Patrick Moylett
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Patrick Moylett (1878–1973) was a 20th-century Irish nationalist who, during the initial armistice negotiations to end the
Anglo-Irish war The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...
, briefly served as president of the
Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...
during late-1920. A successful businessman in
County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
and
County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...
, he was a close associate of
Arthur Griffith Arthur Joseph Griffith ( ga, Art Seosamh Ó Gríobhtha; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that prod ...
and frequently travelled to London acting as a middleman between
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...
and officials in the British government. He ran a business that was used as a front to import armaments for the cause and held that many of those that became closest associates of
Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...
during the civil war rift had at one time worked for the British. Particularly that Erskine Childers despite his involvement with the
Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
and his close association with Éamon de Valera had been in the direct pay of the Admiralty Naval Intelligence Service up till 1916 before becoming secretary to the Éamon de Valera led treaty discussions.


Biography


Revolutionary Period

Born in
Crossmolina Crossmolina is a town in the Barony of Tyrawley in County Mayo, Ireland, as well as the name of the parish in which Crossmolina is situated. The town sits on the River Deel near the northern shore of Lough Conn. Crossmolina is about west of ...
,
County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
to a farming family, Moylett emigrated to London as a young man working in various departments in
Harrods Harrods Limited is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other ...
for five years before returning to Ireland in 1902. He opened a grocery and provisions business in Ballina and, as it proved successful, he later established branches in
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
and London between 1910 and 1914; the London-branch would be sold at the outbreak of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Having founded and organised the recruitment and funding of the Mayo activities of the IRA he also acted as a justice of the Sinn Féin courts. He was advised to leave the area due to death threats from the
Black and Tans Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...
and their burning down of his commercial premises in Ballina. On one occasion during that period, according to hi
military statements
he prevented some over-enthusiastic volunteers from attempting the kidnapping and assassination of Prince George Future King of England, sailing and holidaying in the Mayo/Donegal region at the time. Relocating to Dublin, the Irish overseas Trading Company was formed with a former Director of ICI Chemicals & Explosives, he became involved in the Irish nationalist movement and was active in the Mayo and Galway areas during the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...
. The Irish Overseas Trading Company, of which Moylett was one of two directors; acted as a front for the importation of armaments covered by consignments of trade goods. According to his subsequent detailed militar
statements archived in the bureau of military history by
the Irish Army, the consignments were imported to a number of warehouses in the Dublin Docks with the three keyholders to the warehouses being Éamon de Valera,
Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...
and Arthur Griffith. With
Harry Boland Harry Boland (27 April 1887 – 1 August 1922) was an Irish republican politician who served as President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood from 1919 to 1920. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1918 to 1922. He was elected at the 1918 ...
in the United States with Éamon de Valera, Moylett succeeded him as president of the
Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...
and, in October 1920, he was selected to go to London as the personal envoy of Arthur Griffith. During the next several months, Moylett was involved in secret discussions with British government officials on the recognition of
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...
, a
general amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offic ...
for members of the
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 ...
and the organisation of a peace conference to end hostilities between both parties. He was assisted by John Steele, the London editor of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'', who helped him contact high-level members of the British Foreign Office. One of these officials, in particular C.J. Phillps, had frequent meetings with him. These meetings were later attended by
H. A. L. Fisher Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher H.A.L. Fisher: ''A History of Europe, Volume II: From the Beginning of the Eighteenth Century to 1935'', Glasgow: Fontana/Collins, 1984, p. i. (21 March 1865 – 18 April 1940) was an English historian, educator, a ...
, the Minister of Education and one of the most outspoken opponents of unauthorised reprisals against the Irish civilian population by the British government. One of the main points Fisher expressed to Moylett was the necessity of Sinn Féin to compromise on its demands for a free and united republic. His efforts were hindered however, both to the slow and confused pace of the peace negotiations as well as the regularly occurring violence in Ireland, most especially the
Bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday may refer to: Historical events Canada * Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia * Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence aga ...
incident on 21 November 1920, which happened whilst he was in London speaking with members of the cabinet. 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 ...
, although a supporter of the
Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...
, he chose not to participate in the Free State government party which he viewed as an amalgam of Unionists and the old
Irish Party The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP; commonly called the Irish Party or the Home Rule Party) was formed in 1874 by Isaac Butt, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish national ...
. In 1926 he a founding member of the Clann Éireann Party and became an early advocate of the withholding of land annuities.


During "the Emergency" Period

In 1930 Moylett and his family moved to Dublin, and by 1940 his political activities in the city had become a concern for the Gardai. Moylett had begun moving in anti-semitic, pro-German far-right politic circles while in Dublin, engaging with the likes of
Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin (born John Gerald Cunningham; 2 January 1910 – 13 June 1991) was an Irish language activist, nationalist and far-right politician born in Belfast, Ireland. He was the founder and leader of Ailtirí na hAiséirghe, a fas ...
and George Griffith. Indeed alongside Griffith Moylett was deeply involved with the founding of the People's National Party, an explicitly anti-Jewish Pro-Nazi party whose membership overlapped greatly with that of the Irish Friends of Germany. Moylett only left the People's National Party when in October 1939 he was expelled from the party and his position as treasurer on charges of embezzling party funds. In 1941 he continued to support these far-right groups when he aided Ó Cuinneagáin in setting up the Youth Ireland Association, a group gathered to fight ''"a campaign against the Jews and Freemasons, also against all cosmopolitan agenda"''. When the group was found to be stealing guns from army reservists the Gardai had enough and shut the group down in September 1942.DOUGLAS, R. (2006). THE PRO-AXIS UNDERGROUND IN IRELAND, 1939–1942. The Historical Journal, nline49(04), p.1177. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4140154 ccessed 11 Jan. 2019/ref> He died in 1973.


References


External links

*Irish bureau of Military Histor
www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/reels/bmh/BMH.WS0767.pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moylett, Patrick 1878 births 1973 deaths Early Sinn Féin politicians Irish far-right politicians Irish fascists Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood