Eoin O'Duffy Papers.

Papers of Eoin O’Duffy, Documents relating to the War of Independence, Treaty negotiations and the Irish Civil War, 1918-1953; Documents relating to O’Duffy’s time as Garda Commissioner, includes newspaper cuttings and typescript reports, 1922-1933; Papers relating to Blueshirts and fascism in Ireland, includes newspaper cuttings, leaflets, pamphlets and relayed correspondence, including letters from Alexander Raven Thomson of the British Union of Fascists to Captain Liam Walsh of the National Corporate Party, 1927-1945; Papers relating to the Irish Brigade and the Spanish Civil War, includes diary of O’Duffy regarding his service of leader of the Brigade, a typescript lists of passengers and volunteers departing for Spain and maps of Lisbon, Portugal, Spain and the Iberian Peninsula and related correspondence, 1936-1947; Papers relating to Athletics, includes newspaper cuttings, a report of the Irish Olympic Council, programs and advertisements, 1927-1948; The personal papers of Eoin O’Duffy, includes photographs and typescript carbon copy’s of chapters from O’Duffy’s autobiography, 1930-1944; Papers relating to Captain Liam D. Walsh, includes correspondence regarding municipal elections and typescript additional notes of Walsh’s unpublished biography titled ‘General Eoin O’Duffy. His Life and Battles’, 1940-1943; Periodicals, books, maps and miscellaneous materials, 1880-1955.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Creator: O'Duffy, Eoin, 1890-1944
Contributors: Walsh, Liam D., Captain
more
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects:
Notes:Physical description: 8 boxes
Arrangement:Fonds
I. War of Independence, 1919-1921. II. Treaty & Civil War, 1921-1923. III. Garda Commissioner, 1922-1933. IV. Blueshirts & fascism in Ireland, 1927-1947. V. Irish Brigade & Spanish Civil War, 1936-1947. VI. Athletics, 1927-1948. VII. Eoin O'Duffy's other personal papers. VIII. Captain Liam D. Walsh's personal papers. IX. Periodicals & books. X. Maps. XI. Miscellaneous.
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Eoin O'Duffy Papers.

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Bibliographic Details
In Collection: Eoin O'Duffy Papers.
Description:Papers of Eoin O’Duffy, Documents relating to the War of Independence, Treaty negotiations and the Irish Civil War, 1918-1953; Documents relating to O’Duffy’s time as Garda Commissioner, includes newspaper cuttings and typescript reports, 1922-1933; Papers relating to Blueshirts and fascism in Ireland, includes newspaper cuttings, leaflets, pamphlets and relayed correspondence, including letters from Alexander Raven Thomson of the British Union of Fascists to Captain Liam Walsh of the National Corporate Party, 1927-1945; Papers relating to the Irish Brigade and the Spanish Civil War, includes diary of O’Duffy regarding his service of leader of the Brigade, a typescript lists of passengers and volunteers departing for Spain and maps of Lisbon, Portugal, Spain and the Iberian Peninsula and related correspondence, 1936-1947; Papers relating to Athletics, includes newspaper cuttings, a report of the Irish Olympic Council, programs and advertisements, 1927-1948; The personal papers of Eoin O’Duffy, includes photographs and typescript carbon copy’s of chapters from O’Duffy’s autobiography, 1930-1944; Papers relating to Captain Liam D. Walsh, includes correspondence regarding municipal elections and typescript additional notes of Walsh’s unpublished biography titled ‘General Eoin O’Duffy. His Life and Battles’, 1940-1943; Periodicals, books, maps and miscellaneous materials, 1880-1955.
Eoin O’Duffy was born on 28 January 1890 in Cargaghdoo, near Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan. As his family did not speak Irish, he attended the Gaelic League night classes in order to learn the language. Duffy studied to become a surveyor and he successfully applied for a clerkship in the county surveyor’s office in Monaghan town, and this brought him into contact with local politics. He also became a member of the GAA when he joined the Harps’ Gaelic football club. In 1912 he was appointed secretary of the GAA’s Ulster provincial council. In 1917 he joined the Irish Volunteers; there he rapidly rose through the ranks and became a Brigadier in 1919. In 1918 he became Secretary of Sinn Féin’s North Monaghan Comhairle Ceanntair. On 14 September 1918, following a GAA football match, the RIC charged O’Duffy and Dan Hogan with ‘illegal assembly’. O’Duffy was imprisoned in Belfast Prison. He was released on 19 November 1918. In 1919 Sinn Féin established Dáil Éireann and declared independence and the Volunteers became the Irish Republican Army and O’Duffy became the driving force behind it. By 1921, Eoin O’Duffy had been imprisoned several times for his involvement in the War of Independence (1921-1922). In May 1921 he was returned as the Sinn Féin TD for the Monaghan constituency for the second Dáil. In July 1921, when the truce was announced, O’Duffy was appointed Chief Liaison Officer in Ulster where there was a great deal of resistance to the truce. In August 1921 O’Duffy was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff in the IRA, the second highest office. During the treaty negotiations, Eoin O’Duffy acted as an advisor to Michael Collins in London and he supported the Treaty. In September 1922 O’Duffy was appointed Garda Commissioner and insisted on a Catholic ethos to distinguish the Gardaí from their Royal Irish Constabulary predecessors. De Valera dismissed O’Duffy as commissioner in 1933 and O’Duffy refused the offer of another position of equivalent rank in the public service. In July 1933, Eoin O’Duffy became leader of the Army Comrades Association (ACA) which had originally been a welfare organisation for former members of the Irish Free State Army. The ACA protected the Cumann na nGaedhael public meetings from attacks by the IRA. Members of the ACA, which O’Duffy renamed the National Guard, wore blue shirts and black berets and became known as the Blueshirts. In September 1933, the Blueshirts were declared an illegal organisation. After his resignation from Fine Gael, O’Duffy’s interest in fascism intensified, and he decided to forge closer contacts with international fascist groups. When the Spanish Civil War broke out July 1936, O’Duffy started recruiting volunteers for an Irish Brigade to fight on the side of Franco. In 1938, O’Duffy wrote and published The Crusade in Spain, a monograph about the Irish Brigade in Spain. O’Duffy developed a serious drinking problem and his health deteriorated, he died on 30 November 1944 and received a state funeral.
Main Creator: O'Duffy, Eoin, 1890-1944
Language:English
Extent:8 boxes
Format:Manuscript
Call Number: MS 48,280-48,320 (Manuscripts Reading Room)
Rights:Reproduction rights owned by the National Library of Ireland.