SEARC'S WEB GUIDE - Ruairí ó Brádaigh (born 1935)

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Searc's Web Guide to Ruairí ó Brádaigh (born 1935)

Ruairí ó Brádaigh was born in County Longford. He was educated in St. Mel's College and University College Dublin from where he graduated in 1954. In the same year he was elected to the Executive of the Military Council of the IRA. In December, 1956 ó Brádaigh was arrested by Gardaí in County Cavan after partaking in an aborted raid on an RUC Barracks in County Fermanagh and was interned in the Curragh Internment Camp. While still interned Ó Brádaigh was elected Sinn Féin TD for Longford-West Meath in January, 1957.
Dáithí Ó Conaill and Ó Brádaigh escaped from the Curragh in September, 1958 and in October Ó Brádaigh was elected Chief of Staff of the IRA. In February, 1962 it was Ó Brádaigh who called the end of the 1956-1962 IRA Campaign. Throughout the 1960's Ó Brádaigh taught in Roscommon and was an active member of Sinn Féin. When Sinn Féin split at the January, 1970 Ard Dheis, Ó Brádaigh was appointed Chairman of the Caretaker Executive of Sinn Féin and President of Sinn Féin in October, 1970.
On May 31st, 1972 he was arrested under the Offenses Against the State Act and immediately commenced a hunger-strike. After two weeks the charges against Ó Brádaigh were dropped and he was released.
On June 28th, 1972 Ó Brádaigh launched the Éire Nua [New Ireland] Sinn Féin policy document. Ó Brádaigh was arrested on December 29th, 1972 and charged in the newly established Special Criminal Court with Provisional IRA membership. In January, 1973 he was the first person convicted under the Offenses Against the State (Amendment) Act 1972 and was sentenced to six months in the Curragh Military Prison.
At the 1984 Sinn Féin Ard Dheis Ó Brádaigh's Eire Nua policy was rejected and the delegates voted to contest elections. Afterwards Ó Brádaigh left Sinn Féin and formed Republican Sinn Féin under his Presidency. He has contributed many articles to United Irishman, An Phoblacht and Saoirse. This article 'British Agents in 26 Counties' is from ó Brádaigh's pamphlet Our People/ Our Future (1973).©

Ruairí ó Brádaigh

The New Statesman of August 10 [1973] stated in regard to the Littlejohn Affair* that last autumn and winter when political persuasion and Mr Heath's bullying failed to get Mr Lynch to take tougher action against 'IRA elements within the Republic', then 'a number of highly convenient things began to happen.'
This journal instances the petrol bomb attacks on two garda stations in Co. Louth on September 22 [1972] last and a bomb at Dundalk Post Office later that night and gives as its understanding that the Littlejohn brothers have since confessed to a measure of responsibility for both the Castlebellingham and Louth police station petrol bombings.
There was considerable tension at the time because of the danger of death to Republican prisoners on hunger and thirst strike at the Curragh. Responsibility for these incidents was denied by the Provisional IRA but Mr O'Malley, the then Minister for Justice said in an RTE interview the following Sunday that 'it did not matter whether the Provisional IRA denied responsibility or not' and went on by implication to blame the Republican movement.
The closure and occupation of our Head Office at Kevin Street, Dublin followed on October 6 and an interview with Mr O'Malley in the London Times of October 16 revealed that this action was 'part of the general policy of the government and the police here to harass these people to the greatest possible extent'.
Similarly the now notorious bombings in central Dublin on December 1 blasted the Offenses Against the State (Amendment) Bill through and Mr Lynch seized ruthlessly and cynically on the opportunity to blame Irish Republicans once more by suggestion in a special TV appearance.
The new legislation was enacted but for four weeks was not put into operation. Then on December 28 came three more bombings without warning in Clones, Belturbet and Pettigo - all border towns - claiming two lives and leaving many injured. Next day I issued a statement to press, radio and television saying that the Dublin bombs had put the bill through and that the Border bombs were meant to push the 26-County government to operate the new Coercion Act.
I also said that if the hand of the Dublin government was forced by such action then the politically motivated bombers were dictating policy and would be in fact the real rulers of the 26-County State. Within hours of publication of the statement I was arrested by the Special Branch in Kevin Street, Dublin and was later sent to jail on the mere word of a Chief Superintendent of police. I myself became the first victim of the new legislation. Weeks later a further bomb at the same place in central Dublin claimed another life and the pace of arrests and the use of the new powers speeded up. To date [August, 1973] thirty-one men have been jailed on the 'belief' of a police officer by the non-jury Special Court. Mr Cosgrove may pose as a very 'strong man' when it comes to dealing with the Republican Movement, but the Littlejohn Affair has illustrated that when it comes to facing up to the British Government he is a very small boy indeed.
Well might David May, editor of the British magazine Time Out, which Watergated the entire business, say: 'the contempt shown by the British Government to Ireland is appalling - they've treated it like a Banana Republic'.
* The Littlejohn brothers were undercover SAS agents; Mr Heath was the British prime minister Mr Lynch was the Irish prime minister; Mr Cosgrove was Mr Lynch's successor. © Searc's Web Guide 1997-2008

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