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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 Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
politician and writer.


Early life

Peadar O'Donnell was born into an Irish-speaking Catholic family in Meenmore, near Dungloe,
County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...
in 1893. He was the fifth son of James O'Donnell, a kiln worker, migrant labourer, and musician, and Brigid Rodgers. His uncle Peter was a member of the
Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...
in
Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...
, whom Peadar met on trips home to Ireland. He attended St Patrick's College,
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, where he trained as a teacher. He taught on Arranmore Island off the west coast of Donegal. Here he was introduced to
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
, organizing for the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) in 1918 before spending time in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.


Irish War of Independence

By 1919, he was a leading organiser for the ITGWU. He attempted in
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
to organise a unit of the Irish Citizen Army (a socialist militia which had taken part in the
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 ...
). When this failed to get off the ground, O'Donnell joined 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 ...
(IRA) and remained active in it 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 ...
(1919–1921). He led IRA
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
activities in
County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...
and Donegal in this period, which mainly involved raids on
Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...
and
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 ...
installations. In 1921 he became commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Northern Volunteer Division of the IRA.O'Donnell, Peadar ''The Knife,'' Irish Humanities Centre, 1980, p.6 In early 1921 several attacks on troop trains were carried out by the west Donegal IRA. He became known in this period as a headstrong and sometimes insubordinate officer as he often launched operations without orders and in defiance of directives from his superiors in the IRA. O'Donnell also attempted to subvert decisions of the Dáil Courts when he felt that the interests of large estate-holders were being upheld, and prevented Irish Republican Police in his Brigade area from enforcing such judgments, particularly those of the Land Arbitration Courts. In the spring of 1921, O'Donnell and his men evaded a sweep of County Londonderry by a British force numbering over 1,000 strong.Ó Drisceoil, Donal (2001). Peadar O'Donnell. Cork University Press. .


Irish Civil War

After 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 ...
of 1922, the IRA was split over whether to accept this compromise, which ended their hopes of an
Irish Republic The Irish Republic ( or ) was a Revolutionary republic, revolutionary state that Irish Declaration of Independence, declared its independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in January 1919. The Republic claimed jurisdict ...
in the short-term, but which meant an immediate self-governing
Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
. O'Donnell opposed this compromise and in April 1922, was elected, along with Joe McKelvey, as a representative for
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
on the anti-Treaty IRA's Army Executive. In April he was among the anti-Treaty IRA men who took over the
Four Courts The Four Courts () is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. Until 2010 the build ...
building in Dublin, which became the first focus of the outbreak of civil war with the new Free State government. The
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
would rage for another nine months. O'Donnell escaped from the Four Courts building after its bombardment and surrender but was subsequently captured by the
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, ...
. O'Donnell was imprisoned in Mountjoy Gaol and the Curragh. Following the end of the Civil War, he participated in the mass republican
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
( 1923 Irish Hunger Strikes) that was launched in protest at the continued imprisonment of anti-Treaty IRA men, remaining on hunger strike for 41 days. O'Donnell's prison experience (21 months) and eventual escape in March 1924, are described in his 1932 memoir ''The Gates Flew Open''. Reflecting on the Civil War in a late interview, O'Donnell was to say:
"I did realise that a great many of the people who said No to the Treaty had different views from me. And this is a factor that has never sufficiently been stressed in dealing with the resistance to the Treaty. I think there were many men like Michael Kilroy, Billy Pilkinton,
Tom Maguire Tom Maguire (28 March 1892 – 5 July 1993) was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican who held the rank of commandant-general in the Western Command of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and led the South County Mayo, Mayo flying column. Earl ...
and others too, who, having taken an oath of loyalty to the Republic and having killed in defence of it, and pals of theirs having died in defence of it, I think that their vow to the Republic was a vow that they couldn't shed themselves of. They were the kind of people that were bound to say no, and would have to be fired on to come down from the high ground of the Republic to the low level of the Treaty. They were the kind of men who make martyrs, but I don't think they make revolutions."
In March 1924 O'Donnell walked out of the Curragh camp dressed in Free State uniform. He hid out for several days before approaching a cottage where he said to the owner "I'm Peadar O'Donnell, IRA Executive. I want to get in touch with the organization here." The owner was able to assist O'Donnell.


