Ruairi Brugha
Encyclopedia
Ruairí Brugha (ˈɾˠuərʲiː bˠɾˠuː; 15 February 1917 – 31 January 2006) was an Irish
Republican
and IRA
volunteer who became a Fianna Fáil
politician
, serving as a Teachta Dála
(TD), senator
and Member of the European Parliament
(MEP).
, who was Minister for Defence
in the first Dáil
and was killed in 1922 during the Civil War
; his mother Caitlin
(née Kingston) was an anti-Treaty
TD from 1923 to 1927. The family home, a refuge for republicans, was often raided by the successive authorities whom the Brughas opposed: first the Royal Irish Constabulary
, then British soldiers and Auxiliaries
, followed by the forces of the Irish Free State
.
Brugha was educated at Rockwell College
and in Coláiste Mhuire
, and joined the IRA at the age of 16. When IRA members were interned at the outbreak of World War II
, he went on the run. He was eventually arrested in 1940 and interned at the Curragh
for the duration of The Emergency. While on parole for health reasons he met Máire MacSwiney, the only child of Lord Mayor of Cork
Terence MacSwiney
who died while on hunger strike
in 1920, and they married in 1945.
Brugha then joined the business which his mother had established, the menswear
shop Kingstons Ltd, eventually becoming managing director.
for his book The IRA, Brugha described his eventual rejection from the IRA's doctrine of the continued legitimacy of the second Dáil
, saying: "We became the victims of an illusion that could never become a reality" and that "it was obvious to me that the 26 counties were politically free and that the sort of activity in which the IRA had been engaged had not helped to end Partition."
Ruairi and Máire both joined Clann na Poblachta
shortly after its foundation in 1946, and at the 1948 general election
he stood in the Waterford constituency
which his mother had represented in the 1920s. However, the election was a disappointment for the new party, which won only ten seats, and with less than 5% of the first-preference votes, Brugha did not win a seat. Despite differences with Clann na Poblachta leader Seán MacBride
— particularly over MacBride's antagonism to Fianna Fáil
— he remained on the party executive during the 1950s.
In 1962, he joined Fianna Fáil, and at the 1969 general election
, Brugha stood unsuccessfully as a Fianna Fáil candidate in Dublin County South
. He was then elected to the 12th Seanad on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, and at the 1973 general election
, he won the seat, replacing former Fianna Fáil running mate Kevin Boland
, who stood for his new Aontacht Éireann
party. After that election, Fine Gael
and Labour
formed the National Coalition
government, and Fianna Fáil went into opposition for the first time in 16 years. In 1974 Jack Lynch
appointed Brugha as Fianna Fáil spokesman on Northern Ireland
, where he helped reshape the party's policy and supported the Cosgrave
government over the Sunningdale
power-sharing agreement.
After boundary changes, he lost his Dáil seat at the 1977 general election
, to his party colleague, Niall Andrews
. However, he was elected instead to the 14th Seanad, again on the Industrial and Commercial Panel. On the recommendation of John Hume
, he was also appointed as an MEP, serving until the first direct elections to the European Parliament
in 1979 when he stood unsuccessfully in the Dublin constituency
. He was also active in the European Movement Ireland
into his late eighties, serving as an honorary president of the organisation.
Brugha did not contest the 1981
or February 1982 general elections, but at the November 1982 election he stood in Dublin South
, where he polled less than 3% of the first-preference votes, and did not stand for election again.
Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
said Ruairi Brugha was "a man of firm convictions who was passionate about politics and had a deep patriotic concern for the welfare of this country". He was survived by his wife and four children; Deirdre, Cathal, Traolach and Ruairi.
In 2006, Máire's memoir History's Daughter: A Memoir from the Only Child of Terence MacSwiney was published by O'Brien Press
. It includes a detailed account of her husband's life, before and after their marriage.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
Republican
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 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...
volunteer who became a Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, serving as a 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), senator
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
and Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP).
Family and early life
He was born in Dublin, the son of Cathal BrughaCathal Brugha
Cathal Brugha was an Irish revolutionary and politician, active in the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence, and the Irish Civil War and was the first Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann.-Background:...
, who was Minister for Defence
Minister for Defence (Ireland)
The Minister for Defence is the senior minister at the Department of Defence in the Government of Ireland. Under new arrangements this department is being merged with the Department of Justice over which Mr. Shatter will also preside....
