Sean McGarry
Encyclopedia
Seán McGarry was a 20th century Irish
nationalist
and politician. A longtime senior member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB), he served as its president from May 1917 until November 1918 when he was one of a number of nationalist leaders arrested for his alleged involvement in the so-called German Plot
.
and was frequently arrested or imprisoned by British authorities for his activities with the IRB during the early 1900s. McGarry participated in the 1916 Easter Rising
as an aide-de-camp
to Tom Clarke
and sentenced to eight years penal servitude for his role in the failed rebellion.
He was sent to Frongoch internment camp
in Wales, but was eventually released. McGarry assisted Michael Collins
in his efforts to reorganize the Irish Republican Brotherhood and, at the Volunteer Executive Meeting held in late 1917, he was elected General Secretary of the Irish Volunteers
.
On the night of 17 May 1918, McGarry was arrested along with seventy-three other Irish nationalist leaders and deported to England and held in custody without charge. The day following their arrest, he and the others were charged with conspiring "to enter into, and have entered into, treasonable communication with the German enemy". In his absence, Harry Boland
was selected for the Supreme Council and became his successor as president of the IRB.
He was only imprisoned a short time when he took part in the famous escape from Lincoln Jail with Seán Milroy
and Éamon de Valera
on 3 February 1919. He and Milroy had managed to smuggle out a postcard, a comical sketch of McGarry to his wife, allowing a copy of the key to their cell to be made. They were later assisted by Harry Boland and Michael Collins who awaited them outside the prison. A month later, McGarry gave a dramatic speech at a Sinn Féin concert held at the Mansion House, Dublin
before going into hiding.
Throughout the Irish War of Independence
, McGarry served as a commander and was eventually elected to Second Dáil
in the 1921 elections
as a Sinn Féin
Teachta Dála
(TD) representing Dublin Mid
. He, like the majority of those in the Irish Republican Brotherhood, supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty
and was involved in debates against de Valera during the controversy, most especially discussing the status of Sinn Féin as a political entity.
He was re-elected as a Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin TD in the 1922 general election
, siding with the Free State government during the Irish Civil War
. According to Frank Henderson, as told to Ernie O'Malley
, Liam Lynch and other members of the Éamon de Valera's Anti-Treaty faction began planning the assassination of McGarry among other TDs supporting the Public Safety Bill.
On 10 December 1922, shortly before the first meeting of the Free State parliament, a fire was deliberately set by the Irregulars at his family home resulting in the death of his son. He was one of four others targeted by the anti-Treatyites during the December Free State executions. De Valera publicly denounced the attack.
McGarry was re-elected as a Cumann na nGaedheal TD in the 1923 general election
for Dublin North. Dissatisfied and disillusioned with Cumann na nGeadhael, he resigned from the party after the Irish Army Mutiny and defected to Joseph McGrath
's National Party
. He resigned his seat in October 1924 and tried to retain his seat as a National Party candidate in the by-election but was defeated by Oscar Traynor
.
Ireland
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...
nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
and politician. A longtime senior member 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), he served as its president from May 1917 until November 1918 when he was one of a number of nationalist leaders arrested for his alleged involvement in the so-called German Plot
German Plot (Ireland, May 1918)
The "German Plot" was a conspiracy alleged in May 1918 by the Dublin Castle administration in Ireland to exist between the Sinn Féin movement and the German Empire to start an armed insurrection in Ireland during World War I...
.
Biography
An active member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, McGarry was a close friend of Bulmer HobsonBulmer Hobson
John Bulmer Hobson was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Republican Brotherhood before the Easter Rising in 1916...
and was frequently arrested or imprisoned by British authorities for his activities with the IRB during the early 1900s. McGarry participated in the 1916 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...
as an aide-de-camp
Aide-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 Tom Clarke
Tom Clarke (Irish republican)
Thomas James "Tom" Clarke was an Irish revolutionary leader and arguably the person most responsible for the 1916 Easter Rising. A proponent of violent revolution for most of his life, he spent 15 years in prison...
and sentenced to eight years penal servitude for his role in the failed rebellion.
He was sent to Frongoch internment camp
Frongoch internment camp
Frongoch internment camp at Frongoch in Merionethshire, Wales was a makeshift place of imprisonment during the First World War. Until 1916 it housed German prisoners of war in an abandoned distillery and crude huts, but in the wake of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland, the German prisoners...
in Wales, but was eventually released. McGarry assisted Michael Collins
Michael 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...
in his efforts to reorganize the Irish Republican Brotherhood and, at the Volunteer Executive Meeting held in late 1917, he was elected General Secretary of 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"...
.
On the night of 17 May 1918, McGarry was arrested along with seventy-three other Irish nationalist leaders and deported to England and held in custody without charge. The day following their arrest, he and the others were charged with conspiring "to enter into, and have entered into, treasonable communication with the German enemy". In his absence, Harry Boland
Harry Boland
Harry Boland was an Irish Republican politician and member of the First Dáil.-Early life:Boland was born in Phibsboro, Dublin on 27 April 1887. He was active in GAA circles in early life, and ultimately joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood...
was selected for the Supreme Council and became his successor as president of the IRB.
