Seamus Deakin
Encyclopedia
Seamus Deakin was an Irish nationalist and member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
, in which he briefly served as its president from 1913 to 1914.
and later owned his own shop in Phibsborough. Deakin became involved in the Irish nationalist movement during the early 1900s and, within a short time, became a high ranking member in the Drumcondra
-branch of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. A political ally of George Irvine, Ernest Blythe
and Sean O'Casey
, in 1913, he succeeded John Mulholland as president of the IRB before acceding to Denis McCullough
the following year. His whereabouts are unrecorded during the Easter Rising
in 1916, apparently escaping arrest during the rebellion. It is a common belief that he emigrated to the USA, but that is almost certainly not true. Family records describe him as having died in Ireland in 1952 and being buried in Drumcolloggher, Co. Cork, Ireland.
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...
, in which he briefly served as its president from 1913 to 1914.
Biography
A resident of Dublin, Deakin worked as a chemist in Hoyt's pharmacy in O'Connell StreetO'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...
and later owned his own shop in Phibsborough. Deakin became involved in the Irish nationalist movement during the early 1900s and, within a short time, became a high ranking member in the Drumcondra
Drumcondra, Dublin
Drumcondra is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council.The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area.-History:...
-branch of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. A political ally of George Irvine, Ernest Blythe
Ernest Blythe
Ernest Blythe was an Irish politician.Ernest Blythe was born to a Presbyterian and Unionist family near Lisburn, County Antrim in 1889, the son of a farmer, and was educated locally. At the age of fifteen he started working as a clerk in the Department of Agriculture in Dublin.Blythe joined the...
and Sean O'Casey
Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
, in 1913, he succeeded John Mulholland as president of the IRB before acceding to Denis McCullough
Denis McCullough
Denis McCullough was a prominent Irish nationalist political activist in the early 20th century.-Early career - IRB activist:Born in Belfast, Ireland McCullough was a separatist nationalist from an early age...
the following year. His whereabouts are unrecorded during 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...
in 1916, apparently escaping arrest during the rebellion. It is a common belief that he emigrated to the USA, but that is almost certainly not true. Family records describe him as having died in Ireland in 1952 and being buried in Drumcolloggher, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Further reading
- Martin, Francis X. The Irish Volunteers, 1913-1915: Recollections and Documents. Dublin: James Duffy & Co., 1963.