The Life and Politics of Peadar O’Donnell: Part 3
Part 1: http://republicanyouth.org/articles/peader-o-donnell1
Part 2: http://republicanyouth.org/articles/peader-o-donnell2
In this third article I look at Peadar’s fight against the Blueshirts, the formation of the Republican Congress, his experience in Spain and Catalonia, his writing career and the activism of his later life.
The Fight Against Fascism
In 1933 a new threat had come to Ireland, the Blueshirts led by Eoin O’Duffy. The Blueshirts had composed ex free state soldiers and would have a far right christian tendency. The red scare tactics that Cumman na nGeadheal and the Church had promoted had led to their “anti communist” crusade. Frank Ryan and O’Donnell led the attacks against the Fascist Blueshirts and their political wing Cumman na nGeadheal(both formed Fine Gael together). Ryan even led an IRA attack on the British Union of Fascists in Dublin and destroyed their poppy stands. Ryan said about the fight against Fascism: "as long as we have fists and boots, there will be no free speech for traitors". This phrase would be continued to be echoed by O’Donnell and the republican movement. Shootouts, fistfights and direct action were the common form of fighting between the IRA and Blushirts. Demonstrations would be broken up on occasion by the IRA who were armed with hurls and sledge hammers, On one occasion Eoin O’Duffy was hit over the head with a hammer by a republican.
The Republican Congress
In 1934 O’Donnell, Frank Ryan and George Gilmore were frustrated at the tactical direction of the IRA. There was a feeling that the movement was moving away from agitation and that Fianna Fáil were stealing the mass of the Irish people by their rhetoric. Peadar believed that a separate political entity should be founded that would unite the IRA, trade unions, farmers organisations, the grassroots members of Fianna Fáil, the Communist party and other socialists in a republican/anti imperialist front. A majority of the IRA supported the idea of building the front, however when the army executive voted against it the motion would fall. A handful of them decided to walk out and build the new organisation themselves, it became the Republican Congress. IRA volunteers, Cumman na mBan, the Irish Citizens Army, Nora Connolly O’Brien and Roddy Connolly were all supportive of the Congress. Many northern Protestants from the socialist party would join and would find themselves becoming republican minded. The Congress would adopt the new blue starry plough which as we know became an important symbol to republicanism.
The IRA leadership were unhappy at the concept of the Republican Congress and banned members from joining. At Bodenstown 1934 17,000 people attended, the IRA and republican movement wanted no other banners other than their own. The Republian Congress arrived with their banners leading to a fight between both organisations. It has been accused that the fighting began over sectarianism, however in reality it was clear that it was bitterness over the split. The congress and the ICA found themselves involved in much the same activities the IRA were involved in ie. protecting striking workers and a campaign against blueshirtism.
In rathmines in September 1934 the Congress had its first Ard Fheis. However things did not turn out well, O’Donnell, Ryan, Gilmore and others all argued that the aim of the congress was to establish ‘the Republic’ and that the congress should remain an umbrella front of different organisations. Whereas the section led by Michael Price and the Connollys had argued for the establishment of a political party and that the aim should be a ‘Workers Republic’ Their rationale was that they had to distance themselves from Fianna Fáil by trying to say they represented a different form of republicanism. However Peadar argued that real republicanism is not represented by Fianna Fáil as the social and economic question is an integral part to national independence. National independence in the form of the Republic meant that the Irish people had to be their own masters. Interestingly though Sean Murray of the Communist party who backed O’Donnell had an entirely different view to both sides, he believed that national independence in the form of a capitalist state would be necessary before an advancement to a socialist state. The division of strategy and ideological outlooks split the congress. Over the next few years the congress would completely disappear.
It should be pointed out that the split from the IRA in march ‘34 was not so much based on a left-right split as it is usually presented but on tactical direction. People like O’Donnell wanted an organisation that would unite all republican and socialist movements under an umbrella. The IRA distrusted the congress thinking it would become a political party and would get in the way of a future armed struggle. They are no doubt apolitical militarists were in the ranks of IRA but they never drifted to the right.
In Defense of the Spanish Republic
Peadar had witnessed fascism with the blueshirts in Ireland and seen a group of Nazis in Germany burn down a cinema However while on a trip to Spain and Catalonia he would end up witnessing the start of a war against fascism. When he first arrived in Barcelona he went and spent time with Catalan nationalists who’s cause he deeply supported, the local communist party and the Anarchists. Although Peadar was not an Anarchist he had been deeply impressed by their collective organising of workplaces. When the war erupted he would spend time amongst the various militias whether they be the Anarchists, Communists or Catalan nationalists.O’Donnell traveled around villages of Catalonia and experienced the resistance to fascism. He came back to Ireland before going to Madrid this time, he noticed that in Madrid the communists were the dominant force compared to the anarchists in Barcelona. Again he would find himself spending time with the Militias that were defending the Spanish Republic against Franco and his forces. There was also time spent having discussions with workers, landless peasants and intellectuals on land redistribution and ideology.
