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Seamus Costello Séamus Mac Coisdealbha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1939 Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Died | October 5, 1977 Dublin, Ireland |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political orientation | Marxism-Leninism |
| Political party | Irish Republican Socialist Party |
Seamus Costello was an Irish Republican and Marxist-Leninist revolutionary figure from the late 1950s to his assassination in 1977. He was involved with Sinn Féin and the Irish Republican Army before becoming involved with the Official faction of both organizations after the IRA split in 1969. After the Official IRA ceasefire in 1972 he founded the Irish Republican Socialist Party and its military wing the Irish National Liberation Army.[1]
Early Life
Seamus Costello was born in Old Connaught Avenue, Bray, County Wicklow 1939. He was the oldest of nine siblings.[1]
In 1953, after the arrest of Irish Communist revolutionary leader Cathal Goulding Costello first became interested in politics. At the age of 15 he bought a copy of The United Irishman newspaper, and soon after attempted to join Sinn Féin. He was not allowed to join due to his age and was told to return the next year. The next year he joined Sinn Féin and the Irish Republican Army.[1]
Early Political Activism
Costello quickly rose in the ranks of the Republican movement. He commanded an IRA unit at the age of 17 in South Derry, with major actions including the destruction of infrastructure and the burning of Magherafelt Courthouse during the IRA border campaign of 1956-1962.[1]
He was injured in an accidental explosion at a safehouse, injuring his back and losing half of a finger. He was transported to Dublin to be treated.[1]
In 1957 he was arrested in county Wicklow and sentenced to six months in Mountjoy Prison. After those six months he was immediately sent to Curragh Camp for two years. There, he became involved with an escape committee, helping to free IRA members including Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and Dáithí Ó Conaill among others. He read a great deal in prison, in particular about the Vietnamese revolutionary struggle taking place at that time. He would later refer to his time in prison as his "university days". He was released in 1959.[1]
In 1962 he began working as a car salesman. When he was threatened with firing over his political views he threatened to stay outside of the firm's office every day until he was rehired. He successfully kept his job.[1]
He began organizing in county Wicklow, forming links between the Republican movement and trade unionists. He formed a tenants association in Bray and the Credit Union movement. In 1964 he also went to the Chinese embassy in Paris, France too seek support from the Socialist government in China. This attempt at gaining support was unsuccessful. He married Maeliosa Costello in 1964.[1][2]
He delivered a speech at the annual Wolfe Tone Commemoration at the grave of Theobold Wolfe Tone in Bodenstown.[1] In the speech he affirmed the necessity armed revolution, saying:
"This is our definition of freedom. It was Tone’s definition, Lalor’s definition, Mitchel’s definition, and the stated aim of Pearse and Connolly. We can expect the same reaction to the implementation of these aims from the forces of exploitation, whether native or foreign sponsored, as the originators received in ‘98, ‘48, ‘67, and 1916. Therefore, to imagine that we can establish a republic solely by constitutional means is utter folly. The lesson of history shows that in the final analysis the robber baron must be disestablished by the same methods that he used to enrich himself and retain his ill-gotten gains, namely, force of arms. To this end we must organise, train, and maintain a disciplined armed force which will always be available to strike at the opportune moment."[3]
In 1967 he ran for a position on the Bray Urban Council and led the Sinn Féin election campaign in Wicklow, with him and fellow Republican Joe Doyle winning seats on the Bray Urban Council as well as contributing to a Sinn Fein campaign for a seat in the Wicklow County Council. In the Urban Council Costello and Doyle advocated for a variety of causes and demanded that the people be allowed to attend Council meetings. His views led to multiple attempts at removing him from the council.[1]
He helped to form the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, an Irish Catholic civil rights organization in Northern Ireland. The growing civil rights movement in Northern Ireland sparked The Troubles in 1969 after the violent reaction by Unionists to the movement.[1]
Official Movement and IRSP
The same year the Republican movement split between the overtly Marxist-Leninist Official Irish Republican Army and Official Sinn Féin, which participated in elections, and the Abstentionist Provisional Irish Republican Army and Provisional Sinn Féin. He joined the Official movement but attempted to build bridges between the Provisionals and the Officials.[1][4]
The Official movement began to cease it's political action in the South and eventually declared a ceasefire in the North in 1972. Costello remained in the Official movement for 2 years until he was charged with irregularities by Official Sinn Fein. Although he was found innocent there, he was subsequently tried by the Official IRA, expelled from the party, and barred from running for local elections under the party.[1]
He formed the Irish Republican Socialist Party and its military wing the Irish National Liberation Army in December of 1974 with other disillusioned former members of the Official movement.[1]
The Official IRA immediately launched a campaign attempting to destroy the INLA and IRSP, murdering 3 IRSP members and forcing Costello into hiding. Eventually Republican Trade Unionist Michael Mullen helped to mediate a solution between the IRSP and Official Movement.[1]
In April 1976 he Republic of Ireland in the south conspired to attempt to destroy the IRSP, arresting forty members including Costello, torturing nine, and framing six with train robbery. Costello pushed for the IRSP to sue the government in May and called for an independent inquiry into the repression.[1]
In 1977 Costello was involved in talks to unite the Anti-Imperialist movement in Ireland, however this effort was unsuccessful.[1]
Assassination
On October 5, 1977 he was assassinated by Official IRA member Jim Flynn, who shot him twice with a sawn-off shotgun as Costello sat in his car in Dublin. The Official IRA denied involvement and condemned the murder.[5]
His funeral was attended by Republican leaders including Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, then president of Provisional Sinn Féin, Michael O'Riordan, the founder of the Communist Party of Ireland, Nora Connolly O'Brien and Bernadette Devlin, among many others.[5]
Further Reading
Revolutionary Works: Seamus Costello in the Prolewiki Library
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 Seamus Costello (2018). Revolutionary Works: Seamus Costello: 'Epilogue-Seamus Costello: One of the Greatest Leaders in 800 Years'.
- ↑ Clifford Coonan (2014-01-04). "Chinese archives reveal IRA approaches seeking help for armed campaign" The Irish Times.
- ↑ Seamus Costello (2018). Revolutionary Works: Seamus Costello: 'Oration at Bodenstown'.
- ↑ MÍCHEÁL MAC DONNCHA (2020-01-09). "The Republican Movement split of 1969/1970" An Poblacht.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Back issue: Seamus Costello assassinated" (1997-10-16). An Poblacht.