Charlie Daly facts for kids

Charlie Daly (born August 10, 1896) was from Castlemaine, County Kerry, Ireland. He was the second son of Con. W. Daly. Charlie went to school in Ballyfinane and later at the Christian Brothers in Tralee.

From 1913, Charlie was an active member of the Irish Volunteers, a group of people who wanted Ireland to be independent. He became a high-ranking officer, a Commandant General, and was in charge of the Second Northern Division of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was even held in prison for a short time for being part of a large gathering and throwing stones at the police. During a protest in jail, he faced harsh treatment.

In 1922, Charlie Daly was at a big meeting where people voted on an important agreement called the Anglo-Irish Treaty. He, along with other leaders like Liam Lynch and George Lennon, was there when most people voted to accept it. However, Charlie Daly did not agree with the Treaty. He joined the Anti-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War. Sadly, he was later executed by orders from the new Irish Free State government.

Charlie Daly's Role in the IRA

Leading the 2nd Northern Division

In early 1920, the main leaders of the IRA sent Charlie Daly to County Tyrone. His job was to be the Officer Commanding (O/C), or leader, of the IRA's 2nd Northern Division. He had to organize the small groups of fighters there. He was also told to 'raid for arms,' which meant finding weapons, because the IRA in Tyrone didn't have many. Before Charlie arrived, each IRA group was mostly working on its own.

Local IRA leaders were happy to see Charlie Daly. They said he "impressed us very much with his example and bearing." Charlie told the local IRA members that many people would need to be ready to give everything for their cause. He explained that "volunteering was not going to be an easy job."

In the spring of 1921, another IRA leader named Eoin O'Duffy was put in charge of the 2nd Northern Division. But Liam Kelly, a respected local leader, felt that Charlie Daly should have kept the job. He believed Charlie knew the area and the men much better. Charlie Daly was a senior leader of the IRA in County Donegal during this time. After a ceasefire in the Irish War of Independence in July 1921, O'Duffy moved to Belfast. Charlie Daly then took command of the 2nd Northern Division of the IRA again.

Facing New Challenges

In 1921, Charlie Daly commanded 15 active groups in Tyrone, each with about 50 men. During this time, 27 people were killed by the local IRA, with 20 of them being part of the British forces. Charlie's groups attacked police stations and raided for weapons and ammunition many times.

After the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in December 1921, Charlie Daly understood that his forces still faced different challenges. He said, "it seems curious that we must risk our lives for the sake of a cause that has been handed over to the enemy." He also noted that people in the North of Ireland would have to fight for their survival no matter what government was in power.

In February 1922, Charlie Daly was removed from his position as O/C of the 2nd Northern Division. He was replaced by an officer who supported the Treaty. Charlie believed his removal was because he opposed the Treaty. He saw it as one of many steps taken by the new government to replace IRA leaders who did not support the Treaty.

Fighting in the Civil War

Charlie Daly continued to fight. He planned a very successful attack on the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) police station in Pomeroy, County Tyrone on March 19, 1922. About 20 heavily armed IRA men entered the base and took 75 rifles and a lot of ammunition. On November 23, 1922, Charlie led an attack by the Carrickmore Battalion on the RIC at Ballygawley. This attack wounded three police officers and two civilian drivers.

In the spring of 1922, Charlie Daly helped plan and carry out the IRA's Northern Offensive. He first tried to prevent fighting between groups who supported and opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Speaking about the IRA's campaign in Tyrone when he was in command, Charlie Daly said that his area did much more than other areas, even with a difficult local population and strong enemy forces.

During the Irish Civil War, Charlie Daly's forces faced increasing pressure from the pro-Treaty side. Facing very strong opposition, Charlie and another leader, Sean Lehane, split their forces into smaller groups. In a letter from September 17, 1922, Charlie Daly described how desperate their situation was. He wrote, "Here we are with one small column trying to hold our own against desperate odds. A month ago I never expected that one of us would be left by now."

Capture and Legacy

His Final Days

On November 2, 1922, Charlie Daly was captured and held in Drumboe Castle, County Donegal. He stayed there until January 16, 1923. On that day, he faced a military trial and was sentenced to death.

On March 14, 1923, Commandant General Daly, who was 26 years old, along with three other young men – Lt. Daniel Enright (23), Brigadier Commandant Sean Larkin (26), and Lt. Timothy O'Sullivan (23) – were given a chance to avoid execution. They could sign a paper promising not to fight against the Irish government or interfere with others. All four men refused to sign this paper. They were then executed by a firing squad shortly after. Like Charlie, Daniel Enright and Timothy O'Sullivan were also from Kerry.

Charlie Daly was executed in response to an act he did not commit. This was the shooting of Captain Bernard Cannon, an officer in the pro-Treaty National Army. Joseph Sweeney (Irish politician), who was the commander of the government forces in County Donegal, knew Charlie from earlier years. Sweeney said about Charlie's execution, "The terrible thing was that Daly had to be executed...Daly and I had been very friendly when we were students, and it is an awful thing to kill a man you know in cold blood." He added that he didn't agree with it, but he had to follow orders.

Remembering Charlie Daly

Charlie Daly's sister, May Daly, was an important figure in the Sinn Féin political party in Kerry until the 1970s. She even ran in an election in 1957.

Several of Charlie Daly's descendants have also become politicians. Mark Daly was elected as a senator in 2007 for the Fianna Fáil party. Lorraine Clifford-Lee, another descendant, was elected as a Fianna Fáil senator in 2016. And Pa Daly, another descendant, was elected as a Sinn Féin politician in 2020.