Roger McCorley (6 September 1901 – 13 November 1993) 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 ...
activist.
Early life
Roger Edmund McCorley was born into a Roman Catholic family at 67 Hillman Street in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
on 6 September 1901, one of three children born to Roger Edmund McCorley, a meat carver in a hotel, and Agnes Liggett; he had two elder brothers, Vincent and Felix. He joined the
Fianna
''Fianna'' ( , ; singular ''Fian''; gd, Fèinne ) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young males, often aristocrats, "who had left fosterage but had n ...
in his teens. His family had a very strong republican tradition and he claimed to be the great-grandson of the
United Irishmen
The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association in the Kingdom of Ireland formed in the wake of the French Revolution to secure "an equal representation of all the people" in a national government. Despairing of constitutional reform, ...
folk hero
Roddy McCorley
Roddy McCorley (died 28 February 1800) was an Irish nationalist from the civil parish of Duneane, County Antrim, Ireland. Following the publication of the Ethna Carbery poem bearing his name in 1902, where he is associated with events around the B ...
, who was executed for his part in the
1798 rebellion
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...
.
Joins the IRA
McCorley was a member of the
Belfast Brigade
"Belfast Brigade" is an Irish folk song, to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic".
Context
The song is about the Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and in particular the 1st, or West Belfast battalion, during the Irish War ...
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 ...
(IRA) 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 ...
, 1919–1922. He was commandant of the Brigade's first battalion, eventually becoming Commandant of the Belfast Brigade. In June 1920, he was involved in an attack on a
Royal Irish Constabulary
The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...
(RIC) police barracks at
Crossgar
Crossgar () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is about south of Belfast – between Saintfield and Downpatrick. Crossgar had a population 1,892 people in the 2011 UK Census.
History
Crossgar has had an interesti ...
,
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
. On Sunday August 22, 1920 in Lisburn, McCorley was involved in the assassination of DI Oswald Swanzy, Royal Irish Constabulary who was held responsible by Michael Collins for the assassination of
Tomas McCurtain,
Lord Mayor of Cork
The Lord Mayor of Cork ( ga, Ard-Mhéara Chathair Chorcaí) is the honorific title of the Chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach) of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork (city), Cork in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. ...
.
McCorley was noted for his militancy, as he was in favour of armed attacks on British forces in Belfast. The Brigade's leaders, by contrast, in particular,
Joe McKelvey
Joseph McKelvey (17 June 1898 – 8 December 1922) was an Irish Republican Army officer who was executed during the Irish Civil War. He participated in the anti-Treaty IRA's repudiation of the authority of the Dáil (civil government of the Iri ...
, were wary of sanctioning attacks for fear of
loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
reprisals on republicans and the Catholic population in general. In addition, McCorley was in favour of conducting an armed defense of Catholic areas, whereas McKelvey did not want the IRA to get involved in what he considered to be
sectarian
Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...
violence. McCorley wrote later that in the end, 'the issue settled itself within a very short space of time, when the Orange mob was given uniforms, paid for by the British, and called the
Ulster Special Constabulary
The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC; commonly called the "B-Specials" or "B Men") was a quasi-military reserve special constable police force in what would later become Northern Ireland. It was set up in October 1920, shortly before the par ...
' (USC). The role of the USC (a temporary police force raised for counter-insurgency purposes) in the conflict is still debated, but republicans maintain that the organization was responsible for the indiscriminate killings of Catholics and nationalists.
The Active Service Unit
On 26 January 1921, McCorley, was involved in the fatal shooting of three
Auxiliary Division
The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary (ADRIC), generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies, was a paramilitary unit of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) during the Irish War of Independence. It was founded in July 1920 by Major ...
officers in their beds in the Railway View hotel in central Belfast. Shortly afterwards, McCorley and another IRA man,
Seamus Woods
Seamus Woods commanded a division of the Irish Republican Army during a period of intense conflict and was a senior leader of the newly formed Irish Free State army.
Northern IRA leadership
Seamus Woods was born in Ballyhornan, County Down, in mo ...
, organized an Active Service Unit (ASU) within the first battalion of the Belfast Brigade, with the intention of carrying out attacks, with or without the approval of the Brigade leadership. The unit consisted of 32 men. McCorley later wrote, 'I issued a general order that, where reprisal gangs
tate forces
Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
were cornered, no prisoners were to be taken'. In March 1921, McCorley personally led the ASU in the killing of three
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 ...
in Victoria Street in central Belfast. He was responsible for the deaths of two more Auxiliaries in Donegall Place in April. In reprisal for these shootings, members of the RIC assassinated two republican activists, the Duffin brothers in Clonard Gardens in west Belfast. On 10 June 1921 both and Woods and McCorley units were involved in the killing a RIC man who was suspected in the revenge killings of the Duffin brothers (see 23 April 1921
Timeline of the Irish War of Independence
This is a timeline of the Irish War of Independence (or the Anglo-Irish War) of 1919–21. The Irish War of Independence was a guerrilla conflict and most of the fighting was conducted on a small scale by the standards of conventional warfare.
...
). Two RIC men and a civilian were also wounded in that attack.
