Bill Gannon (Irish Republican)
Encyclopedia
Bill Gannon was a well-known militant of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and later a leading member of the Communist Party of Ireland
.
. In the Irish Civil War
he took the anti-treaty side and was among the force which seized the Four Courts
in Dublin - the act which set off the civil war.
After the defeat of his side he spent a considerable time under internment, together with numerous others. He was completely unreconciled to the victory of the "Free State
rs", and together with two fellow-detainees - Archie Doyle
and Timothy Coughlin
- took part in forming a secret "venegeance grouping". The three vowed that once free of imprisonment they would take revenge on their opponents, whom they considered traitors to the Irish cause.
Most such private revenge pacts were broken up by the IRA leadership when it reorganised following 1924, but Gannon and his two fellow conspirators persisted and carried through their deadly aim. The act which first made Gannon (and the two others) well-known was the assassination of Justice Minister Kevin O'Higgins
. On July 10, 1927, the three surprised O'Higgins on the Booterstown Avenue side of Cross Avenue in Blackrock, County Dublin
and shot him down.
O'Higgins was especially hated by IRA members for having ordered the executions of seventy-seven of their fellows during the Civil War, an act for which he outspokenly took responsibility and refused to express any remorse. Moreover, he was a dominant member of the Free State government and the conspirators had good reasons to believe that his death would weaken it.
None of the three was ever apprehended or charged with the assassination, though Coughlin was killed by a police informer in 1928 under circumstances which remain controversial up to the present. Gannon and Doyle benefited from the amnesty for IRA members issued by Éamon de Valera
on his accession to power in 1932, and after that date they could openly admit their part in assassinating O'Higgins without fear of being prosecuted.
when it was refounded in 1933. In this decision may have been influenced by Donal O'Reilly, his lifelong companion who had been with him at the Four Courts and who already joined the Communist Party in its earlier incarnation under Roddy Connolly
. The radical left-wing commentator Jack Cleary approvingly mentions Bill Gannon as among the few IRA militants who had "given up the gun in favor of working class politics" (in marked contrast to Gannon's aforementioned fellow-assassin Archie Doyle
, who continued to take part in IRA armed raids well into the 1940s).
Being an Irish Communist in these years carried, however, its own risks. Gannon is mentioned as having been among the defenders of Connolly House, the party's Dublin headquarters, when it was attacked - and ultimately put on fire - by a right-wing mob in 1933. And in subsequent years Communists continued to suffer constant harassment, often descending into outright violence.
Gannon is at present mainly remembered for his major part in organising Irish volunteers (the Connolly Column
) to fight on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War
, a work undertaken in close cooperation with Frank Ryan
and Peadar O'Donnell
, and which came to overshadow his earlier fame (or notoriety) in connection with the O'Higgins assassination.
Some official Communist versions of his life conspicuously omit altogether any mention of O'Higgins, such as the following:
Gannon died in 1965 and got a well-attended party funeral, his coffin being draped with the Hammer and Sickle
flag.
Communist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
.
IRA career and the O'Higgins Assassination
Gannon had fought in the Irish War of IndependenceIrish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
. In the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
he took the anti-treaty side and was among the force which seized the Four Courts
Four Courts
The Four Courts in Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's main courts building. The Four Courts are the location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. The building until 2010 also formerly was the location for the Central Criminal Court.-Gandon's Building:Work based on...
in Dublin - the act which set off the civil war.
After the defeat of his side he spent a considerable time under internment, together with numerous others. He was completely unreconciled to the victory of the "Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
rs", and together with two fellow-detainees - Archie Doyle
Archie Doyle
Archie Doyle was one of three anti-Treaty members of the IRA who on July 10, 1927 assassinated the Irish Justice Minister Kevin O'Higgins. He had had a long subsequent career in the organisation's ranks....
and Timothy Coughlin
Timothy Coughlin
Timothy Coughlin was a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army, mainly known for his part in assassinating Kevin O'Higgins in 1927 and for the controversy surrounding the circumstances of his death in 1928....