When he came back to Ireland he would promote the cause of the Spanish Republic alongside those like Fr Michael Flanagan and Ernie O’Malley. He quickly wrote his experience in Salud: an Irishman in Spain. Many of the speeches and articles he wrote defending the Republic would talk about how it was a fight between the mass of poor people against the rich, he also tried to emphasise they were poor catholics and not “godless atheists” as the church suggested. Meanwhile he helped many of his comrades like Frank Ryan and other former IRA volunteers to join the international brigades.
They formed the Connolly Column and it comprised Republicans, Communists, socialists and trade unionists. 59 of the 300 Irishmen would die in the fight against fascism in spain. Ryan would be exiled in Germany until his death, leaving Peadar to lose a valuable comrade.
Writings and the Bell
One Lile O’Donnells relative died leaving her a massive amount of wealth, this led Peadar to further his book writing. Of course he wrote many books between 1925 and the late 1930s however it was from there on he felt he would dedicate himself to writing more articles and a play. Three of his books were autobiographies and they were The Gate Flew Open, Salud, and There Will be Another Day. The rest were all fiction and often his radical ideas of culture and socialism were evident. He created a view that he witnessed in his youth where rural communities worked together showing the principles of Meitheal. Some of those novels included Adrigoole, the Islanders and the Proud Island. From 1946 to 1954 he wrote for the Bell which was started by Sean O’Faolain in 1940. The magazine challenged the conseravtive nature of the free state and under O’Donnell it espoused a much more left wing and republican thinking. When people asked O’Donnell what was his contribution to revolutionary politics, he would tell them “my pen is my weapon”.
A Radical Republican to the End
In 1937 he was very critical of the new constitution due to its reactionary church state relationship and its misogynistic laws against women. Peadar believed the constitution went in the face of the republic and proclamation of 1916, although as we know he knew Dev was not a Republican. In 1940 he met Paul Robenson in America and taught him the ballad of Kevin Barry, Robenson performed the song many times and even recorded it. George Orwell added Peadar to his infamous list of radicals and leftists that should not be trusted. From the late 1950s and 1960s he would find himself involved and leading many different campaigns. For example the anti nuclear campaign and save the west campaign. He was a supporter of national liberation struggles all over the world including Cuba, Algeria, South Africa and Vietnam, in fact he was a prominent voice in a movement that opposed the US war in Vietnam.
O'Donnell's background from his youth and his Republian politics had him promoting the ideas of Meitheal again, they were a huge emphasis on small farmers and cooperativism for the need to save rural Ireland. A radical left wing priest named Fr James McDyer had come to Glencolmcille in Donegal and had witnessed the bad roads, lack of electricity, lack of running water and lack of Job opportunities. McDyer envisaged that this community needed self help and Peadar was quick to join forces. Both believed in an Irish type of socialism based in the terms of Meitheal or communities working together for their benefit. McDyer with the help of Peadar got the community involved in establishing several cooperatives, from food processing, knitting, fishing and farming. Peadar got Michael Costello of the Irish sugar company to establish a publicly owned company for processing veg that was grown by the cooperative farms. Donal Donnelly came to Glencolmcille after escaping prison to stay with the O’Donnells. This would see a new friendship develop between the two until Peadars death. With lack of living standard and mass emigration from the west of the country he threw himself behind that campaign of saving the west. In 1965 he established the Dóchas cooperative and pushed for a cooperative movement, they hoped the west would follow this example and of Glencolmcille. However he recognised that the state would need a role in helping communities become self reliant. When Costello left the Sugar Company his replacement outsourced the processing company to Hienz seeing the cooperative experiment fall apart by the 1980s.
Peadar never went back to the Republican movement even when the conflict broke out in the 6 counties and when it came to the split in 1969 he remained neutral. However it remained the central belief of his that Ireland should be united and a Republic based on the 1916 proclamation where the people of no property as its rulers should be established. O’Donnell would pass away in 1986 at the age of 93, he asked that there be "no priests, no politicians and no pomp". Another of Ireland's great Fenians had left this world.
le Adrian Gallagher