played Gaelic football and 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...
. He moved to Dublin after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to find work. He was sworn into the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
in 1920 by Sean Lemass
Seán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass was one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century. He served as Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966....
, joining "C" Company, 2nd battalion, Dublin brigade. He was stewarding in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
on Bloody Sunday 1920
Bloody Sunday (1920)
Bloody Sunday was a day of violence in Dublin on 21 November 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. In total, 31 people were killed – fourteen British, fourteen Irish civilians and three republican prisoners....
, while carrying concealed guns for the IRA. When British security forces raided the ground, he dumped the guns and escaped over a wall.
Stynes played Gaelic football for the McCracken's club on the Northside
Northside (Dublin)
The Northside is the area in County Dublin, Ireland bounded to the south by the River Liffey to the east by Dublin Bay, to the north and west by the boundaries of County Dublin.- Introduction :...
, then transferred to the elite O'Tooles
O'Tooles GAC
O'Tooles GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Dublin, Ireland, formed in 1901. An earlier Saint Laurence O'Toole G.A.A. club had existed in the North Wall area from 1888 to 1896. The St. Laurence O'Toole branch of the Gaelic League held their inaugural meeting in February 1901....
club in February 1922. He was an 'outstanding' forward with 'rare qualities'. He took the anti-Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
side during 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 managed to play several games for the Dublin senior football team while "on the run" from the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
authorities. However, he missed Dublin's win in the 1922 All-Ireland final
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1922
-Leinster:-Munster:-Ulster:-----All-Ireland Championship:By the time the semi-final was to be played, the Connacht championship was not finished, so Sligo were nominated to represent Connacht. When Galway beat Sligo in the Connacht final, they were given Galway's place in the All-Ireland...
(played 7 October 1923) as by then he was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
in the Curragh Camp
Curragh Camp
The Curragh Camp is an army base and military college located in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Army.- Brief history of the Curragh's military heritage :...
. Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Tom Ennis of the Irish Army
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
, a former teammate of Stynes who took the pro-Treaty side, secured Stynes' availability for subsequent Dublin matches, and he got a winner's medal for the 1923 final
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1923
-Leinster:-Munster:-Ulster:-----All-Ireland Championship:--------...
(played 28 September 1924), in which he scored the final two points. He missed the 1924 final
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1924
-Leinster:-----Munster:-Ulster:-----All-Ireland Championship:--------...
(played 26 April 1925) after being suspended by the GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
for breaching its ban on playing "foreign" games by playing soccer, a game he had learnt while in the Curragh.
While suspended from the GAA, he played League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
soccer for amateur club Bohemians, where he scored 13 times in 28 appearances during 1925-26. In the Leinster Senior Cup
Leinster Senior Cup (football)
The Leinster Senior Cup is an association football cup competition organised by the Leinster Football Association. It contested by the top League of Ireland sides based in the province in Leinster along with four Leinster Senior League sides and the two Leinster Junior Cup finalists. The Cup was...
final of 1926, he played well, but retired injured, as Bohs beat Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
2-1. He also played semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
ly for Shelbourne at a time when work was hard to find, partly because of his unpopular political views.
In New York
In 1926, Stynes emigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, settling in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he worked as an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
with Cartier jewelers
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
. He remained active in both North American GAA and emigrant Irish Republican groups. In later years, he returned annually to Ireland for the All Ireland football
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
final in Dublin and political meetings in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
In May 1927, he played for a New York GAA
New York GAA
The New York County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or New York GAA, is one of the county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in the New York metropolitan area...
side that beat the visiting All-Ireland champions, Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
. He regularly returned to visit Ireland, and represented America in football internationals against Ireland at the Tailteann Games
Tailteann Games
The Tailteann Games were an ancient sporting event held in Ireland in honour of the goddess Tailtiu. They ran from 632 BC to 1169-1171 AD when they died out after the Norman invasion....
in Dublin in both 1928 and 1932. During his 1928 trip, he turned out once more for Dublin in their Leinster Final defeat to Kildare
Kildare GAA
For more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Kildare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Kildare GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kildare...
. He also represented New York touring sides against Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
in 1932 and Kerry in 1933. In December 1932, he won a Dublin junior club title with Sean McDermotts. He won New York state championships with Kildare in 1938 and with Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
as late as 1947. He also played on the New York hurling teams in 1943 and 1946.
In 1938, Stynes signed on behalf of the American GAA an Irish-American petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
for the release of Frank Ryan
Frank Ryan (Irish republican)
Frank Ryan was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army, editor of An Phoblacht, leftist activist and leader of Irish volunteers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War....
, the IRA leader imprisoned by Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
for fighting in the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
. In 1939, he was indicted and charged with attempting to bribe U.S. Customs
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
officials while operating as an agent for the Irish Sweepstakes. He was politically active in 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...
, and after 1948 was leader of the few branches that had remained loyal to the rump of the IRA. In 1949, Stynes supported a decision, which split the Clan, to use its funds for a monument in Dublin to Seán Russell
Seán Russell
Seán Russell was an Irish republican who held senior positions in the IRA until the end of the Irish War of Independence...
rather than retaining them for a future IRA campaign. After the decline of Clan na Gael, and the outbreak of the Northern Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
, he was sympathetic to NORAID
NORAID
Noraid or the Irish Northern Aid Committee is an Irish American fund raising organization founded after the start of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1969...
. He sided with Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin or RSF is an unregisteredAlthough an active movement, RSF is not registered as a political party in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. minor political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin...
after its 1986 split from Provisional Sinn Féin, and in 1987 he co-founded the National Irish Freedom Committee (NIFC; ) for its American supporters.
He died at his home in Queens, New York.
Relatives
Stynes married Bridget Ní Mahon, originally from AthyAthy
The town developed from a 12th century Anglo-Norman settlement to an important British military outpost on the border of the Pale.The first town charter dates from the 16th century and the town hall was constructed in the early 18th century...
, in 1930 in New York. They had nine children. His grandson Chris Stynes
Chris Stynes
Christopher Desmond Stynes is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He spent time with the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles...
played Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Joe Stynes' brother Peter played Gaelic football for Dublin in the 1925 and 1926 Leinster championships, and got a 1926 League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
runners-up medal. Peter won Dublin club titles with O'Toole's in 1925, 1926, and 1928. He was the grandfather of Jim Stynes
Jim Stynes
James "Jim" Stynes OAM is an Irish former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a businessman, philanthropist, writer, youth worker, qualified teacher and chairman of Melbourne Football Club since 2008....
, Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er, and his brother Brian
Brian Stynes
Brian Stynes is an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Dublin and now resides in Australia. He Attended De La Salle College, Churchtown,Dublin-Australian rules football career:...
, who won an All-Ireland with Dublin in 1995
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1995
-All-Ireland Final:-See also:...
.