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Bartholomew O'Connor (4 July 1870 – 7 February 1935) was an Irish
Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; ) was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. It was named after the original Cumann na nGaedheal organisation which merged with the Dungannon Clubs and the National Co ...
(and later
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
) politician. He was a
Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...
(TD) for Dublin County from 1924 to 1935.


Early life

Batt O'Connor was born 4 July 1870 in Brosna,
County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...
, the son of mason Dan O'Connor and Ellen Curtin. At seventeen he left school to become a stonemason. In October 1893, aged twenty-three he went to Boston, where he stayed five years. O'Connor describes participating in a
Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...
parade in Providence,
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
as a key moment in his coming to political consciousness: "I walked in the procession, and in the emotion I felt, walking as one of that vast crowd of Irish emigrants celebrating our national festival, I awoke to full consciousness of my love for my country. That awaking was one of the forces bringing me home, and it led me inevitably to the day when I joined the Gaelic League two years after my return, and to another memorable occasion when a few years later I took my oath to the Irish Republican Brotherhood by the graveside of Wolfe Tone." On his return to Ireland, O'Connor moved to Dublin, where he soon established himself as a "speculative builder" constructing houses in Anglesea Road, Dolphins Barn, Eglington Road, and Donnybrook. O'Connor also built the houses on Brendan Road, and gave the street its name, eventually getting married and settling in No.1 Brendan Road.


