John Francis O'Beirne (1897 – 7 February 1978) was a farmer, businessman,

Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...

activist and

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

politician in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

. He served in

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...

from 1943 to 1944.

War of Independence

O'Beirne grew up in

Collooney Collooney or Coloony () is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. Toponymy Collooney is thought to derive from . Reverend Terrence O'Rorke has previously also suggested ''Culmaine'', as Collooney is designated this way in such works as the ''Annal ...

, and was an early supporter of

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 ...

. He was arrested in February 1918 for

unlawful assembly Unlawful assembly is a legal term to describe a group of people with the mutual intent of deliberate disturbance of the peace. If the group is about to start an act of disturbance, it is termed a rout; if the disturbance is commenced, it is then t ...

relating to commandeering of land for "

conacre Conacre (a corruption of ''corn-acre'', or derived from Irish word ''conartha'' meaning agreement or contract), in Ireland, is a system of letting land, formerly in small patches or strips, and usually for tillage (growth of corn or potatoes). ...

".Farry (1992), p. 118 He refused to post bail and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. In February 1919, he was arrested for illegal fundraising in Collooney, again refused to post bail, and served three months. In June, he organised an ''aeraíocht'' (outdoor cultural festival) in Collooney. 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 ...

was escalating, and O'Beirne was

Officer Commanding The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually giv ...

of the Collooney Battalion of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

(the "Old IRA"). After the local elections of May 1920, O'Beirne was chairman of

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

rural district A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. I ...

council (RDC), leading the council to accept the authority 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 ...

. As RDC chairman, he was

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

a member of

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

, which passed a similar resolution when it met in June. When Major Bryan Cooper refused to pay the "IRA rates", O'Beirne took two bullocks in lieu.Farry (1992), p. 206 On 26 June, he helped to spring

Frank Carty Francis Joseph Carty (3 April 1897 – 10 September 1942) was a leader of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the Irish War of Independence, and a long-serving Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD). Carty was the Commandant of the IRA's South Sligo Bri ...

from

Sligo Gaol Sligo Gaol or Sligo Prison, () is a former prison located in Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland, which was open from 1823 to 1959. Construction The prison sits on an site and was designed to hold 200 inmates in a polygon-shaped building, with the gov ...

. In July, he was an adjudicator at the

Dáil Courts The Dáil Courts (also known as Republican Courts) were the judicial branch of government of the Irish Republic, which had unilaterally declared independence in 1919. They were formally established by a decree of the First Dáil on 29 June 192 ...

which sat at Sooey Creamery and later at Sligo Courthouse. O'Beirne sometimes used Major Heather's Knockadoo House near

Coolaney Coolaney () is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. Coolaney sits at the foot of the Ox Mountains with the river Owen Beg running through it around which is a walk. The remains of an old mill are located along the riverside walk, and the remains ...

as a

safehouse A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is a dwelling place or building whose unassuming appearance makes it an inconspicuous location where one can hide out, take shelter, or conduct clandestine activities. Historical usage It may also refer to ...

. He led a raid on the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

barracks in

Carrick-on-Shannon Carrick-on-Shannon () is the county town of County Leitrim in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. A smaller part of the town located on the west bank of the River Shannon lies in County Roscommon and is home to th ...

. He did not participate in a raid on Collooney RIC barracks in March 1921 as he was sick. He was captured on 27 May 1921 and

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

led for involvement in the killing of RIC constables in

Ballisodare Ballysadare (), locally also Ballisodare, is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. It is about south of Sligo town. The town developed on an important crossing of the Owenmore River. Ballysadare is in a townland and civil parish of the same name. ...

, but escaped from

in June 1921 before sentence could be passed.

Anti-treaty activity

O'Beirne was a close friend 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 an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

, and took the anti-

Treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

side in the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 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 Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

. His Collooney Battalion, now part of the "

Irregulars Irregular military is any military component distinct from a country's regular armed forces, representing non-standard militant elements outside of conventional governmental backing. Irregular elements can consist of militias, private army, pr ...