Socialism

Like certain other Irish republicans of this era, O'Donnell did not see the republican cause solely in
Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...
terms. O'Donnell also advocated a social revolution in an independent Ireland, seeing himself as a follower of
James Connolly James Connolly (; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was a Scottish people, Scottish-born Irish republicanism, Irish republican, socialist, and trade union leader, executed for his part in the Easter Rising, 1916 Easter Rising against British rule i ...
, the socialist republican executed for his part in the leadership of the
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 ...
. The period 1919–23 had seen much social unrest in Ireland, including land occupations by the tenants in rural areas and the Occupation of factories by workers. O'Donnell, in fact, is regarded as the first Irish person to use the term "occupation" in relation to the occupation of a workplace, when he and the staff of Monaghan Asylum occupied the hospital in 1919. "The occupation was, in fact, the first action in Ireland to describe itself as a
soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, and the Red Flag was raised above it." It was also one of the first declared Soviets outside of Russia. O'Donnell became governor of the Soviet and declared a 48-hour week for the workers and sacked the matron for
insubordination Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying a lawful order of one's superior. It is generally a punishable offense in hierarchical organizations such as the armed forces, which depend on people lower in the chain of command obeying orde ...
. Eventually, they went back to work pending a settlement. O'Donnell believed that the IRA should have adopted the people's cause and supported land re-distribution and
workers' rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, ...
. He blamed the anti-Treaty republicans' lack of support among the Irish public in the Civil War on their lack of a social programme. Some republicans, notably Liam Mellows, did share O'Donnell's view, and in fact, there was a large redistribution of land from absentee landlords to tenants in the new Free State. According to author and historian Tom Mahon,
"There were many contradictions and weaknesses in O'Donnell's polemic. In reality, the IRA was a '' petit bourgeoisie'' conspiratorial organisation rather than a workers' and peasants' army. It was firmly rooted in the nineteenth-century concept of a nationalist revolution and its few socialists were largely peripheral to the organisation. Kevin O'Higgins, a leading Sinn Féin activist during the Anglo-Irish War, famously said, 'We were probably the most conservative-minded revolutionaries who ever put through a successful revolution.' Additionally, O'Donnell failed to justify the IRA's refusal to acknowledge the wishes of the majority of the southern Irish population who supported the Free State. Most glaring of all, he had no satisfactory explanation of what to do with the
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
working class in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, who were prepared to take up arms to prevent their 'liberation' by the IRA. Despite the many flaws of his argument, he has received much serious attention from historians and biographers."
O'Donnell lost a libel case he took against the Dominican published "Irish Rosary" monthly, following articles in the magazine that claimed he was a Soviet agent, and had studied at the Moscow Lenin School.


Post-Civil War politics

In 1923, while still in prison, he was elected as a
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 ...
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 Donegal. In 1924, on release from
internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
, O'Donnell became a member of the Executive and Army Council of the anti-Treaty IRA. He also took over as the editor of the republican newspaper '' An Phoblacht''. He did not take his seat in the Dáil and did not stand at the June 1927 general election. He tried to steer it in a
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
direction, and to this end founded organisations such as the Irish Working Farmers' Committee, which sent representatives to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
and to the Profintern. O'Donnell also founded the Anti-Tribute League, which opposed the repaying of annuities to the
British government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
under the
Irish Land Acts The Land Acts (officially Land Law (Ireland) Acts) were a series of measures to deal with the question of tenancy contracts and peasant proprietorship of land in Ireland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Five such acts were introduced by ...
(these were set at a rate of £3,100,000 a year, a huge cost to the new state; they were ceased by
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 ...
on his accession to power in 1932, and in retaliation, the British government declared an Economic War; the payments were resolved in 1938 by an agreement that Ireland would pay Britain £10 million). O'Donnell also founded a short-lived socialist republican party, Saor Éire. In February 1932, the
Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil â€“ The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...
party was elected to the Irish Free State government. On 18 March 1932, the new government suspended the Public Safety Act, lifting the ban on a number of organisations including the Irish Republican Army. Several anti-Treaty IRA political prisoners were released around the same time, including Frank Ryan, a Saor Éire colleague of O'Donnell's, who on his release declared "as long as we have fists and boots, there will be no free speech for traitors". The newly legalized and liberated Republicans began a "campaign of unrelenting hostility" against their former enemies in the Civil War, breaking up Cumann na nGaedheal political meetings and intimidating supporters. In reaction to this, in August 1932 Ned Cronin founded the
Army Comrades Association 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 ...
nicknamed "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 ...
"New Irish Army Arises, New York Times, August 12, 1932 comprising former members of the Free State army who pledged to provide security at Cumann na nGaedheal events. Following much street violence between the two sides and increasing fascist tendencies amongst the Blueshirts, both Blueshirts and IRA were banned again. In 1933, O'Donnell wrote an introduction to Brian O'Neill’s book ''The War for the Land in Ireland''.


