Seán Keenan (died 3 March 1993)
[Derry republican remembered](_blank)
Aeneas Bonner. Retrieved 2008-03-01 was an
Irish republican
Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate.
The develop ...
from
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. Th ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
. His father James Keenan was a
Quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...
in the
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief t ...
(IRA).
Keenan was
interned without trial on three occasions: 1940–1945, 1957–1961, and 9 August 1971 – 27 April 1972.
["Whitelaw frees 22 more internees", ''The Irish Times'', 28 April 1972, p. 5] He spent a total of 15 years in jail despite never being convicted of an offence. Keenan was first arrested in 1935 for carrying an Irish flag. He was interned for the duration of World War II in several prisons including the hulk prison ship
HMS Al Rawdah
HMS ''Al Rawdah'' was a ship of the Royal Navy. She was built in 1911 and originally christened ''Chenab'' for the Nourse Line of London.
In 1930 the ship was sold to Khedivial Mail Steamship & Graving Dock and renamed ''Ville De Beyrouth''. In ...
. He was again interned during the IRAs
Border campaign and again during the period of violence known as