Peadar O'Donnell
| Peadar O'Donnell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
22 February 1893 Dungloe, County Donegal, Ireland |
| Died | 13 May 1986 (aged 93) |
| Nationality | Irish |
Peadar O'Donnell (Irish: Peadar Ó Domhnaill; 22 February 1893 – 13 May 1986) was one of the foremost radicals of twentieth century Ireland. O'Donnell became prominent as an Irish republican, socialist activist, politician and writer.
Peadar O'Donnell was born into an Irish-speaking family in Meenmore, near Dungloe, County Donegal in northwest Ireland in 1893. He was the fifth son of James O'Donnell, a kiln worker, migrant labourer, and musician, and Brigid Rogers. His uncle Peter was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World in Butte, Montana, whom Peadar met on trips home to Ireland.
He attended St Patrick's College, Dublin, where he trained as a teacher. He taught on Arranmore Island off the west coast of Donegal. Here he was introduced to socialism, organizing for the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) in 1918 before spending time in Scotland.
By 1919, he was a leading organiser for the ITGWU. He attempted in Derry to organise a unit of the Irish Citizen Army (a socialist militia which had taken part in the Easter Rising). When this failed to get off the ground, O'Donnell joined the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and remained active in it during the Irish War of Independence (1919–21). He led IRA guerrilla activities in County Londonderry and Donegal in this period, which mainly involved raids on Royal Irish Constabulary and British Army barracks. In June 1920, he led an IRA force in restoring order in Derry, after Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Dorset Regiment attacks on residents since April. In 1921 he became commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Northern Volunteer Division of the IRA. He became known in this period as a headstrong and sometimes insubordinate officer as he often launched operations without orders and in defiance of directives from his superiors in the IRA. O'Donnell also attempted to subvert decisions of the Dáil Courts when he felt that the interests of large estate-holders were being upheld, and prevented Irish Republican Police in his Brigade area from enforcing such judgements, particularly those of the Land Arbitration Courts. In the spring of 1921 O'Donnell and his men had to evade a sweep of the county by over 1,000 British troops.
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