Republican Congress

O'Donnell's attempts at persuading the remnants of the defeated anti-Treaty IRA to become a socialist organisation ended in failure. Eventually, O'Donnell and other left-wing republicans left the IRA to co-found the Republican Congress in 1934 with other socialists, communists and Cumann na mBan members.Donal Ó Drisceoil, ''Peadar O'Donnell'' (Cork, 2001), p. 83 The overriding aim of the Republican Congress was the maintenance of a united front against fascism.Donal Ó Drisceoil, ''Peadar O'Donnell'' (Cork, 2001), p. 84 Despite having left the IRA, O'Donnell and others were tried ''in absentia'' by an IRA court-martial presided over by Seán Russell which dismissed them 'with ignominy'. The high point of the Republican Congress was between May and September 1934, when it achieved remarkable success as an umbrella organisation for class agitation. It earned the wrath of the IRA leadership, which banned IRA members from joining it. This led to widespread defections to the Congress from the IRA in Dublin, and the spectacular success of the Republican Congress in organising Belfast Protestants under the Republican Congress banner. On a march by the Shankill Road branch to Bodenstown churchyard in June 1934 to honour the founding father of Irish republicanism, Theobald Wolfe Tone the Shankill republicans, many of whom were members of the Northern Ireland Socialist Party, carried banners with slogans such as 'Break the Connection with Capitalism' and 'United Irishmen of 1934'. To the bemusement of many, the IRA leadership blocked the Belfast contingent from carrying their banners and attempted to seize them. The Republican Congress spearheaded attacks on Blueshirts in Dublin, while the IRA rank and file continued attacks on them elsewhere.Donal Ó Drisceoil, ''Peadar O'Donnell'' (Cork, 2001), p. 85 By September 1934 the state was crushing the Blueshirts; leading
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 ...
figures abandoned the Blueshirt leadership under Eoin O'Duffy, reverting to parliamentary politics. With the demise of the Blueshirts imminent, 186 delegates attended what became the final Republican Congress assembly in Rathmines Town Hall on 29 and 30 September 1934. The Congress split on a proposal by Michael Price to turn it into a political party, a proposal which was perceived by the Communist Party of Ireland and other vested interests as threatening their power. O'Donnell also rejected the proposal, arguing that the Left had more power as a united front.


Spanish Civil War and after

In 1936 O'Donnell was in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in order to attend the planned People's Olympiad on the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. He joined the Spanish Republican militia that supported the Popular Front government against
Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 â€“ 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...
's military insurgency. When he returned to Ireland, he encouraged other republicans to fight for the Spanish Republic. Republican Congress members led by Frank Ryan and some Communist Party of Ireland members joined the
International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...
, where they were known as the Connolly Column (named after James Connolly). This was an unpopular stance in Ireland, as the powerful
Catholic Church 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 ...
supported Franco's Catholic Nationalists. Attitudes to the Spanish Civil War mirrored the divisions of Ireland's civil war. O'Donnell remarked that the bishops had condemned the anti-Treaty side in the latter for opposing a democratic government, but were now advocating the same thing themselves. O'Donnell's former comrade Eoin O'Duffy, leader of the Blueshirts, led the ultra-Catholic Irish Brigade to Spain to support the Nationalists; they were sent home by Franco. Although supportive of the Republican side he was critical of the attacks on priests and churches by the anarchists. He referred to these attacks as "dark backwardness" and "outrages", along with being concerned with how anti-Fascist Catholics would respond.


Vietnam War

Still active in the later part of his life, O'Donnell was chairman of the
anti-Vietnam War Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1965 with demonstrations against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War, United States in the war. Over the next several years, these demonstrations grew ...
"Irish Voice on Vietnam" organisation which he co-founded with Dan Breen.


