Thomas MacDonagh
Thomas MacDonagh | |
---|---|
Born | Cloughjordan, County Tipperary, Ireland | 1 February 1878
Died | 3 May 1916 Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, Ireland | (aged 38)
Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
Allegiance | Irish Volunteers |
Years of service | 1913–1916 |
Rank | Commandant |
Commands held | 2nd Battalion |
Battles/wars | Easter Rising |
Spouse(s) | Muriel Gifford |
Children |
|
Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh (Irish: Tomás Anéislis Mac Donnchadha; 1 February 1878 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish political activist, poet, playwright, educationalist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, a signatory of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and Commandant of the 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers, which fought in Jacob's biscuit factory. He was executed for his part in the Rising at the age of thirty-eight.
MacDonagh was assistant headmaster at
Early life
He was born
Both his parents were teachers;
Teaching
His friendship with Pearse and his love of Irish led him to join the staff of Pearse's bilingual
On 3 January 1912 he married
MacDonagh was a member of the
Republicanism
In 1913 both MacDonagh and Plunkett attended the inaugural meeting of the Irish Volunteers and joined its Provisional Committee. MacDonagh was later appointed Commandant of Dublin's 2nd Battalion and eventually made commandant of the entire Dublin Brigade. Although originally a pure constitutionalist, through his dealings with men such as Pearse, Plunkett, and Seán Mac Diarmada, and through the increasing militarisation of Europe in the onset of World War I, MacDonagh developed stronger republican beliefs, joining the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), probably during the summer of 1915. Around this time Tom Clarke asked him to plan the grandiose funeral of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, which was a resounding propaganda success, largely due to the graveside oration delivered by Pearse.
Easter Rising
Though credited as one of the Easter Rising's seven leaders, MacDonagh was a late addition to that group. He didn't join the secret Military Council that planned the rising until April 1916, weeks before the rising took place. The reason for his admittance at such a late date is uncertain. Still a relative newcomer to the IRB, men such as Clarke may have been hesitant to elevate him to such a high position too soon, which raises the question as to why he should be admitted at all. His close ties to Pearse and Plunkett may have been the cause, as well as his position as commandant of the Dublin Brigade (though his position as such would later be superseded by James Connolly as commandant-general of the Dublin division). Nevertheless, MacDonagh was a signatory of the Proclamation of the Republic.
During the rising, MacDonagh's battalion was stationed at the massive complex of Jacob's Biscuit Factory. On the way to this destination the battalion encountered the veteran Fenian, John MacBride, who on the spot joined the battalion as second-in-command, and in fact took over part of the command throughout Easter Week, although he had had no prior knowledge and was in the area by accident. MacDonagh's original second in command was Michael O'Hanrahan.[9]
As it was, despite MacDonagh's rank and the fact that he commanded one of the strongest battalions, they saw little fighting, as the
His widow, Muriel, died of heart failure while swimming in Skerries, County Dublin on 9 July 1917; his son Donagh MacDonagh became a judge, and was also a prominent poet, Broadway playwright,[11] songwriter and broadcaster, a central member of the Irish literary revival of the 1940s/1960s. He married Nuala Smyth and they had four children. Barbara married the actor Liam Redmond and they had four children. During the 1950s and 1960s, she wrote many scripts for Radio Éireann, the Irish national radio broadcaster, using her husband's more famous name.
Reputation and commemoration
MacDonagh was generally credited with being one of the most gregarious and personable of the Rising's leaders.
A prominent figure in the Dublin literary world, he was commemorated in several poems by
'He shall not hear the bittern cry
In the wild sky where he is lain,
Nor voices of the sweeter birds
Above the wailing of the rain...
But when the Dark Cow leaves the moor
And pastures poor with greedy weeds,
Perhaps he'll hear her low at morn,
Lifting her horn in pleasant meads.