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"...
and was killed in 1922 during the 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....
; his mother Caitlin
Caitlín Brugha
Caitlín Brugha was an Irish Sinn Féin politician.Born Kathleen Kingston, in Birr, County Offaly, she married Irish revolutionary Cathal Brugha in 1912. Her husband died in 1922 during the Irish Civil War and she was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála at the 1923 general election...
(née Kingston) was an 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...
TD from 1923 to 1927. The family home, a refuge for republicans, was often raided by the successive authorities whom the Brughas opposed: first the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
, then British soldiers and Auxiliaries
Auxiliary Division
The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary , generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary organization within the Royal Irish Constabulary during the Irish War of Independence....
, followed by the forces of 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...
.
Brugha was educated at Rockwell College
Rockwell College
Rockwell College, founded in 1864, is a private Catholic secondary school near Cashel, South Tipperary in Ireland. It offers day as well as full boarding. Rockwell is run by the Holy Ghost Fathers.-Politics:...
and in Coláiste Mhuire
Coláiste Mhuire
Coláiste Mhuire, which is part of the Marino Institute of Education , is a primary teacher training college which is affiliated with Trinity College, Dublin. It is located on Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9. Coláiste Mhuire is primarily focused on providing for pre-service primary education...
, and joined the IRA at the age of 16. When IRA members were interned at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he went on the run. He was eventually arrested in 1940 and interned at the Curragh
Curragh
The Curragh is a flat open plain of almost 5,000 acres of common land in County Kildare, Ireland, between Newbridge and Kildare. This area is well-known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the famous Japanese Gardens. Also...
for the duration of The Emergency. While on parole for health reasons he met Máire MacSwiney, the only child of Lord Mayor of Cork
Lord Mayor of Cork
The Lord Mayor of Cork is the honorific title of the Chairman of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The incumbent is Terry Shannon of Fianna Fáil. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council.-History of office:In 1199 there...
Terence MacSwiney
Terence MacSwiney
Terence Joseph MacSwiney was an Irish playwright, author and politician. He was elected as Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork during the Irish War of Independence in 1920. He was arrested by the British on charges of sedition and imprisoned in Brixton prison in England...
who died while on 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...
in 1920, and they married in 1945.
Brugha then joined the business which his mother had established, the menswear
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
shop Kingstons Ltd, eventually becoming managing director.
Political career
Released from detention, he began to rethink his relationship with republicanism. Talking in 1968 to Tim Pat CooganTim Pat Coogan
Timothy Patrick Coogan is an Irish historical writer, broadcaster and newspaper columnist. He served as editor of the Irish Press newspaper from 1968 to 1987...
for his book The IRA, Brugha described his eventual rejection from the IRA's doctrine of the continued legitimacy of the second Dáil
Irish republican legitimatism
A concept within Irish republicanism, Irish republican legitimatism denies the legitimacy of the political entities of Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and posits that the pre-partition Irish Republic continues to exist...
, saying: "We became the victims of an illusion that could never become a reality" and that "it was obvious to me that the 26 counties were politically free and that the sort of activity in which the IRA had been engaged had not helped to end Partition."
Ruairi and Máire both joined Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta , abbreviated CnaP, was an Irish republican and social democratic political party founded by former Irish Republican Army Chief of Staff Seán MacBride in 1946.-Foundation:...
shortly after its foundation in 1946, and at the 1948 general election
Irish general election, 1948
The Irish general election of 1948 was held on 4 February 1948. The 147 newly elected members of the 13th Dáil assembled on 18 February when the First Inter-Party government in the history of the Irish state was appointed....
he stood in the Waterford constituency
Waterford (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Waterford is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
which his mother had represented in the 1920s. However, the election was a disappointment for the new party, which won only ten seats, and with less than 5% of the first-preference votes, Brugha did not win a seat. Despite differences with Clann na Poblachta leader Seán MacBride
Seán MacBride
Seán MacBride was an Irish government minister and prominent international politician as well as a Chief of Staff of the IRA....
— particularly over MacBride's antagonism to Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
— he remained on the party executive during the 1950s.
In 1962, he joined Fianna Fáil, and at the 1969 general election
Irish general election, 1969
The Irish general election of 1969 was held on 18 June 1969. The newly elected members of the 19th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 2 July when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed...
, Brugha stood unsuccessfully as a Fianna Fáil candidate in Dublin County South
Dublin County South (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin County South was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1969 to 1981...