Political activities

O'Connor joined the Gaelic League in 1900, through which he came into contact with many of the future leaders of the independence movement, including Tom Clarke and Seán Mac Diarmada. He was sworn into 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 ...
(IRB) in 1909. O'Connor enrolled in the
Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers (), also known as the Irish Volunteer Force or the Irish Volunteer Army, was a paramilitary organisation established in 1913 by nationalists and republicans in Ireland. It was ostensibly formed in response to the format ...
in 1913, the same night as
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 an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...
. While not directly involved during the 1916
Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), 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 aim of establishing an ind ...
(he was at home in Brosna for the first week of it), O'Connor was recognised and arrested on his return to Dublin. He was sent to Kilmainham Gaol, then to Richmond Barracks, Wandsworth Prison and finally to
Frongoch internment camp Frongoch is a village located in Gwynedd, Wales. It lies close to the market town of Bala, on the A4212 road. It was the home of the Frongoch internment camp, used to hold German prisoners-of-war during First World War, and then Irish ...
, in North Wales. On his release in September 1916, O'Connor re-established his business and took up his political activities. During this period, O'Connor describes being asked by Clarke's widow to preserve writings on the wall of that house, which she held to be her husband's last message: 'We had to evacuate the GPO. The boys put up a grand fight, and that fight will save the soul of Ireland.' O'Connor had the whole square of plaster cut out intact and encased in a frame with a glass front (now on display in Collins Barracks). O'Connor reconnected with members of the Keating Branch of the
Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...
at 46 Parnell Square and took part in the re-organising of the fragmented IRB. He canvassed for by-elections in Kilkenny and Armagh on behalf of Sinn Féin candidates W. T. Cosgrave and
Patrick McCartan Patrick McCartan (13 May 1878 – 28 March 1963) was an Irish Irish republicanism, republican and politician. He served the First Dáil (1919–1921) on diplomatic missions to the United States and Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, ...
. O'Connor was involved with the revolutionary
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
party during the time of the
First Dáil First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
, handling money and hiding documents for Michael Collins. O'Connor purchased 76 Harcourt Street for Michael Collins, following a raid on the Sinn Féin Office at No. 6. There he installed a secret recess for private papers and means of escape through the skylight. When the recess escaped discovery following a raid, he went on to construct hiding places in many of the other houses used by the movement. In 5 Mespil Road, Collins' headquarters for over 15 months during the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
, O'Connor fitted a small cupboard in the woodwork beneath the kitchen stairs on the ground floor. Before leaving each evening, Collins would hide his papers here. When the house was finally raided in April 1921, the hideaway escaped detection. O'Connor was one of the shareholders of the National Land Bank which was set up in March 1920 at 68 Lower Leeson Street. O'Connor played a role in the Dáil Loan (raised by Collins to fund the fledgling
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
). According to O'Connor, the loan raised almost £400,000, of which £25,000 was in gold. The loan, which had been declared illegal, was lodged in the individual bank accounts of the trustees; the gold was kept under the floor of O'Connor's house until 1922. O'Connor was instrumental in convincing Collins that he had to be part of the Irish team to be sent to London for the
Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...
negotiations in autumn 1921. By January 1922 O'Connor acknowledged war-weariness amongst the people. The Irish leaders realised that they could not drive the British "into the sea" as they had hoped. "Most of the commandants made a report of their fighting strength." They could "go on and fill up this whole page reports from the fighting men they all realized the resources of the country could not stand another year of war." He took the pro-Treaty side during the subsequent split over the
Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...
. During the Dáil debates, O'Connor called certain women "holy terrors" and spoke of "mud-slinging" and "name-calling." He was afraid of those six wild women in the Dáil who opposed to the Treaty. Ironically, it was O'Connor that had built the false wall in Nell Humphreys' house in Ballsbridge behind which IRA Assistant Chief of Staff Ernie O'Malley found refuge. O'Malley was severely wounded and captured there by pro-Treaty forces on 4 November after a shoot-out that cost a Free State soldier his life. O'Connor was an unsuccessful candidate for
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
at the 1923 general election, in the Dublin County constituency. After the death in November 1923 of Cumann na nGaedheal TD Michael Derham, O'Connor was the Cumann na nGaedheal candidate at the Dublin County by-election on 19 March 1924, when he was elected to the 4th Dáil ahead of
Seán MacEntee Seán Francis MacEntee (; 23 August 1889 – 9 January 1984) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Tánaiste from 1959 to 1965, Minister for Social Welfare from 1957 to 1961, Minister for Health from 1957 to 1965, Minister for Lo ...
. He retained his seat at the next four general elections, joining
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
when Cumann na nGaedheal merged in 1933 with the National Centre Party and the
Blueshirts The Army Comrades Association (ACA), later the National Guard, Young Ireland and finally League of Youth, known by the nickname the Blueshirts (), was a paramilitary organisation in the Irish Free State, founded in 1932.New Irish Army Arises, Ne ...
. He served as a Trustee of Cumann na nGaedheal. He wrote a short memoir, "With Michael Collins In The Fight For Irish Independence," which was published in London by Peter Davies in 1929.
Peadar O'Donnell Peadar O'Donnell (; 22 February 1893 – 13 May 1986) was one of the foremost radicals of 20th-century Ireland. O'Donnell became prominent as an Irish republican, socialist politician and writer. Early life Peadar O'Donnell was born into an I ...
remarked bitterly that it "was written in the strain of a garrulous war-widow who struts around in her old man's war medals, full of sighs and sidelong glances."O’Donnell, Peadar "The Gates Flew Open" 1932 (chapter 5). After O'Connor's death on 7 February 1935, the 1935 Dublin County by-election was won by Cecil Lavery of
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
.


References


External links


Letters from Batt O'Connor (1870–1935) UCD ArchivesAubane Historical Society


Bibliography

* University College Dublin Archives * Beaslai, Piaras, ''Michael Collins and the making of a New Ireland'' (Dublin 1926) * Coogan, Tim Pat, ''Eamon de Valera'' (London 1993) * Davies, Peter, ''With Michael Collins In The Fight For Irish Independence'' (London 1929) * Knirck, Jason, ''Women of the Dail: Gender, Republicanism and the Anglo-Irish Treaty'' (Dublin 2006) * O'Donnell, Peadar, ''The Gates Flew Open'' (Dublin 1932) * O'Malley, Ernie, ''Raids and Rallies'' (Dublin 1982) * Townshend, Charles, ''The Republic: The Fight For Irish Independence'' (London 2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Batt 1870 births 1935 deaths Cumann na nGaedheal TDs Fine Gael TDs Members of the 4th Dáil Members of the 5th Dáil Members of the 6th Dáil Members of the 7th Dáil Members of the 8th Dáil