Joe Clarke ( ga, Seosamh Ó Clérigh, 22 December 1882 – 22 April 1976) was an
Irish republican
Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate.
The develop ...
politician.
Life
Born in
Rush, Dublin, Clarke worked for the
Sinn Féin Bank, and was active in the
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...
. On Easter Monday morning, on 24 April 1916, Clarke was one of 13 volunteers who held the
Mount Street Bridge for nine hours against the overwhelming forces of the Sherwood Foresters Regiment of the British Army. When captured, he was shot in the head, but survived, and was instead imprisoned in
Liverpool Prison
HM Prison Liverpool (formerly Walton Gaol) is a category B local men's prison in Walton, Liverpool, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
History
Liverpool Prison (originally known as Walton Gaol) was constructed between 184 ...
,
Wakefield Prison
His Majesty's Prison Wakefield is a Category A men's prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been nicknamed the "Monster Mansion" due to the large number of high-profile, high-risk ...
and then
Frongoch internment camp
Frongoch internment camp at Frongoch in Merionethshire, Wales was a makeshift place of imprisonment during the First World War and the 1916 Easter Rising.
History
1916 the camp housed German prisoners of war in a yellow distillery and crude hu ...
.
On his return to Ireland, Clarke acted as the courier for the
First Dáil,
[Éamonn Mac Thomáis, ''Me jewel and darlin' Dublin'', p.139] but was interned from January 1921. Released in 1923, he acted as caretaker of the Sinn Féin headquarters on Harcourt Street,
and founded the Irish Book Bureau.
Although the
Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin rejected participation in the Dáil, they continued to contest local elections, and Clarke sat on
Dublin City Council.
Clarke was a founder member of
Comhairle na Poblachta
Comhairle na Poblachta was an Irish republican organisation established in 1929.
The organisation had the support of the IRA, which had agreed to its formation at its General Army Convention in January 1929. The IRA envisaged it as a co-ordinati ...
in 1929. In 1937, he worked with Brian O'Higgins to establish the ''Wolfe Tone Weekly'' as a light-hearted party newspaper. In August 1939, Clarke was interned at Arbour Hill, then later at Cork County Jail.
Although Clarke had served under Éamon de Valera during the Easter Rising, the two became implacable opponents. Clarke was ejected from an official commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the First Dáil for interrupting de Valera's speech in order to raise the complaints of the Dublin Housing Action Committee. He vowed to outlive de Valera, he succeeded in this endeavour by outliving him a year.
Clarke was elected as a Vice-President of Sinn Féin in 1966. In the split of 1970, he supported the Provisional Sinn Féin, provisional wing, remaining Vice-President.
[Robert William White, ''Ruairí Ó Brádaigh'', p.162] The Dublin South West Inner City cumann of Sinn Féin is named for Clarke.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Joe
1882 births
1976 deaths
Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery
Irish republicans interned without trial
Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members
Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members
People of the Irish Civil War (Anti-Treaty side)
Local councillors in Dublin (city)
Politicians from County Dublin
Shooting survivors
Sinn Féin politicians