Writings

After the 1940s, O'Donnell devoted more of his time to writing and culture and less to politics, from which he withdrew more or less completely. He published his first novel, ''Storm'', in 1925. This was followed by ''Islanders'' (1928, which was published in the US under the title, "''The Way it Was With Them''"), which received national and international acclaim,Donal Ó Drisceoil, ''Peadar O'Donnell'' (Cork, 2001), p. 54 ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' describing it as a novel of "quiet brilliance and power", conservative London magazine ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
'' "an intensely beautiful picture of peasant life." The writer Benedict Kiely recalled meeting a Chicago man in Iowa in 1968 who had never been to Ireland but could describe the landscape of west Donegal, and the ways of its people, in minute detail despite being blind. When Kiely asked him how he knew so much he revealed he had read ''Islanders'' in
Braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...
. ''Adrigoole'', published in 1929, was swiftly followed by ''The Knife'' (1930) and ''On the Edge of the Stream'' (1934). As noted, O'Donnell went to Spain at the time of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
and later published ''Salud! An Irishman in Spain'' (1937). ''Adrigoole'' was set in Donegal, but based on the real-life story of the O'Sullivans, a Cork family who had all died of starvation in 1927, and is 'by far the gloomiest and most pessimistic of his books'. Other books by O'Donnell included ''The Big Windows'' (1955) and ''Proud Island'' (1975). ''The Big Windows'' is, in the words of Donal Ó Drisceoil, 'by common consent his finest literary achievement.... The reviews at the time, and on its reissue in 1983, were universally positive.' ''Islanders'' and ''Adrigoole'' were translated into Ulster Irish (Donegal dialect) by Seosamh Mac Grianna as ''Muintir an Oileáin'' and ''Eadarbhaile'', respectively. All of his work has a strong social consciousness, works like ''Adrigoole'', as well as being powerful pieces in themselves, exemplify socialist analyses of Irish society. A biographical documentary entitled ''Peadairín na Stoirme'' was screened on TG4 in 2009. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, O'Donnell edited, with Róisín Walsh, the literary journal '' The Bell'' from 1946 until 1954, having founded it with Seán Ó Faoláin, its first editor, in 1940. O'Donnell was one of four Irishmen named on
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...
's 1948 list of people unsuitable for anti-communist propaganda work for the British government's
Information Research Department The Information Research Department (IRD) was a secret Cold War propaganda department of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Foreign Office, created to publish anti-communist propaganda, including black propaganda, provide support and i ...
; the others were Seán O'Casey,
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
and
Cecil Day-Lewis Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Anglo-Irish poet and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudony ...
. His one play, ''Wrack'', was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin on 21 November 1932, and published by Jonathan Cape the following year. In total O'Donnell wrote seven novels and one play, in addition to three autobiographical accounts: ''The Gates flew Open'' (London, 1932), about his part in 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 ...
and
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 ...
; ''Salud! An Irishman in Spain'' (London, 1937), about his time in Spain during the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
and ''There Will Be Another Day'' (Dublin, 1963), his account of the land annuities campaign in the 1920s and 1930s. Peadar and his wife Lile travelled widely across Europe. On a trip to the United States in 1939, during which he met the singer Paul Robeson, O'Donnell is reputed to have taught Robeson the words of the song " Kevin Barry", which became one of Robeson's most performed numbers.


