Ruairí Ó Brádaigh | |
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| Born | Peter Roger Casement Brady October 2, 1932 Upper Mount Street, Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | June 5, 2013 Roscommon, Ireland |
| Political orientation | Irish Republicanism Socialism |
| Political party | Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin (1950-1970) Provisional Sinn Féin (1969-1986) Republican Sinn Féin (from 1986) |
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh was an Irish Republican politician and military leader. He participated in the Campaign of Resistance to British Occupation, during which he was Chief of Staff of the Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army, and later played a central role in the Republican Movement Split of 1969/1970, where he sided with the abstentionist Provisionals. Along with Dáithí Ó Conaill he led the creation of Republican Sinn Féin and the Continuity Irish Republican Army in opposition to the adoption of electoralism by Provisional Sinn Féin.[1]
Early Life
Ó Brádaigh was born Peter Roger Casement Brady on October 2, 1932 in Dublin to Matthew Brady and May Caffrey. He was the second of three children, two sons and one daughter.[1]
His parents were both Republican veterans, with his father fighting in the Irish War of Independence in the IRA and his mother in Cumann na mBan. During that war his father was shot five times, seriously injuring him. After the war both of his parents opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the electoralist breakaway from Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin Fianna Fáil. His father was on the Longford County Council from 1934 to 1942 and his mother was secretary for the Longford board of health.[1]
He was named after Irish revolutionary figure Roger Casement, but adopted the more commonly used Irish language version of his name in the 1950s.[1]
He was educated at Melview National School and St Mel's College before attending the University of College Dublin from 1950 to 1954. After this he became a vocational teacher in Roscommon.[1]
Anti-Treaty IRA and Sinn Féin
Ó Brádaigh joined Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin at the age of 18 in 1950 and one year later joined the Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army in 1951. He became the commander of the Longford unit of the IRA and helped the preparations for the Campaign of Resistance to British Occupation. He led a raid on the British Army barracks in Arborfield, Berkshire on August 13, 1955 and was second in command of the Teeling Column of the IRA during the Campaign of Resistance. He participated in an attack on an RUC station in Derrylin on December 30, 1956, one of the first attacks of the Campaign, where an RUC officer was killed.[1]
He was arrested after the attack and imprisoned for six months in Mountjoy Jail in Dublin. After his release he was immediately interned in Curragh Military Prison. While imprisoned he was elected Teachta Dála for Longford-Westmeath in 1957.[1]
He escaped in September 1958 with fellow IRA leader Dáithí Ó Conaill.[1]
He married Patricia O'Connor later that year, with whom he would have six children, three of whom would be active in the Republican movement later.[1]
He became Chief of Staff of the Anti-Treaty IRA in October 1958, a position he held until March 1959, when he became adjutant-general. He was reimprisoned in November 1959 for six months in Mountjoy. After his release he became Chief of Staff once again in June 1960, also becoming editor of the United Irishman, Sinn Féin's newspaper.[1]