Ruairí Ó Brádaigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruairí Ó Bradaigh
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Ó Bradaigh in 2004
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| President of Republican Sinn Féin | |
| In office 1987–2009 |
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| Succeeded by | Des Dalton |
| President of Sinn Féin | |
| In office October 1970 – 13 November 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Tomás Mac Giolla |
| Succeeded by | Gerry Adams |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office March 1957 – October 1961 |
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| Constituency | Longford–Westmeath |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter Roger Casement Brady
2 October 1932 Longford, County Longford, Ireland |
| Died | 5 June 2013 (aged 80) Roscommon, County Roscommon, Ireland |
| Political party | Republican Sinn Féin |
| Other political affiliations |
Sinn Féin (1950–86) |
| Spouse | Patsy O'Connor |
| Children | 6 |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Irish Republic |
| Service/ |
Irish Republican Army |
| Years of service | 1951–1970 |
| Rank | Chief of Staff |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | Political activist |
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (born Peter Roger Casement Brady; 2 October 1932 – 5 June 2013) was an important Irish republican political and military leader. He was the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1958 to 1959 and again from 1960 to 1962. He also served as president of Sinn Féin from 1970 to 1983, and later as president of Republican Sinn Féin from 1987 to 2009.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, whose birth name was Peter Roger Casement Brady, was born in Longford, Ireland. His family had a history of involvement in Irish republicanism. His father, Matt Brady, was an IRA volunteer, and his mother, May Caffrey, was a volunteer with Cumann na mBan, a women's republican organization.
Ó Brádaigh went to Melview National School and then to St. Mel's College. He later studied at University College Dublin, where he earned a degree in commerce in 1954. Like his mother, he also became certified to teach the Irish language. After finishing university, he started working as an Irish teacher in Roscommon.
Joining Sinn Féin and the IRA
Ó Brádaigh joined the political party Sinn Féin in 1950. While he was at university in 1951, he also became a member of the Irish Republican Army. He was a teacher by profession, and he also helped train new members for the IRA.
In 1954, he was appointed to the IRA's Military Council. This group was formed to plan military actions against police barracks in Northern Ireland.
Arms Raid in Britain
On 13 August 1955, Ó Brádaigh led an IRA group in an arms raid on Hazebrouck Barracks in England. This was the largest IRA arms raid in Britain at the time. The group took a large amount of ammunition and various weapons. However, most of the weapons were found by the police soon after.
The Border Campaign
The IRA Border Campaign began on 12 December 1956. This was a series of attacks by the IRA, mainly along the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ó Brádaigh was responsible for training one of the main armed units for this campaign.
During the campaign, he was involved in an attack on a police barracks in Derrylin, County Fermanagh. He was arrested the next day by the Garda Síochána (Irish police) and jailed for six months.
Elected to Parliament
Even though he was in prison, Ó Brádaigh was elected as a Teachta Dála (TD), which is a member of the Irish parliament, for the Longford–Westmeath area in the 1957 Irish general election. He and other Sinn Féin members who were elected refused to take their seats in the Irish parliament. This was because they believed in "abstentionism," meaning they would only take a seat in an all-Ireland parliament. He did not win his seat again in the 1961 Irish general election.
Escape and Leadership Role
After his prison sentence, Ó Brádaigh was held at the Curragh Military Prison with other republicans. On 27 September 1958, he escaped from the camp with another republican, Dáithí Ó Conaill. They cut through a fence and crawled out under a camouflage blanket.
In October of that year, Ó Brádaigh became the IRA Chief of Staff. He held this position until May 1959 and again from 1960 to 1962. He was a key person in writing the statement that officially ended the IRA Border Campaign in 1962.
After 1962, he returned to teaching. He remained an active member of Sinn Féin and was part of the IRA Army Council throughout the 1960s.
Leader of Provisional Sinn Féin
The Split of Sinn Féin
In 1969 and 1970, there was a disagreement within the IRA and Sinn Féin about whether to stop the policy of abstentionism and recognize the parliaments in London, Belfast, and Dublin. Ó Brádaigh strongly disagreed with this change.
On 11 January 1970, he led a walkout from the Sinn Féin party meeting (Ard Fheis) after a majority voted to end abstentionism. The delegates who walked out then formed a new group called Provisional Sinn Féin. Ó Brádaigh became the president of this new party in October 1970 and held this role until 1983.
Developing Éire Nua
In 1972, Ó Brádaigh, along with Dáithí Ó Conaill, developed a policy called Éire Nua (New Ireland). This policy suggested that Ireland should become a federal country, meaning it would have several self-governing regions.
Talks and Travel
In 1974, Ó Brádaigh spoke to the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations about how IRA prisoners were treated in Ireland. He also met with an important Irish-American politician, Tip O'Neill. However, the United States later stopped him from entering the country, seeing him as a "national security threat."
In December 1974, he took part in secret talks between the IRA and Sinn Féin leaders and Protestant church leaders in Ireland. These talks led to a temporary ceasefire (a stop to fighting) by the IRA in early 1975. The IRA believed these talks might lead to the British government leaving Ireland. However, British government papers later showed that the British were hoping the talks would cause more divisions within the republican movement.
Challenges to Leadership
After the 1975 ceasefire ended, Ó Brádaigh's leadership faced criticism from younger members, especially from Gerry Adams in Northern Ireland. By the early 1980s, his position as president of Sinn Féin was openly challenged. The Éire Nua policy, which he strongly supported, was rejected by the party in 1981 and removed from the Sinn Féin constitution in 1982.
At the party meeting in 1983, Ó Brádaigh resigned from his leadership role, disagreeing with the decision to drop the Éire Nua policy.
Leader of Republican Sinn Féin
On 2 November 1986, the majority of delegates at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis voted to allow elected members to take their seats in the Irish parliament (Dáil Éireann). Ó Brádaigh and many of his supporters disagreed with this decision. They walked out of the meeting and immediately formed a new organization called Republican Sinn Féin (RSF).
Ó Brádaigh believed that RSF was the true continuation of the original Sinn Féin, as they kept the original party constitution. RSF also adopted and expanded Ó Brádaigh's Éire Nua policy.
He strongly opposed the Good Friday Agreement, which was a peace agreement signed in 1998. He believed it would make the division of Ireland permanent. He also criticized Provisional Sinn Féin for giving up their weapons while British troops remained in Ireland.
In July 2005, he gave some of his personal political papers to the James Hardiman Library at the National University of Ireland, Galway. These papers included notes from his secret meetings with British representatives in 1974–1975.
Retirement and Death
In September 2009, Ó Brádaigh announced that he was retiring as the leader of Republican Sinn Féin. Des Dalton became his successor.
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh was also a long-time member of the Celtic League. This organization works to promote cooperation and culture among the Celtic nations like Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and others.
After a period of illness, Ó Brádaigh passed away on 5 June 2013, at Roscommon County Hospital. His funeral was attended by many people.
Writings
- Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, What is Irish Republicanism, Dec 1970
- Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Restore the means of production to the people, Dec 1970
- Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Our people, our future, Dublin 1973
- Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Dílseacht – The Story of Comdt General Tom Maguire and the Second (All-Ireland) Dáil, Dublin: Irish Freedom Press, 1997, ISBN: 0-9518567-9-0
See also
In Spanish: Ruairí Ó Brádaigh para niños
- List of members of the Oireachtas imprisoned since 1923
Images for kids
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Ruairí Ó Brádaigh speaking at the 2003 RSF Ard Fheis
