Seán Harrington (1912–1978) was an

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 ...

who later became

Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army Several people are reported to have served as Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army () in the organisations bearing that name. Due to the clandestine nature of these organisations, this list is not definitive. Chiefs of Staff of the Ir ...

Biography

Harrington was born in Ballyduff,

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 ...

in 1912. He 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) at the age of 16. He later was appointed to the

. Harrington served as the IRAs Director of Training and General Headquarters organizer. By 1941, Harrington was a member of the IRA's Army Council. In late 1941 the Army Council decided to concentrate efforts in attacking

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 ...

. At that time Harringtons personal motto was "Leave the South alone. The war is in the North!" He also thought that the unsuccessful bombing and sabotage attacks in England was a "fruitful war" (see the

S-Plan The S-Plan or Sabotage Campaign or England Campaign was a campaign of bombing and sabotage against the civil, economic and military infrastructure of the United Kingdom from 1939 to 1940, conducted by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ...

). He was present at the court-marshal of former Chief of Staff Stephen Hayes, although he did not personally take part in the trial. He became Chief of Staff of the IRA in November 1941 when

Pearse Kelly Patrick Pearse Kelly (14 October 1916 – 6 April 1974), also known as Paul Kelso, was an Irish journalist and republican activist. Biography Born in Dungannon in County Tyrone, Kelly began working as a journalist at the ''Dungannon Obs ...

was arrested, but he himself was arrested in February 1942. When charged with failing to explain his possession of £50 and refusing to give his details to police, he refused to recognize the Special Criminal Court and was sentenced in March 1942 to two years imprisonment. He was jailed in

Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison (), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Ray Murtagh. History Mountjoy was designed by Cap ...

and later transferred to No. 1 Internment Camp at

Curragh Camp The Curragh Camp () is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel. History Longstanding military heritage Th ...

. Despite being imprisoned he remained Chief of Staff until February 1942, when

Seán McCool Seán McCool ( Irish: Seán Mac Cumhaill) (died 1 May 1949) was a prominent Irish Republican and a former chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army. Imprisoned on numerous occasions, both North and South of the border, he embarked on a number ...

was selected as his replacement. Upon his release from the Curragh Harrington married, raised two sons and lived in Dublin. Harrington was described as a "bright, articulate and gentle". He later lived at Kennelsfort Road,

Palmerstown Palmerstown (; officially Palmerston, see #Name origin and spelling, spelling) is a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and suburb in western Dublin, Ireland on the banks of the River Liffey. It forms part of the South Dublin local authorit ...

, Dublin and died in November 1978.The Kerryman, 10 November 1978.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrington, Sean 1912 births 1978 deaths Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members People from Ballyduff, County Kerry