Hugo McNeill, head and shoulders portrait (27183558122)

Lieutenant General Hugo MacNeill (1900–1963) was a twentieth-century Irish soldier and first president of the

Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen The Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women ( ga, Óglaigh Náisiúnta Na hÉireann) is a support organisation for ex-service personnel of the Irish Defence Forces, Irish Defence Services. The organisation commenced operations in appro ...

in Ireland.

Life and military career

Born in 1900, he was the nephew of politician Eoin MacNeill (1867–1945). Hugo MacNeill was member of

Fianna Éireann Na Fianna Éireann (The Fianna of Ireland), known as the Fianna, is an Irish nationalist youth organisation founded by Constance Markievicz in 1909, with later help from Bulmer Hobson. Fianna members were involved in setting up the Irish Volun ...

and the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respons ...

before becoming an officer of the National Army during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

. In 1923, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

after an intelligence windfall allowed him to prevent a series of

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

(IRA) attacks in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. In 1924 he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and appointed assistant Chief of Staff of the National Army. In 1926 MacNeill attended the US Army Command and Staff Course in

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Kansas. He was in command of the Irish Army's Second (Northern) Division during The Emergency (1939-1945). He was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in 1946, although without appointment. MacNeill's main activity following retirement was the co-ordination of

An Tóstal An Tóstal (, meaning "The Gathering") was the name for a series of festivals held in Ireland in the 20th century. Inaugurated in 1953 as a celebration of Irish life, it continued on until 1958 when it died out in most centres except Drumshanbo. Af ...

festivals in the 1950s. He was also the first president of the

. He died in 1963.

Controversies

MacNeill was reputedly sympathetic to German interests, and some sources suggest he approached the German diplomatic legation in the early 1940s, without apparent authorisation. These approaches were reputedly to seek German assistance in the event that Britain invaded neutral Ireland. Playing both sides, he accepted the covert aid of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in training his division, notably in the establishment of a "battle school" at Gormanston and secret training of selected Irish troops in commando techniques in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macneill, Hugo Irish Army generals National Army (Ireland) officers 1900 births 1963 deaths Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College