Tom Maguire
Encyclopedia
Tom Maguire was an Irish republican who held the rank of commandant-general in the Western Command of the Irish Republican Army and led the South Mayo
flying column.
In May 1921, he led an ambush on a Royal Irish Constabulary
patrol in Tourmakeady
, County Mayo, killing four. Maguire's flying column
then made for the Partry Mountains
. The long held account of the following action claimed that the column were surrounded by over 700 crown forces guided by aeroplanes. Maguire was wounded and his adjutant killed, but the column managed to escape with no further casualties. British casualties were not revealed but were long believed to have been high.
Some recent research has raised the possibility that fewer than forty British soldiers were in the vicinity and that Maguire's column was forced to abandon their weapons with only one British officer wounded. However, the objectivity of this research is highly questionable.
Maguire was involved in numerous other engagements including the Kilfall ambush.
In the 1921 elections to Dáil Éireann
, Maguire was returned unopposed as Teachta Dála
(TD) for County Mayo as a Sinn Féin
candidate. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty
, and apart from saying "Níl" ("no" in English
) when the vote was called, did not participate in any substantial way in the Dáil treaty debates. He was returned unopposed in the 1922 general election
. In the 1923 general election
, Maguire faced a contest and succeeded in securing the second of five seats in the Mayo South constituency
, winning 5,712 votes (a share of 17.82 percent). He was a member of the army executive which commanded rebel troops during the Irish Civil War
. Maguire was captured by Free State forces and was told that he would be executed, but his life was spared, possibly because of his prominence as a Republican. While in prison his brother, Sean Maguire, aged 17, was executed by the Free State.
Maguire remained a TD until 1927. He had initially indicated a willingness to contest the June 1927 general election
as a Sinn Féin candidate but withdrew after the Irish Republican Army threatened to court-martial
any member under IRA General Army Order 28, which forbade its members from standing in elections. (Despite this ban, IRA officers Seán Farrell
(Leitrim–Sligo) and Dr John A. Madden
(Mayo North
) contested the election, the latter successfully).
Maguire subsequently drifted out of the IRA. In 1932, a Mayo IRA officer reported that Maguire, now firmly aligned with Sinn Féin, refused to call on men to join the IRA when speaking at republican commemorations. When challenged on this, Maguire claimed that, as the IRA “were no longer the same as they used to be”, he disagreed with the organisation.
in 1921, who met with the IRA Army Council
under Seán Russell
. At this meeting, the seven signed over what they believed was the authority of the Government of Dáil Éireann to the Army Council. Henceforth, the IRA Army Council perceived itself to be the legitimate government of the Irish Republic
and, on this basis, the IRA and Sinn Féin justified their rejection of the states of the Republic of Ireland
and Northern Ireland
and political abstentionism
from their parliamentary institutions. According to J. Bowyer Bell
, in the Secret Army, "With the possible exception of Tom Maguire, who went along, the Dáil members felt that the IRA request gave them the moral recognition so long denied by all factions and that their conditional devolution of power would in turn give the IRA the moral basis for the impending campaign" of 1939-1945.
When the majority of IRA and Sinn Féin decided to abandon abstentionism in the 1969/70 split, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
and Dáithí Ó Conaill
sought and secured Maguire's recognition of the Provisional IRA as the legitimate successor to the 1938 Army Council. Of the seven 1938 signatories, Maguire was the only one still alive.Other former members of the Second Dáil were still alive in 1969, but were disregarded by legitimists for having betrayed the Irish Republic before 1938. Likewise in the aftermath of the 1986 split in the Republican Movement
, Maguire signed a statement in 1986 but was issued posthumously in 1996, he conferred this "legitimacy" on the Army Council of the Continuity IRA (who provided a firing party at Maguire's funeral in 1993). In The Irish Troubles, J. Bowyer Bell describes Maguire's opinion in 1986, "abstentionism was a basic tenet of republicanism, a moral issue of principle. Abstentionism gave the movement legitimacy, the right to wage war, to speak for a Republic all but established in the hearts of the people."
