Éamonn MacThomáis
Encyclopedia
Éamonn MacThomáis was an author, broadcaster, historian, Irish Republican, advocate of the Irish Language
and lecturer. He presented his own series on Dublin on RTÉ
(Irish National Broadcaster) during the 70s and was well known for guided tours and lectures of his beloved Dublin. He is buried in Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery
.
. His father, a fire-brigade officer, died when Éamonn was five years old and his family moved to Goldenbridge, Inchicore
. He left school at 13 to work as delivery boy for White Heather Laundry, learning Dublin neighbourhoods with great thoroughness. He said he found work to help his mother pay the rent. He later worked as a clerk, and was appointed credit controller for an engineering firm. MacThomáis joined the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Republican Army
as a young man and was active in the preparations for and prosecution of the 1956-62 border campaign
. He was interned
in Curragh Camp
during the campaign and in December 1961 was sentenced to 4 months imprisonment under the Offences Against the State Act.
At the November 1959 Ardfheis he was elected to the Ardchomhairle of Sinn Féin
, and edited and contributed to the Sinn Féin newspaper The United Irishman.
He was a close friend of Tomás MacGiolla
, and was deeply affected by the 1970 split in Sinn Féin. MacThomáis took the Provisional side, opposing MacGiolla.
He took over as editor of An Phoblacht
in 1972. In July 1973, he was arrested and charged with IRA membership at the Special Criminal Court
in Dublin. He refused to recognise the court but he gave a lengthy address from the dock. The following month was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. Within two months of completing his sentence he was again before the court on the same charge and received a 15-month sentence. Editors of six left-wing and Irish-language journals called for his release, as did a number of writers, and hundreds attended protest meetings - to no avail. He served his full sentence. Tim Pat Coogan
who was editor of the Irish Press noted that the charges against MacThomáis were politically motivated to a large degree as his activities were confined strictly to the newspaper An Phoblacht
.
Under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act, due to his membership of Sinn Féin in the 1970s he was removed from his position in making some of the RTÉ historical programmes. As a historian he made numerous contributions to various historical publications such as the Dublin Historical Review.
From 1974 he wrote a number of books on old Dublin. They sold very well and remained in print for over 20 years. He also started a number of walking tours of Dublin, which proved very popular. His son Shane, also a historian, now runs similar walking tours.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and lecturer. He presented his own series on Dublin on RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
(Irish National Broadcaster) during the 70s and was well known for guided tours and lectures of his beloved Dublin. He is buried in Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
.
Biography
MacThomáis came from a staunch Republican family. He was born Edward Patrick Thomas in the Dublin suburb of RathminesRathmines
Rathmines is a suburb on the southside of Dublin, about 3 kilometres south of the city centre. It effectively begins at the south side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranelagh to the east and Harold's Cross to the west.Rathmines has...
. His father, a fire-brigade officer, died when Éamonn was five years old and his family moved to Goldenbridge, Inchicore
Inchicore
-Location and access:Located five kilometres due west of the city centre, Inchicore lies south of the River Liffey, west of Kilmainham, north of Drimnagh and east of Ballyfermot. The majority of Inchicore is in the Dublin 8 postal district...
. He left school at 13 to work as delivery boy for White Heather Laundry, learning Dublin neighbourhoods with great thoroughness. He said he found work to help his mother pay the rent. He later worked as a clerk, and was appointed credit controller for an engineering firm. MacThomáis joined the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)
The original Irish Republican Army fought a guerrilla war against British rule in Ireland in the Irish War of Independence 1919–1921. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921, the IRA in the 26 counties that were to become the Irish Free State split between supporters and...
as a young man and was active in the preparations for and prosecution of the 1956-62 border campaign
Border Campaign (IRA)
The Border Campaign was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the Irish Republican Army against targets in Northern Ireland, with the aim of overthrowing British rule there and creating a united Ireland.Popularly referred to as the Border Campaign, it was also referred to as the...
. He was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
in Curragh Camp
Curragh Camp
The Curragh Camp is an army base and military college located in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Army.- Brief history of the Curragh's military heritage :...
during the campaign and in December 1961 was sentenced to 4 months imprisonment under the Offences Against the State Act.
At the November 1959 Ardfheis he was elected to the Ardchomhairle of 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...
, and edited and contributed to the Sinn Féin newspaper The United Irishman.
He was a close friend of Tomás MacGiolla
Tomás MacGiolla
Tomás Mac Giolla was an Irish politician. He was a Teachta Dála and a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Workers' Party of Ireland.-Early life:...
, and was deeply affected by the 1970 split in Sinn Féin. MacThomáis took the Provisional side, opposing MacGiolla.
He took over as editor of An Phoblacht
An Phoblacht
An Phoblacht is the official newspaper of Sinn Féin in Ireland. It is published once a month, and according to its website sells an average of up to 15,000 copies every month and was the first Irish paper to provide an edition online and currently having in excess of 100,000 website hits per...
in 1972. In July 1973, he was arrested and charged with IRA membership at the Special Criminal Court
Special Criminal Court
The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in the Republic of Ireland which tries terrorist and organized crime cases. Article 38 of the Constitution of Ireland empowers the Dáil to establish "special courts" with wide-ranging powers when "the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure...
in Dublin. He refused to recognise the court but he gave a lengthy address from the dock. The following month was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. Within two months of completing his sentence he was again before the court on the same charge and received a 15-month sentence. Editors of six left-wing and Irish-language journals called for his release, as did a number of writers, and hundreds attended protest meetings - to no avail. He served his full sentence. Tim Pat Coogan
Tim 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...
who was editor of the Irish Press noted that the charges against MacThomáis were politically motivated to a large degree as his activities were confined strictly to the newspaper An Phoblacht
An Phoblacht
An Phoblacht is the official newspaper of Sinn Féin in Ireland. It is published once a month, and according to its website sells an average of up to 15,000 copies every month and was the first Irish paper to provide an edition online and currently having in excess of 100,000 website hits per...
.
Under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act, due to his membership of Sinn Féin in the 1970s he was removed from his position in making some of the RTÉ historical programmes. As a historian he made numerous contributions to various historical publications such as the Dublin Historical Review.
From 1974 he wrote a number of books on old Dublin. They sold very well and remained in print for over 20 years. He also started a number of walking tours of Dublin, which proved very popular. His son Shane, also a historian, now runs similar walking tours.
Television Programmes
- Hands (RTÉ)
- Dublin: a Personal View, two six-part series, 1979; 1983 (RTÉ)
Awards and honours
- Old Dublin Society Silver Medal (1988)
- Bank of Ireland Millennium Medal (1989)