Florence O'Donoghue facts for kids
Florence O'Donoghue (born July 22, 1894 – died December 18, 1967) was an important Irish historian. He also led the intelligence section for the Cork No. 1 Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Irish War of Independence.
Florence was born in Rathmore, County Kerry, Ireland. This was on July 22, 1894. His parents were Patrick O'Donoghue, a farmer, and Margaret Cronin. In 1910, he moved to Cork city. There, he worked as an apprentice in a fabric shop.
Life in the Military
The 1916 Easter Rising was a very important event for Florence. In December 1916, he joined the Cork branch of the Irish Volunteers. These were groups of people who wanted Ireland to be independent.
In early 1917, Florence was chosen as the First Lieutenant of the Cyclist Company. He spent all his free time working with the Volunteers. He also wrote weekly for the Irish World newspaper for two years. By May 1917, he joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood. This was a secret group working for Irish independence. In October, Tomás Mac Curtain made O'Donoghue the communications officer for the Cork Brigade. He later became the Brigade Adjutant, which is like a chief administrator.
O'Donoghue helped plan a daring jailbreak. This was for Captain Donnchadh Mac Niallghuis on Armistice Day in 1918. Florence personally made sure he was safe. Michael Collins, a famous Irish leader, visited Cork in late 1919. He was the last officer from the Volunteers' main headquarters to visit until a ceasefire in 1921.
Building an Intelligence Network
Florence O'Donoghue created a strong intelligence network. This means he gathered secret information. His future wife, Josephine Marchment, was one of his agents. She worked as a main clerk at the British Army Headquarters in Cork. She secretly passed important British Army letters to Florence.
Florence also recruited people to help. They would open letters, listen to phone calls, and stop telegrams. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had about 2,000 active members in Cork. They also helped gather information. By March 1920, Florence was serving full-time in the IRA. He had to go on the run from the authorities.
After two and a half years of fighting, a truce was agreed. This happened on July 11, 1921.
The Irish Civil War
In January 1922, the Irish parliament (called the Dáil) approved the Anglo-Irish Treaty. This treaty caused the IRA to split into two groups. One group supported the treaty, and the other did not.
Florence O'Donoghue was elected to the army's executive as Adjutant-General. He warned about the dangers of an Irish Civil War. In June 1922, he resigned from the army's executive. A month later, on July 3, 1922, he left the army completely. The Civil War began on June 28, 1922, between the two sides. Florence was very sad about this.
During the Civil War, Florence stayed neutral. He tried to arrange a truce to stop the fighting. In December 1922, he formed a group called the "Neutral IRA". This group included IRA men who wanted a truce. O'Donoghue said his group had 20,000 members. He pushed for a month-long truce. He hoped this would allow both sides to find a peaceful solution. However, his efforts did not work. In March 1923, he closed down the "Neutral IRA". He realized its goals could not be met. The Civil War ended on May 24, 1923.
Later, from 1939 to 1946, he served as a major in the Irish Army. He created a special intelligence service. This group would stay behind enemy lines if Ireland was invaded. He also taught new army recruits about guerrilla war tactics. These are fighting methods used by small groups against larger armies.
Life at Home
Florence married Josephine Brown (whose maiden name was Marchment) in April 1921. They had four children together. They also adopted two children from Josephine's first marriage.
Florence later became a rate collector. This meant he collected local taxes. He stayed out of politics for the rest of his life.
In his later years, he became a respected historian. While in the army, he edited An Cosantóir. This was the Irish Army's magazine. He convinced Éamon de Valera, a former Irish leader, to create the Bureau of Military History. This bureau recorded personal stories from the Irish War of Independence. O'Donoghue worked there as a recording officer until 1948. His most famous book is a biography about Liam Lynch. It is called No Other Law.
Florence O'Donoghue died on December 18, 1967. Tom Barry, another Irish republican, gave a speech at his graveside.