Although the 1938 conferring has been crucial to the ideology of republican legitimatists, for all intents and purposes its validity was rejected by the overwhelming majority of the Irish people. In 1986 "a delegation from the [Gerry] Adams leadership" asked for his support, but Maguire rejected them. Republican Sinn Féin
is the only party in Ireland which subscribes to the view that the seven-member Army Council of the Continuity IRA is the legitimate government of the Irish people.
Maguire was the last survivor, not only of the rump legitimist Second Dáil of 1938, but of all those who served in the Second Dáil
in 1921–22. The last IRA veteran of the Tan War/Irish War of Independence, Dan Keating
, who died in 2007, also supported Republican Sinn Féin.
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
flying column.
In May 1921, he led an ambush on a 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...
patrol in Tourmakeady
Tourmakeady
Tuar Mhic Éadaigh is a small village in County Mayo, Ireland. It has a population of about 1000 people. It is located on the shores of Lough Mask. Part of Tourmakeady was originally in neighbouring County Galway, but was placed under the administration of County Mayo in 1898...
, County Mayo, killing four. Maguire's flying column
Flying column
A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ad hoc unit, formed during the course of operations....
then made for the Partry Mountains
Partry Mountains
The Partry Mountains is a mountain range in County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland. The highest peak in the Partry Mountains is Maumtrasna which rises to . The mountain range overlooks Lough Mask and the area is often referred to as Joyce Country.- References :*...
. The long held account of the following action claimed that the column were surrounded by over 700 crown forces guided by aeroplanes. Maguire was wounded and his adjutant killed, but the column managed to escape with no further casualties. British casualties were not revealed but were long believed to have been high.
Some recent research has raised the possibility that fewer than forty British soldiers were in the vicinity and that Maguire's column was forced to abandon their weapons with only one British officer wounded. However, the objectivity of this research is highly questionable.
Maguire was involved in numerous other engagements including the Kilfall ambush.
In the 1921 elections to 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...
, Maguire was returned unopposed as 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) for County Mayo 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...
candidate. He 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 apart from saying "Níl" ("no" in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) when the vote was called, did not participate in any substantial way in the Dáil treaty debates. He was returned unopposed 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...
. 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...
, Maguire faced a contest and succeeded in securing the second of five seats in the Mayo South constituency
Mayo South (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Mayo South was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1923 to 1969...
, winning 5,712 votes (a share of 17.82 percent). He was a member of the army executive which commanded rebel troops 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....
. Maguire was captured by Free State forces and was told that he would be executed, but his life was spared, possibly because of his prominence as a Republican. While in prison his brother, Sean Maguire, aged 17, was executed by the Free State.
Maguire remained a TD until 1927. He had initially indicated a willingness to contest the June 1927 general election
Irish general election, 1927 (June)
The Irish general election of June 1927 was held on 9 June 1927. The newly elected members of the 5th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 23 June when the new President of the Executive Council and Executive Council of the Irish Free State were appointed....
as a Sinn Féin candidate but withdrew after the Irish Republican Army threatened to court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
any member under IRA General Army Order 28, which forbade its members from standing in elections. (Despite this ban, IRA officers Seán Farrell
Seán Farrell (Irish politician)
Seán Farrell was an Irish politician and teacher. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála for the Leitrim–Sligo constituency at the 1923 general election. He did not take his seat in the Dáil due to Sinn Féin's abstentionist policy. He lost his seat at the June 1927...
(Leitrim–Sligo) and Dr John A. Madden
John Madden (Irish politician)
John Anthony Madden was an Irish politician and medical practitioner. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála for the Mayo North constituency at the 1924 by-election caused by the disqualification of Henry Coyle of Cumann na nGaedheal...
(Mayo North
Mayo North (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Mayo North was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1923 to 1969...
) contested the election, the latter successfully).
Maguire subsequently drifted out of the IRA. In 1932, a Mayo IRA officer reported that Maguire, now firmly aligned with Sinn Féin, refused to call on men to join the IRA when speaking at republican commemorations. When challenged on this, Maguire claimed that, as the IRA “were no longer the same as they used to be”, he disagreed with the organisation.