He was only imprisoned a short time when he took part in the famous escape from Lincoln Jail with Seán Milroy
Seán Milroy
Seán Milroy was an Irish politician. He was born in Maryport in Cumberland. He was a journalist by profession.He contested a by-election for Sinn Féin in Tyrone North East unsuccessfully. He was elected a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála at the 1921 elections for both the Cavan constituency and for the...
and 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...
on 3 February 1919. He and Milroy had managed to smuggle out a postcard, a comical sketch of McGarry to his wife, allowing a copy of the key to their cell to be made. They were later assisted by Harry Boland and Michael Collins who awaited them outside the prison. A month later, McGarry gave a dramatic speech at a Sinn Féin concert held at the Mansion House, Dublin
Mansion House, Dublin
The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin since 1715.-Features:The Mansion House's most famous features include the "Round Room", where the First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 to proclaim the Irish Declaration of Independence...
before going into hiding.
Throughout the Irish 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...
, McGarry served as a commander and was eventually elected to Second Dáil
Second Dáil
The Second Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16 August 1921 until 8 June 1922. From 1919–1922 Dáil Éireann was the revolutionary parliament of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic. The Second Dáil consisted of members elected in 1921...
in the 1921 elections
Irish elections, 1921
Two elections in Ireland took place in 1921, as a result of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to establish the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The election was used by Irish Republicans as the basis of membership of the Second Dáil...
as a 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...
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) representing Dublin Mid
Dublin County Mid (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin County Mid was a short-lived parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1977 to 1981...
. He, like the majority of those in the Irish Republican Brotherhood, supported 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 involved in debates against de Valera during the controversy, most especially discussing the status of Sinn Féin as a political entity.
He was re-elected as a Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin TD in the 1922 general election
Irish general election, 1922
The Irish general election of 1922 took place in Southern Ireland on 16 June 1922, under the provisions of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty to elect a constituent assembly paving the way for the formal establishment of the Irish Free State...
, siding with the Free State government 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....
. According to Frank Henderson, as told to Ernie O'Malley
Ernie O'Malley
Ernie O'Malley was an Irish Republican Army officer during the Irish War of Independence and a commander of the anti-treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War. O'Malley wrote three books, On Another Man's Wound, The Singing Flame, and Raids and Rallies. The first describes his early life and role in...
, Liam Lynch and other members of the Éamon de Valera's Anti-Treaty faction began planning the assassination of McGarry among other TDs supporting the Public Safety Bill.
On 10 December 1922, shortly before the first meeting of the Free State parliament, a fire was deliberately set by the Irregulars at his family home resulting in the death of his son. He was one of four others targeted by the anti-Treatyites during the December Free State executions. De Valera publicly denounced the attack.
McGarry was re-elected as a Cumann na nGaedheal TD in the 1923 general election
Irish general election, 1923
The Irish general election of 1923 was held on 27 August 1923. The newly elected members of the 4th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 19 September when the new President of the Executive Council and Executive Council of the Irish Free State were appointed. The election was held just after the end...
for Dublin North. Dissatisfied and disillusioned with Cumann na nGeadhael, he resigned from the party after the Irish Army Mutiny and defected to Joseph McGrath
Joseph McGrath (politician)
Joseph McGrath was an Irish politician and businessman. He was a Sinn Féin and later a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála for various constituencies in Dublin and County Mayo and developed widespread business interests.-Political career:McGrath was born in Dublin in 1887...
's National Party
National Party (Ireland, 1924)
The National Party was a minor political party in the Irish Free State between 1924 and 1925. It was a splinter group of nine Cumann na nGaedheal TDs led by Joseph McGrath, who had been Minister for Industry and Commerce in the CnaG government....
. He resigned his seat in October 1924 and tried to retain his seat as a National Party candidate in the by-election but was defeated by Oscar Traynor
Oscar Traynor
Oscar Traynor was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and revolutionary. He served in a number of Cabinet positions, most notably as the country's longest-serving Minister for Defence....
.
Further reading
- De Burca, Padraig and John F. Boyle. Free State Or Republic?: Pen Pictures of the Historic Treaty Session of Dáil Éireann. Dublin: Talbot Press Ltd., 1922.
- Darrell FiggisDarrell FiggisDarrell Edmund Figgis was an Irish writer, Sinn Féin activist and independent parliamentarian in the Irish Free State. The little that has been written about him has attempted to highlight how thoroughly his memory and works have been excised from Irish popular culture.-Early life:Darrell Figgis...
: Recollections of the Irish War. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1928. - Knirck, Jason K. Imagining Ireland's Independence: The Debates Over the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. ISBN 0-7425-4148-7
- O'Donoghue, Florence. No Other Law: The Story of Liam Lynch and the Irish Republican Army, 1916-1923. Dublin: Irish Press, 1954.