Simon Donnelly (Irish Republican)
Encyclopedia
Simon Donnelly was a member of the Irish Republican Army
and a founder member of both Córas na Poblachta
and Clann na Poblachta
.
Donnelly was born in Dublin, the son of a master plumber. He was the sixth of eight surviving children. The 1911 Census lists him living with his family at 34 Wexford Street. Apprenticed as a plumber, he became involved in the Irish Volunteers
. During the Easter Rising
of 1916 he was the commander of C Company of Éamon de Valera
's command in Boland's Mill.
He was Vice-Commandant of the 3rd Battalion of the Dublin Brigade of the IRA during the War of Independence
. On 10 February 1921 he was arrested. Four days later he escaped from Kilmainham Gaol
along with Ernie O'Malley
and Frank Teeling
. Returning to his command in the IRA, he was appointed chief of the Irish Republican Police
in mid-1921 as part of an attempt to enforce law and order in those areas of the country where the Royal Irish Constabulary
had been forced out.
Donnelly took the anti-Treaty side in the Civil War
. He founded the National Association of the Old IRA in an attempt to mend some of the rifts in the Republican Movement. He was a member of the provisional National Executive of the Republican Prisoners' Release Association. On 2 March 1940, he was one of the founders of Córas na Poblachta
and served as its president. He became a founding member of Clann na Poblachta
in 1946.
As one of the most senior surviving veterans of the Rising, he played a prominent role in the 50th anniversary commemorations in 1966. He died in December of that year.
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...
and a founder member of both Córas na Poblachta
Córas na Poblachta
Córas na Poblachta , abbreviated CnaP, was a minor Irish republican political party founded in 1940.-Origins:The idea for a new party was discussed at a meeting in Dublin on February 21, 1940 attended by 104 former officers of the pro- and anti-Treaty wings of the Irish Republican Army. The...
and 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:...
.
Donnelly was born in Dublin, the son of a master plumber. He was the sixth of eight surviving children. The 1911 Census lists him living with his family at 34 Wexford Street. Apprenticed as a plumber, he became involved in 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"...
. 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...
of 1916 he was the commander of C Company of 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...
's command in Boland's Mill.
He was Vice-Commandant of the 3rd Battalion of the Dublin Brigade of the IRA during 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...
. On 10 February 1921 he was arrested. Four days later he escaped from Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison, located in Kilmainham in Dublin, which is now a museum. It has been run since the mid-1980s by the Office of Public Works , an Irish Government agency...
along with 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...
and Frank Teeling
Frank Teeling
Francis 'Frank' Teeling was a member of the Irish Republican Army and one of Michael Collins' Squad who took part in the assassinations of members of the Cairo Gang on Bloody Sunday.-Background:...
. Returning to his command in the IRA, he was appointed chief of the Irish Republican Police
Irish Republican Police
The Irish Republican Police was the police force of the 1919-1922 Irish Republic and was administered by the Department for Home Affairs of that government.-Foundation:...
in mid-1921 as part of an attempt to enforce law and order in those areas of the country where 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...
had been forced out.
Donnelly took the anti-Treaty side in 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....
. He founded the National Association of the Old IRA in an attempt to mend some of the rifts in the Republican Movement. He was a member of the provisional National Executive of the Republican Prisoners' Release Association. On 2 March 1940, he was one of the founders of Córas na Poblachta
Córas na Poblachta
Córas na Poblachta , abbreviated CnaP, was a minor Irish republican political party founded in 1940.-Origins:The idea for a new party was discussed at a meeting in Dublin on February 21, 1940 attended by 104 former officers of the pro- and anti-Treaty wings of the Irish Republican Army. The...
and served as its president. He became a founding member of 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:...
in 1946.
As one of the most senior surviving veterans of the Rising, he played a prominent role in the 50th anniversary commemorations in 1966. He died in December of that year.