Margaret Buckley
Encyclopedia
Margaret Buckley (1879 — 24 July 1962) was an Irish republican
and president of Sinn Féin
from 1937 to 1950.
, she joined Inghinidhe na hÉireann
, which was founded in 1900, and was involved in the War of Independence
in Cork. She was involved in anti-British royal visit protests in 1903 and 1907 and was among the group that founded An Dún in Cork in 1910. In 1906, she married Patrick Buckley, described as "a typical rugby-playing British civil servant". After his death she moved into a house in Marguerite Road, Glasnevin
, Dublin. Later, she returned to Cork to care for her elderly father.
Arrested in the aftermath of Easter Rising
she was released in the amnesty of June 1917 and played a prominent role in the reorganisation of Sinn Féin.
After the death of her father, she returned to Dublin. In 1920, she became a Dáil Court
judge in the North city circuit, appointed by Austin Stack
, the Minister for Home Affairs of the Irish Republic
.
She opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty
and was interned in Mountjoy and Kilmainham, where she went on a hunger strike
. She was released in October 1923. During her imprisonment, she was elected Officer Commanding
(OC) in of the republican prisoners in Mountjoy, Quarter Master (QM) in the North Dublin Union and OC of B-Wing in Kilmainham. She was an active member of the Women Prisoners' Defence League, founded by Maud Gonne
and Charlotte Despard
in 1922.
In 1929, she served as a member of Comhairle na Poblachta
which unsuccessfully attempted to resolve the differences between Sinn Féin and the Irish Republican Army
.
Buckley was also an organiser for the Irish Women Workers’ Union.
who was a former TD
of the second Dáil Éireann
as President of Sinn Féin, at an ardfheis attended by only forty 40 delegates.
Importantly, when she assumed the leadership of Sinn Féin, the party was not supported by the IRA, which had severed its links with the party in the 1920s. When she left the office in 1950, relations with the IRA had been resolved.
In 1938, her book about the experiences of Irish Republican women prisoners interned by the Irish Free State
forces was published, called The Jangle of the Keys. In 1956, her Short History of Sinn Féin was published.
She served as honorory vice-president of Sinn Féin
from 1950 until her death in 1962. She was the only member of the ardchomairle of the party not to be arrested during a police raid in July 1957.
She died on 24 July 1962 and is buried in St. Finbarr's Cemetery
, Cork.
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 president of 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...
from 1937 to 1950.
Early life
Originally from CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, she joined Inghinidhe na hÉireann
Inghinidhe na hÉireann
Inghinidhe na hÉireann , abbreviated InaÉ, was a revolutionary women’s society founded by Maud Gonne on Easter Sunday 1900.Gonne was elected President of the association; Vice-Presidents were Alice Furlong, Jenny Wyse Power, Annie Egan and Anna Johnston...
, which was founded in 1900, and was involved in the War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
in Cork. She was involved in anti-British royal visit protests in 1903 and 1907 and was among the group that founded An Dún in Cork in 1910. In 1906, she married Patrick Buckley, described as "a typical rugby-playing British civil servant". After his death she moved into a house in Marguerite Road, Glasnevin
Glasnevin
Glasnevin is a largely residential neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland.-Geography:A mainly residential neighbourhood, it is located on the Northside of the city of Dublin . It was originally established on the northern bank of the River Tolka...
, Dublin. Later, she returned to Cork to care for her elderly father.
Arrested in the aftermath of 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...
she was released in the amnesty of June 1917 and played a prominent role in the reorganisation of Sinn Féin.
After the death of her father, she returned to Dublin. In 1920, she became a Dáil Court
Dáil Courts
During the Irish War of Independence, the Dáil Courts were the judicial branch of government of the short-lived Irish Republic. They were formally established by a decree of the First Dáil Éireann on 29 June 1920, replacing more limited Arbitration Courts that had been authorised a year earlier...
judge in the North city circuit, appointed by Austin Stack
Austin Stack
Austin Stack was an Irish revolutionary and politician.-Early life:Stack was born in Ballymullen, Tralee, County Kerry. He was educated at the Christian Brothers School in Tralee. At the age of fourteen he left school and became a clerk in a solicitor's office. A gifted Gaelic footballer, he...
, the Minister for Home Affairs 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...
.
She opposed the Anglo-Irish 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...
and was interned in Mountjoy and Kilmainham, where she went on a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
. She was released in October 1923. During her imprisonment, she was elected Officer Commanding
Officer Commanding
The Officer Commanding is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit , principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, the term Commanding Officer is applied to commanders of minor as well as major units.Normally an Officer Commanding is a company, squadron or battery...
(OC) in of the republican prisoners in Mountjoy, Quarter Master (QM) in the North Dublin Union and OC of B-Wing in Kilmainham. She was an active member of the Women Prisoners' Defence League, founded by Maud Gonne
Maud Gonne
Maud Gonne MacBride was an English-born Irish revolutionary, feminist and actress, best remembered for her turbulent relationship with William Butler Yeats. Of Anglo-Irish stock and birth, she was won over to Irish nationalism by the plight of evicted people in the Land Wars...
and Charlotte Despard
Charlotte Despard
Charlotte Despard was a British-born, later Irish-based suffragist, novelist and Sinn Féin activist....
in 1922.
In 1929, she served as a member of Comhairle na Poblachta
Comhairle na Poblachta
Comhairle na Poblachta was an Irish republican organisation established in 1929.The organisation had the support of the IRA, which had agreed to its formation at its General Army Convention in January 1929...
which unsuccessfully attempted to resolve the differences between Sinn Féin and the Irish Republican Army
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...
.
Buckley was also an organiser for the Irish Women Workers’ Union.
President of Sinn Féin
At the October 1934 Sinn Féin ardfheis, she was elected one of the party's vice-presidents. Three years later in 1937 she succeeded Cathal Ó MurchadhaCathal Ó Murchadha
Cathal Ó Murchadha was an Irish politician and republican. He was born in Albert Place East, Dublin. He was a member of the Boland's Mills Garrison under the command of Éamon de Valera during the 1916 Rising and was interned in Frongoch after the Rising...
who was a former TD
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...
of the second Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
as President of Sinn Féin, at an ardfheis attended by only forty 40 delegates.
Importantly, when she assumed the leadership of Sinn Féin, the party was not supported by the IRA, which had severed its links with the party in the 1920s. When she left the office in 1950, relations with the IRA had been resolved.
In 1938, her book about the experiences of Irish Republican women prisoners interned by 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...
forces was published, called The Jangle of the Keys. In 1956, her Short History of Sinn Féin was published.
She served as honorory vice-president of 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...
from 1950 until her death in 1962. She was the only member of the ardchomairle of the party not to be arrested during a police raid in July 1957.
She died on 24 July 1962 and is buried in St. Finbarr's Cemetery
St. Finbarr's Cemetery
St. Finbarr's Cemetery in Cork, Ireland, is the city's largest and one of the oldest cemeteries still in use. Located on the Glasheen Road, it was first opened in the mid 19th century....
, Cork.
Sources
- "Margaret Buckley, president of Sinn Féin", Saoirse Irish Freedom, July 1998.