Seán Hayes (1890 – 4 January 1968) was an Irish revolutionary and politician. He was a

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 ...

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 10 years, and later a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for 22 years.

Revolutionary period

Hayes was a member of 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 ...

from 1916. 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 ...

, he joined the South Tipperary Brigade Active Service Unit (ASU) in Summer 1920 under the command of Seán Treacy,

Ernie O'Malley Ernest Bernard Malley (; 26 May 1897 – 25 March 1957) was an Irish republican and writer. After a sheltered upbringing, as a young medical student he witnessed and participated in the Easter Rising of 1916, an event that changed his outlook ...

and

Dan Breen Daniel Breen (11 August 1894 – 27 December 1969) was a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. In later years he was a Fianna Fáil politician. Background Breen was born in Grange ...

.See Hayes' successful application for a military service pension under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934. Available online at Military Service (1916–1923) Pensions Collection - http://mspcsearch.militaryarchives.ie/search.aspx?formtype=advanced. Reference number MSP34REF867 He took part in several ambushes of British forces and attacks 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 ...

Barracks in counties Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny. During the Truce period, he was Battalion Commandant of 7 Battalion, South Tipperary Brigade, IRA. Taking the anti-Treaty 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 ...

, Hayes took part in fighting against the National Army during the Battle of Dublin in late June-early July 1922, and was promoted to Brigade Commandant of South Tipperary Brigade, IRA. He took part in several attacks and ambushes of National forces in counties Tipperary and Kilkenny and was with Liam Lynch when he was killed in April 1923. Hayes was not captured and remained on the run until the end of the war. He later applied to the Irish government for a service pension under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 and was awarded nine years service in 1935 at Grade D for his service with the Irish Volunteers and the IRA between 1 April 1917 and 30 September 1923.

Political career

Hayes was first elected to

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 June 1927 general election as a TD for the Tipperary constituency, and held the seat until his defeat at the 1937 general election. He stood again at the 1943 general election and at by-election in 1947, but never returned to the Dáil. In the 1938 election to the reconstituted

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 ...

, he was elected by the

Labour Panel The Labour Panel is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the senate of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Labour Panel elects eleven senators. Election Article 18 of the Const ...

, and held the seat at the further election later that year to the 3rd Seanad. He lost his seat at the 1943 Seanad election. He was re-elected by the Labour Panel at the 1948 election to the

6th Seanad The 6th Seanad was in office from 1948 to 1951. An election to Seanad Éireann, the Senate of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament), followed the 1948 general election to the 13th Dáil. The senators served until the close of poll for the 7th Sea ...

, and at subsequent elections until he stepped down at the 1965 election. He died on 4 January 1968. The Irish Press, 5 January 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Sean 1890 births 1968 deaths Fianna Fáil TDs Members of the 5th Dáil Members of the 6th Dáil Members of the 7th Dáil Members of the 8th Dáil Members of the 2nd Seanad Members of the 3rd Seanad Members of the 6th Seanad Members of the 7th Seanad Members of the 8th Seanad Members of the 9th Seanad Members of the 10th Seanad 20th-century Irish farmers Fianna Fáil senators Labour Panel senators