. He was then elected to the 12th Seanad on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, and at the 1973 general election
Irish general election, 1973
The Irish general election of 1973 was held on 28 February 1973. The newly elected 144 members of the 20th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 4 March when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
, he won the seat, replacing former Fianna Fáil running mate Kevin Boland
Kevin Boland
Kevin Boland , was a senior Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1957 as a Fianna Fáil TD. He served as Minister for Defence , Minister for Social Welfare and Minister for Local Government...
, who stood for his new Aontacht Éireann
Aontacht Éireann
Aontacht Éireann was an Irish political party founded by Kevin Boland, a former Fianna Fáil government minister and advocate of Irish republicanism...
party. After that election, Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
and Labour
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
formed the National Coalition
Government of the 20th Dáil
The 20th Dáil was elected at the 1973 general election on 28 February 1973 and first met on 14 March when the 14th Government of Ireland was appointed...
government, and Fianna Fáil went into opposition for the first time in 16 years. In 1974 Jack Lynch
Jack Lynch
John Mary "Jack" Lynch was the Taoiseach of Ireland, serving two terms in office; from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979....
appointed Brugha as Fianna Fáil spokesman on 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...
, where he helped reshape the party's policy and supported the Cosgrave
Liam Cosgrave
Liam Cosgrave is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach and as Leader of Fine Gael . He was a Teachta Dála from 1943 to 1981....
government over the Sunningdale
Sunningdale Agreement
The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. The Agreement was signed at the Civil Service College in Sunningdale Park located in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on 9 December 1973.Unionist opposition, violence and...
power-sharing agreement.
After boundary changes, he lost his Dáil seat at the 1977 general election
Irish general election, 1977
The Irish general election of 1977 was held on 16 June 1977 and is regarded as a pivotal point in twentieth century Irish politics. The general election took place in 42 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 148 seats in the lower house of parliament, Dáil Éireann. The number of...
, to his party colleague, Niall Andrews
Niall Andrews
Niall Andrews was an Irish politician. He served as a Teachta Dála and Member of the European Parliament for the Fianna Fáil party....
. However, he was elected instead to the 14th Seanad, again on the Industrial and Commercial Panel. On the recommendation of John Hume
John Hume
John Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
, he was also appointed as an MEP, serving until the first direct elections to the European Parliament
European Parliament election, 1979 (Ireland)
The 1979 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 1979 European Parliament election. These were the first direct elections to the European Parliament...
in 1979 when he stood unsuccessfully in the Dublin constituency
Dublin (European Parliament constituency)
Dublin is a constituency of the European Parliament in Ireland. It elects 3 Members of the European Parliament using the single transferable vote form of proportional representation .-History and boundaries:...
. He was also active in the European Movement Ireland
European Movement Ireland
The European Movement Ireland is an independent not-for-profit that campaigns for every Irish person to get involved in the European Union and by doing so, help shape it. It is the oldest Irish organisation dealing with the EU, pre-dating Ireland’s membership of the EU in 1973 by almost twenty years...
into his late eighties, serving as an honorary president of the organisation.
Brugha did not contest the 1981
Irish general election, 1981
The Irish general election of 1981 was held on 11 June 1981, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 21 May. The newly elected 166 members of the 22nd Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 30 June when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
or February 1982 general elections, but at the November 1982 election he stood in Dublin South
Dublin South (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin South is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
, where he polled less than 3% of the first-preference votes, and did not stand for election again.
Death
He died in Dublin on 31 January 2006, at the age of 88. On his death the IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
said Ruairi Brugha was "a man of firm convictions who was passionate about politics and had a deep patriotic concern for the welfare of this country". He was survived by his wife and four children; Deirdre, Cathal, Traolach and Ruairi.
In 2006, Máire's memoir History's Daughter: A Memoir from the Only Child of Terence MacSwiney was published by O'Brien Press
O'Brien Press
The O'Brien Press is a leading publisher in Ireland of mainly children's fiction and adult non-fiction and the only Irish publishing house to have received the prestigious International Reading Association Award....
. It includes a detailed account of her husband's life, before and after their marriage.
See also
- Families in the OireachtasFamilies in the OireachtasThere is a tradition in Irish politics of having family members succeed each other, frequently in the same parliamentary seat. This article lists families where two or more members of that family have been members of either of the houses of the Oireachtas or of the European Parliament...