Thereafter, there was what historian Robert Lynch has described as a, 'savage underground war' between McCorley's ASU and RIC personnel based in Springfield Road barracks and led by an Inspector Ferris. Ferris was accused of murdering the Lord Mayor of Cork Thomas MacCurtain and had been posted to Lisburn for his safety. Ferris himself was among the casualties, being shot in the chest and neck, but surviving. McCorley claimed to have been one of the four IRA men who shot Ferris. In addition, McCorley's men bombed and burned a number of businesses including several cinemas and a Reform Club. In May 1921, however, 13 of McCorley's best men were arrested when surrounded by British troops during an operation in
county Cavan
County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...
. They were held in Crumlin Road jail and sentenced to death.
On 3 June, McCorley organized an attack on Crumlin Road jail in an attempt to rescue the IRA men held there before they were executed. The operation was not a success, however the condemned men were reprieved after a truce was agreed between the IRA and British forces in July 1921. On
Bloody Sunday (1921)
Bloody Sunday or Belfast's Bloody Sunday was a day of violence in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 10 July 1921, during the Irish War of Independence. The violence erupted one day before a Ceasefire, truce began, which ended the war in most of I ...
(10 July 1921) McCorley was a major leader in the defense of nationalist areas from attacks by both the police and loyalists. On that day twenty people were killed before McCorley negotiated a truce beginning at noon on 11 July. At least 100 people were wounded, about 200 houses were destroyed or badly damaged - most of them Catholic homes, leaving 1,000 people homeless.
[Parkinson, Alan F. ''Belfast's Unholy War''. Four Courts Press, Dublin 2004; , pg. 154.]
Belfast Brigade & 3rd Northern Division leader
In April 1922, McCorley became leader of the IRA Belfast Brigade after Joe McKelvey went south to Dublin to join other IRA members who were against 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 ...
. With McKelvey's departure Seamus Woods became Officer Commanding of the IRA's 3rd Norther Division (which had up to 1,000 members) with McCorley designated as Vice Officer Commanding. McCorley for his part, supported the Treaty, despite the fact that it provided for the partition of Ireland and the continued British rule in Northern Ireland. The reason for this was that
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
Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy (born Owen Duffy; 28 January 1890 – 30 November 1944) was an Irish military commander, police commissioner and politician. O'Duffy was the leader of the Monaghan Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a prominent figure in ...
had assured him that this was only a tactical move and indeed, Collins sent men, money and weapons to the IRA in the North throughout 1922.
However, McCorley's command saw the collapse of the Belfast IRA. In May 1922, the IRA launched an offensive with attacks all across Northern Ireland (see:
The Troubles (1920–1922)). In Belfast, McCorley carried out an assault on Musgrave Street RIC barracks. He also conducted an arson campaign on businesses in Belfast. His men also carried out a number of assassinations, including that of Unionist MP
William Twaddell, which caused the
internment
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
of over 200 Belfast IRA men.
Civil War
To escape from the subsequent repression, McCorley and over 900 Northern IRA men fled south, to the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...
, where they were housed in the
Curragh
The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...
. McCorley was put in command of these men. In June 1922, 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 ...
broke out between Pro and Anti-Treaty elements of the IRA. McCorley took the side of the Free State and Michael Collins. After Michael Collins was killed in August 1922, McCorley's men were stood down. About 300 of them joined the
National Army and were sent to
County Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
to put down anti-Treaty guerrillas there. In the Spring of 1923, McCorley, bitterly disillusioned by the brutal counter-insurgency against fellow republicans, resigned his command. He recalled he was, 'fed up', with the civil war.
He later asserted that he 'hated the Treaty' and only supported it because it allowed Ireland to have its own armed forces. Both McCorley and Seamus Woods were severe critics of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...
inertia towards Northern Ireland after the death of
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 ...
. McCorley commented that when Collins was killed "the Northern element gave up all hope."
In 1936 he was instrumental in the establishment of the All-Ireland Old IRA Men's Organization, serving as Vice-President with President Liam Deasy (Cork No. 3 Brigade) and Secretary George Lennon (Waterford No. 2 Brigade).
Coras na Poblachta
In the 1940s, McCorley was a founding member of
Córas na Poblachta
Córas na Poblachta (; en, Republican System) was a minor Irish republican political party founded in 1940.
Origins
The idea for a new party was discussed at a meeting in Dublin on 21 February 1940 attended by 104 former officers of the pro ...
, a political party which aspired to a
United Ireland
United Ireland, also referred to as Irish reunification, is the proposition that all of Ireland should be a single sovereign state. At present, the island is divided politically; the sovereign Republic of Ireland has jurisdiction over the maj ...
and economic independence from Britain. He died on 13 November 1993 and is buried in the Republican Plot of Glasnevin cemetery.
[Glennon, pg.278]
References
*Robert Lynch, ''The Northern IRA and the Early Years of Partition'', Irish Academic Press, Dublin 2006.
*Pearse Lawlor, ''1920-1922 The Outrages'', Mercier Press, Cork 2011.
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCorley, Roger
Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members
National Army (Ireland) officers
People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side)
Paramilitaries from Belfast
1901 births
1993 deaths