", killed five

Irish Free State Army The National Army, sometimes unofficially referred to as the Free State Army or the Regulars, was the army of the Irish Free State from January 1922 until October 1924. Its role in this period was defined by its service in the Irish Civil War, ...

soldiers in an ambush and captured two armoured cars. Soon after he was taken prisoner along with forty men after

Seán Mac Eoin Seán Mac Eoin (30 September 1893 – 7 July 1973) was an Irish republican and later Fine Gael politician who was Minister for Defence briefly in 1951 and from 1954 to 1957, and Minister for Justice from 1948 to 1951. He had been Chief of S ...

launched a surprise attack on the town. In the

1925 Leitrim–Sligo by-election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * ''Dicia ...

two vacancies in the Leitrim–Sligo constituency were to be filled; O'Beirne stood for

along with Samuel Holt. Holt received slightly more first preferences than O'Beirne and was elected with his transfers, along with

Martin Roddy Martin Roddy (9 December 1883 – 8 January 1948) was an Irish politician, newspaper editor and company director. Early and personal life Roddy was born on 9 December 1883 at Kilmacowen, County Sligo, the eldest son among at least four sons and ...

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 ...

. In his concession speech, O'Beirne said there were "two things he held narrow views on; one was pride in his

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Faith, and the other was his pride in his Irish Nationality. ..priests and bishops ..were not infallible as far as politics were concerned." The following November, O'Beirne was one of two men convicted in the Central Criminal Court for 'being concerned in the organisation of an illegal organisation " The Irish Republican Army"'. The jury suggested the men should not be treated as criminals, while the judge said their crime was

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

punishable by death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

. In the event, a 12-month sentence was imposed.

Fianna Fáil

O'Beirne spent time in the United States, "reporting" to the New York IRA co-ordinator Connie Neenan in January 1927, and attended prominent

Clan na Gael Clan na Gael (CnG) (, ; "family of the Gaels") is an Irish republican organization, founded in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister organization to the Irish Republican Bro ...

functions in 1930–1932. Moss Twomey, the

IRA chief of staff Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name * Ira (surname), a rare Estonian family name; occurs in some other languages *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law and finance *Indian Reorganization Act of 19 ...

, had a low opinion of O'Beirne. Officially he worked as a shipping agent, which was a front for acting illegally as an agent for the

Irish Sweepstakes The Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake was a lottery established in the Irish Free State in 1930 as the Irish Free State Hospitals' Sweepstake to finance hospitals. It is generally referred to as the Irish Sweepstake or Irish Sweepstakes, sometimes ab ...

. He returned to Ireland in the 1930s, working as a farmer and businessman, and was active in Fianna Fáil's industrial policy promoted by

Seán Lemass Seán Francis Lemass (born John Francis Lemass; 15 July 1899 – 11 May 1971) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1959 to 1966. He also served as Tánaiste from 1957 to 1959, 1951 to 1954 ...

. He was elected to the Seanad in 1943 on the

Industrial and Commercial Panel Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominat ...

, but was defeated in the 1944 Seanad election, having also failed to be elected to the Dáil for

at the 1944 general election. O'Beirne was director of several companies, including Meat Exporters (Sligo) Ltd, and Flemings Fireclays. He was a founding director of the Sligo Industrial Development Corporation in 1953. In 1955, he bought from

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Clarence H. Hillas "Sea View", a

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

previously owned by the Atkinson family, near the Sligo–Ballina road at Doonecoy, Templeboy. He was a member of the Racing Board from 1965 to 1970. He was killed in a car crash on the N7 near

Kill, County Kildare Kill () is a village and parish in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland near the county's border with Dublin beside the N7 road (Ireland), N7. Its population was recorded as 3,818 people in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. Kill ...

, aged 81. His wife Kathleen had died in 1969.

References

* **Note: the page numbers in the notes are to the 1992 edition; those in the linked 2005 electronic edition are c. 5–8 pages later *

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obeirne, Frank 1897 births 1978 deaths Escapees from British detention Fianna Fáil senators Businesspeople from County Sligo 20th-century Irish farmers Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members Members of Sligo County Council Members of the 4th Seanad Road incident deaths in the Republic of Ireland Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members People of the Irish Civil War (Anti-Treaty side) 20th-century Irish businesspeople People from Collooney Sinn Féin candidates in Dáil elections (post-1923) Industrial and Commercial Panel senators