Seán Ó Brádaigh (; born 1937), sometimes anglicised as Sean Brady, is 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.
Like his brother,
RuairÃ, Seán joined
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 ...
at an early age.
From 1958 to 1960, he edited the party newspaper, the ''
'', and then became the party's Director of Publicity. During the 1960s, he worked with Roy Johnston to develop the
Éire Nua
Éire Nua, or "New Ireland", was a proposal supported by the Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin during the 1970s and early 1980s for a federal United Ireland. The proposal was particularly associated with the Dublin-based leadership group centred on ...
policy. Like his brother, Seán sided with the
provisional wing in the split of 1970. He became the first editor of the party's new newspaper, ''
An Phoblacht
''An Phoblacht'' (Irish pronunciation: ; en, "The Republic") is a formerly weekly, and currently monthly newspaper published by Sinn Féin in Ireland. From early 2018 onwards, ''An Phoblacht'' has moved to a magazine format while remaining an ...
'', holding the post for two years, and also continued in his role as Director of Publicity.
In 1972, he was arrested while in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
, and charged with membership 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 ...
. He immediately launched a
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...
, and was soon released due to a lack of evidence. In 1977, he was sent a book bomb, but was on holiday at the time, his brother staying at his house. RuairÃ's suspicions led to the package being detonated by the
Irish Army
The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...
.
Seán stood down as Director of Publicity in 1979, following a dispute with
Danny Morrison over the content of the merged ''An Phoblacht'' and ''
Republican News
Republican News was a longstanding newspaper/magazine published by Sinn Féin. Following the split in physical force Irish republicanism in the late 1960s between the ''Officials'' (Official Sinn Féin — also known as Sinn Féin Gardiner ...
'', and from the party's Officer Board the following year. In 1986, he followed his brother into a new organisation, which accepted his proposal that it should be named
Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin or RSF ( ga, Sinn Féin Poblachtach) is an Irish republican political party in Ireland. RSF claims to be heirs of the Sinn Féin party founded in 1905 and took its present form in 1986 following a split in Sinn Féin. RS ...
.
[Robert William White, ''Ruairà Ó Brádaigh: the life and politics of an Irish revolutionary'', p.309]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:OBradaigh, Sean
1937 births
Irish newspaper editors
Irish republicans
Living people
Republican Sinn Féin members
Sinn Féin politicians