Personal life

Following his escape from Kilmainham jail, Peadar married Cumann na mBan officer Lile O'Donel on 25 June 1924.Donal Ó Drisceoil, ''Peadar O'Donnell'' (Cork, 2001), p. 36 He had never met Lile before this, but they had communicated extensively during his time in prison—she had been a conduit for Republican messages from the outside, while he was heavily involved in communications from the inside. O'Donnell himself describes a story of how she bluffed her way in to see Thomas Johnson, then leader of the Labour party, and gave him a message that he would be shot if O'Donnell were executed. Witnesses at Lile and Peadar's wedding included his brother Frank, Sinéad de Valera, Fiona Plunkett of Cumann na mBan and Mary MacSwiney. They began their honeymoon in a hotel in County Dublin that evening, but by the following morning O'Donnell was on the run once again because he had been identified. Lile had a large inheritance and this allowed Peadar to devote himself to his writing and political activism, allowing O'Donnell to, in the words of Donal Ó Drisceoil, 'live the life of that favourite bogeyman of police reports, the "professional agitator"'. They lived in Marlborough Road in Donnybrook for many years. They later lived in 174 Upper Drumcondra Road in Drumcondra, and it was there that he and Lile raised their nephew. After Peadar's brother Joe was killed in an accident in New York, Peadar and Lile offered to bring Joe's young son, Peadar Joe, who was almost five, back with them to Ireland for an extended holiday. When
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
broke out, Peadar Joe stayed with them permanently and they raised him as their son. They had no children of their own. Peadar Joe attended the fee-charging Catholic secondary school
Belvedere College Belvedere College Society of Jesus, S.J. (sometimes St Francis Xavier's College) is a fee-paying voluntary secondary school for boys in Dublin, Ireland. Formally established in 1832 at Hardwicke Street in north inner city Dublin, the school was ...
.Donal Ó Drisceoil, ''Peadar O'Donnell'' (Cork, 2001), p. 131 Lile died in October 1969, and Peadar subsequently sold their home andDonal Ó Drisceoil, ''Peadar O'Donnell'' (Cork, 2001), p. 122 moved to a bedsit in Dublin, then stayed with a friend in Mullingar, Ned Gilligan, and he also lived with Peadar Joe and his family. He spent the final seven years of his life living at the home of his old friend Nora Harkin in
Monkstown, County Dublin Monkstown (), historically known as ''Carrickbrennan'' (), is a suburb on the southside, Dublin, southside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. It is on the coast, between Blackrock, Dublin, Blackrock an ...
. In 1985 Peadar O'Donnell wrote his last piece for publication, "Not Yet Emmet", an account of the Treaty split of 1922.Donal Ó Drisceoil, ''Peadar O'Donnell'' (Cork, 2001), p. 124 In 1986, at the age of 93, Peadar O'Donnell died. He left instructions that there were to be "no priests, no politicians and no pomp" at his funeral, and those wishes were granted. Following cremation at Glasnevin Cemetery, his ashes were placed in his wife Lile's family plot in Kilconduff cemetery outside Swinford,
County Mayo County Mayo (; ) 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 Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
. The Irish folk-rock band
Moving Hearts Moving Hearts is an Irish Celtic rock band formed in 1981. They followed in the footsteps of Horslips in combining music of Ireland, Irish traditional music with rock and roll, and also added elements of jazz to their sound.Harris, Craig''Movin ...
recorded ''Tribute to Peadar O'Donnell'', written by Dónal Lunny, on their 1985 album '' The Storm''.


Works

* ''Storm'', novel, 1925 * ''Islanders'', novel, 1928 (Published as ''The Way it Was With Them'' in America, Translated into Irish by Seosamh Mac Grianna) * ''Adrigoole'', novel, 1929 (Translated into Irish by Seosamh Mac Grianna as ''Eadarbhaile'')
''The Knife''
novel, 1930 (Published as ''There Will Be Fighting'' in America)
''The Gates Flew Open''
Irish Civil War prison diary, 1932 * ''Wrack'', play, first performed 1932, published 1933 * ''On the Edge of a Stream'', novel, 1934 * ''Salud! An Irishman in Spain'', memoir, 1937
''The Big Window''
1955 * ''There Will Be Another Day'', autobiographical, 1963 * ''Proud Island'', 1975
''Not Yet Emmet''
a history, 1985 (PDF)


See also

* John Fahy * Ernie O'Malley * List of members of the Oireachtas imprisoned during the Irish revolutionary period


References


Further reading

* The websit
Ricorso
contains a biographical sketch, with a comprehensive bibliography, and illuminating references.
Webpage on O'Donnell from TCD's Digital Atlas of Literary Ireland 1922-1949

Profile on Irish Writers Online
* Michael McInerney, ''Peadar O’Donnell: Irish Social Rebel'' (Dublin: O'Brien Press, 1974) * Timothy O’Neil, 'Handing Away the Trump Card? Peadar O’Donnell, Fianna Fáil, and the Non-Payment of Land Annuities Campaign, 1926–32', '' New Hibernia Review'' 12, no. 1 (2008).


External links

* on Ciaran Crossey's
Ireland and the Spanish Civil War'
website.
Website of the Peader O'Donnell Festival in Donegal

1983 RTÉ Radio interview ''Peader O'Donnell at 90''

1911 Census record of Lile M. O'Donel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Peadar 1893 births 1986 deaths Alumni of St Patrick's College, Dublin Aosdána members Irish anti-capitalists Irish male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Irish journalists Irish magazine editors 20th-century Irish memoirists Irish people of the Spanish Civil War Irish republicans interned without trial Early Sinn Féin TDs Irish socialists Irish schoolteachers Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members Members of the 4th Dáil People of the Irish Civil War (Anti-Treaty side) Politicians from County Donegal Irish male novelists 20th-century Irish novelists 20th-century Irish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Irish male writers Irish Anti-Francoists Irish communists Writers from County Donegal People from Dungloe