Personal life
He was the son of John and Johanna Cronin. One of his children, Noel died in 1930 aged 10 months.Biography
Cronin fought in the Irish War of Independence. He supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty and joined the National Army (Ireland), National Army of the Free State, he was made a Commandant. During the Civil War Cronin and 47 others in the National Army were forced to surrender to the Anti-Treaty IRA. He remained a part of the National Army after the wars, until 1933. He was a founding member of the Blueshirts and was made its General secretary. It was Cronin who suggested that they adopt the now iconic blue uniform so that they could recognise each other during riots. In December 1933, Cronin was arrested and imprisoned for three months on the charges of sedition and membership of an illegal organisation, the Blueshirts having been outlawed by the Fianna Fáil government that summer. According to the Minister for Justice PJ Ruttledge, In July 1934 Cronin is said to have stated in a speech in Tipperary: Following the merger of Cumann na nGaedhael, the National Centre Party (Ireland), National Centre Party and the Blueshirts into one political party, Cronin was made a co-Vice President of Fine Gael along with W. T. Cosgrave and James Dillon (Fine Gael politician), James Dillon. The Blueshirts were now to act as the youth wing of the new party. When Eoin O'Duffy, the former leader of the Blueshirts resigned as leader of Fine Gael he attempted to retake his old position. Cronin refused to accept this and the Blueshirts split into two factions, the pro-Cronin faction and the pro-O’Duffy faction. Cronin opposed the formation of the Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War), Irish Brigade for the purposes of fighting in the Spanish Civil War, saying it had as much chance to reach Zaragoza as it did of reaching the moon. In October 1936, Fine Gael voted to suspend the Blueshirts indefinitely, effectively axing them and Cronin. Most of Cronin's personal wealth had been tied up in the Blueshirts and following their demise, he emigrated to England to work as a printer. The Taoiseach, John A. Costello, invited him back to serve as an adviser to the government, but he died on the trip over. He was buried in Shandrum, Newtownshandrum, County Cork.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cronin, Ned 1897 births 1946 deaths Irish anti-communists Irish fascists Members of the Blueshirts People from County Cork People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side)