In Easter 1916 Yeats wrote of him
'This other, his helper and friend
Was coming into his force
He might have won fame in the end
So sensitive his nature seemed
So daring and sweet his thought.
Thomas MacDonagh Tower in Ballymun, Dublin, which was built in the 1960s and demolished in June 2005, was named after him. MacDonagh had taught in St Kieran's College, Kilkenny City during the early years of his career, where MacDonagh Railway Station was named in his memory, as was the MacDonagh Junction shopping centre.
The Thomas MacDonagh Heritage Centre in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary was opened in 2013. The centre houses the town library and exhibition space.[12][13] An annual Thomas MacDonagh Summer School takes place in Cloughjordan over the May bank holiday weekend.[14]
Gaelic Athletic Association clubs and grounds named after MacDonagh have been established in County Tipperary (Kilruane, Nenagh and a North Tipperary amalgamation).
The McDonagh Barracks group of buildings represents one of the largest individual components of the
As MacDonough was a founding member, the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) awards the 'Thomas MacDonough Medal' for "extraordinary service to the union by members".[16]
Works
His works include:
- Through the Ivory Gate
- April and May
- When the Dawn is Come
- Songs of Myself
- Lyrical Poems
- “The Golden Joy”
- “The Stars Stand Up in the Air”
- Thomas Campion and the Art of English Poetry
- Literature in Ireland (published posthumously)
References
- ISBN 978-1-904301-82-0. Archivedfrom the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ISBN 978-3-03910-941-8. Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ "Thomas MacDonagh". Ricorso. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
- ^ Kenna, Shane (2014). Thomas MacDonagh: 16 Lives. O'Brien Press.
- ^ "General Registrar's Office". IrishGenealogy.ie. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "Pacificism or Physical Force? | Century Ireland". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ISBN 9781911024828. Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Home - Department of Taoiseach". taoiseach.gov.ie. Archived from the original on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ 16 Lives: Patrick Pearse. p. 275.
- ^ "Donagh MacDonagh – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ New MacDonagh Library and Heritage Centre for Cloughjordan, Nenagh Guardian
- ^ "Thomas MacDonagh Heritage Centre". Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ Cloughjordan Honours MacDonagh Archived 27 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Cloughjordan.ie
- ^ "MacDonagh Barracks". Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ Barrett, Rose. "Local teacher wins ASTI Thomas MacDonagh Medal". Dublin Gazette.
Bibliography
- Kenna, Shane (2015). 16 Lives: Thomas MacDonagh. Dublin.
- Bourke, Marcus (Winter 1997 – Spring 1998). "Irish Tommies: the Construction of a Martial Manhood 1914-1918". Bullan. 3 (2).
- Bourke, Marcus (1968). "Thomas MacDonagh's role in the Plans for the 1916 Rising". The Irish Sword. 8 (32): 198–85.
- Caulfield, Max (1963). The Easter Rebellion. London.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Dudley Edwards, Owen (1987). Eamon de Valera. Cardiff.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Moran, Sean Farrell, Patrick Pearse and the Politics of Redemption, 1994.
- Norstedt, Johann A. (1980). Thomas MacDonagh: A Critical Biography. Charlottesville, VA.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Parks, Edd W.; Parks, Aileen W. (1967). Thomas MacDonagh: the Man, the Patriot, the Writer. Athens, GA.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Williams, T.D., ed. (1966). The Irish Struggle, 1916-1926. London.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
- Works by or about Thomas MacDonagh at Internet Archive
- Works by Thomas MacDonagh at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Thomas MacDonagh Additional Papers, 1870-1967 digitized collection at the National Library of Ireland
- Thomas MacDonagh, Census of Ireland, 1911
- Thomas MacDonagh Heritage Centre Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary
- "Thomas MacDonagh". Irish Playography.
- Thomas MacDonagh tagged articles from Century 100 by Raidió Teilifís Éireann
- "He Might Have Won Fame In The End", May 1978 documentary on RTÉ Radio 1 by Anthony Cronin