Thomas Harte (Irish republican) facts for kids
Thomas Harte was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was the first of seven IRA members who were executed by Irish forces between 1940 and 1944. These executions took place in prisons like Mountjoy Prison and Portlaoise Prison.
Arrest and Important Plans
On September 6, 1940, Thomas Harte, who was 25 years old, was executed. Three weeks before this, he was badly hurt and arrested. This happened during a police raid on a meeting of important IRA members in Dublin.
Another IRA member, Patrick McGrath, was also arrested at the same time. He had recently escaped from police. A third person, Tom Hunt, got away from the raid but was arrested soon after. McGrath was executed with Harte. Tom Hunt's death sentence was changed to a prison sentence, and he was sent to the Curragh prison camp.
Their arrests followed a gunfight with the Garda (Irish police) Special Branch. During this fight, two police officers were killed, and another was hurt. The meeting they were at was reportedly about "Plan Kathleen." This was a plan by the Nazis to invade Northern Ireland, though it never happened.
At this time, Stephen Hayes (Irish republican) was the leader of the IRA. Later, in 1941, other IRA members kidnapped Hayes. They said he was a spy for the Irish government. Hayes later admitted that he gave the police the address of the meeting where Harte, McGrath, and Hunt were captured.
IRA Actions and New Laws
During this period, the IRA was also carrying out bombings and attacks in England. This was called the "S-Plan." Thomas Harte was involved in planning these actions and was said to have taken part in some attacks in England.
Because of the IRA's actions, the Irish government passed two new laws in 1939. These laws gave the government special powers. One of these laws was the Treason Act. It said that people found guilty of treason could face the death penalty. These laws were used to allow the executions of both Thomas Harte and Patrick McGrath.
Trial and Execution
Thomas Harte and Patrick McGrath were tried by a special court called a Military Tribunal. This court was set up under the Emergency Powers Act 1939. All three men — Harte, McGrath, and Hunt — had a lawyer named Seán MacBride to represent them.
They tried to challenge the laws in court, but their appeals were not successful. At that time, there was no way to appeal the decisions of a Military Tribunal.
Thomas Harte and Patrick McGrath were executed by a firing squad at Dublin's Mountjoy Prison on September 6, 1940. This was just 22 days after the gunfight. Harte's body was buried in an unmarked grave inside the prison yard. In 1948, his family was allowed to have his remains.
A local group in North Armagh, a political party called Republican Sinn Fein, is named in honor of Thomas Harte.