Maguire and republican legitimacy
In December 1938, Maguire was one of a group of seven people, who had been elected to the Second DáilSecond 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 1921, who met with the IRA Army Council
IRA Army Council
The IRA Army Council was the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The council had seven members, said by the...
under Seán Russell
Seán Russell
Seán Russell was an Irish republican who held senior positions in the IRA until the end of the Irish War of Independence...
. At this meeting, the seven signed over what they believed was the authority of the Government of Dáil Éireann to the Army Council. Henceforth, the IRA Army Council perceived itself to be the legitimate government 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...
and, on this basis, the IRA and Sinn Féin justified their rejection of the states of the Republic of Ireland
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,...
and 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...
and political abstentionism
Abstentionism
Abstentionism is standing for election to a deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Abstentionism differs from an election boycott in that abstentionists participate in the election itself...
from their parliamentary institutions. According to J. Bowyer Bell
J. Bowyer Bell
J. Bowyer Bell was an American historian, artist and art critic.-Background and early life:Bell was born into an Episcopalian family on 15 November 1931 in New York City. The family later moved to Alabama, from where Bell attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, majoring in...
, in the Secret Army, "With the possible exception of Tom Maguire, who went along, the Dáil members felt that the IRA request gave them the moral recognition so long denied by all factions and that their conditional devolution of power would in turn give the IRA the moral basis for the impending campaign" of 1939-1945.
When the majority of IRA and Sinn Féin decided to abandon abstentionism in the 1969/70 split, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh is an Irish republican. He is a former chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army , former president of Sinn Féin and former president of Republican Sinn Féin.-Early life:...
and Dáithí Ó Conaill
Dáithí Ó Conaill
Dáithí Ó Conaill was an Irish republican, a member of the IRA Army Council, vice-president of Sinn Féin and Republican Sinn Féin. He was also the first chief of staff of the Continuity IRA.-Joins IRA:...
sought and secured Maguire's recognition of the Provisional IRA as the legitimate successor to the 1938 Army Council. Of the seven 1938 signatories, Maguire was the only one still alive.Other former members of the Second Dáil were still alive in 1969, but were disregarded by legitimists for having betrayed the Irish Republic before 1938. Likewise in the aftermath of the 1986 split in the Republican Movement
Republican Movement (Ireland)
The Republican Movement is a collective term used to describe the Irish Republican Army and other political, social and paramilitary organisations associated with it.The term is not restricted to any one movement and can include:...
, Maguire signed a statement in 1986 but was issued posthumously in 1996, he conferred this "legitimacy" on the Army Council of the Continuity IRA (who provided a firing party at Maguire's funeral in 1993). In The Irish Troubles, J. Bowyer Bell describes Maguire's opinion in 1986, "abstentionism was a basic tenet of republicanism, a moral issue of principle. Abstentionism gave the movement legitimacy, the right to wage war, to speak for a Republic all but established in the hearts of the people."
Although the 1938 conferring has been crucial to the ideology of republican legitimatists, for all intents and purposes its validity was rejected by the overwhelming majority of the Irish people. In 1986 "a delegation from the [Gerry] Adams leadership" asked for his support, but Maguire rejected them. Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin or RSF is an unregisteredAlthough an active movement, RSF is not registered as a political party in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. minor political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin...
is the only party in Ireland which subscribes to the view that the seven-member Army Council of the Continuity IRA is the legitimate government of the Irish people.
Maguire was the last survivor, not only of the rump legitimist Second Dáil of 1938, but of all those who served in the Second Dáil
Members of the 2nd Dáil
There were two elections in Ireland on 24 May 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 2nd Dáil. The 2nd...
in 1921–22. The last IRA veteran of the Tan War/Irish War of Independence, Dan Keating
Dan Keating
Daniel "Dan" Keating was a life-long Irish republican and patron of Republican Sinn Féin. At the time of death he was Ireland's oldest man and the last surviving veteran of the Irish War of Independence.-Early life:...
, who died in 2007, also supported Republican Sinn Féin.
See also
- Second DáilSecond DáilThe 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...
- Republican Sinn FéinRepublican Sinn FéinRepublican Sinn Féin or RSF is an unregisteredAlthough an active movement, RSF is not registered as a political party in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. minor political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin...
- Continuity IRA