- took part in forming a secret "venegeance grouping". The three vowed that once free of imprisonment they would take revenge on their opponents, whom they considered traitors to the Irish cause.
Most such private revenge pacts were broken up by the IRA leadership when it reorganised following 1924, but Gannon and his two fellow conspirators persisted and carried through their deadly aim. The act which first made Gannon (and the two others) well-known was the assassination of Justice Minister Kevin O'Higgins
Kevin O'Higgins
Kevin Christopher O'Higgins was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister for Justice. He was part of early nationalist Sinn Féin, before going on to become a prominent member of Cumann na nGaedheal. O'Higgins initiated the An Garda Síochána police force...
. On July 10, 1927, the three surprised O'Higgins on the Booterstown Avenue side of Cross Avenue in Blackrock, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
and shot him down.
O'Higgins was especially hated by IRA members for having ordered the executions of seventy-seven of their fellows during the Civil War, an act for which he outspokenly took responsibility and refused to express any remorse. Moreover, he was a dominant member of the Free State government and the conspirators had good reasons to believe that his death would weaken it.
None of the three was ever apprehended or charged with the assassination, though Coughlin was killed by a police informer in 1928 under circumstances which remain controversial up to the present. Gannon and Doyle benefited from the amnesty for IRA members issued by Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
on his accession to power in 1932, and after that date they could openly admit their part in assassinating O'Higgins without fear of being prosecuted.
Communist career and the Spanish Civil War
By that time, Gannon had already turned to the Left, and became a leading member of the Communist Party of IrelandCommunist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
when it was refounded in 1933. In this decision may have been influenced by Donal O'Reilly, his lifelong companion who had been with him at the Four Courts and who already joined the Communist Party in its earlier incarnation under Roddy Connolly
Roddy Connolly
Roderick James Connolly was a socialist politician in Ireland.The son of Irish socialist James Connolly and Lillie Connolly, he was involved in the Easter Rising in 1916, where he served in the GPO under his father. He joined the Socialist Party of Ireland in 1917...
. The radical left-wing commentator Jack Cleary approvingly mentions Bill Gannon as among the few IRA militants who had "given up the gun in favor of working class politics" (in marked contrast to Gannon's aforementioned fellow-assassin Archie Doyle
Archie Doyle
Archie Doyle was one of three anti-Treaty members of the IRA who on July 10, 1927 assassinated the Irish Justice Minister Kevin O'Higgins. He had had a long subsequent career in the organisation's ranks....
, who continued to take part in IRA armed raids well into the 1940s).
Being an Irish Communist in these years carried, however, its own risks. Gannon is mentioned as having been among the defenders of Connolly House, the party's Dublin headquarters, when it was attacked - and ultimately put on fire - by a right-wing mob in 1933. And in subsequent years Communists continued to suffer constant harassment, often descending into outright violence.
Gannon is at present mainly remembered for his major part in organising Irish volunteers (the Connolly Column
Connolly Column
The Connolly Column was the name given to the Irish volunteers who fought for the Second Spanish Republic in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. They were named after James Connolly, the executed leader of the Irish Citizen Army...
) to fight on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, a work undertaken in close cooperation with Frank Ryan
Frank Ryan (Irish republican)
Frank Ryan was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army, editor of An Phoblacht, leftist activist and leader of Irish volunteers on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War....
and Peadar O'Donnell
Peadar O'Donnell
Peadar O'Donnell was an Irish republican and socialist activist and writer.-Early life:Peadar O'Donnell was born into an Irish speaking family in Dungloe, County Donegal in northwest Ireland, in 1893. He attended St. Patrick's College, Dublin, where he trained as a teacher...
, and which came to overshadow his earlier fame (or notoriety) in connection with the O'Higgins assassination.
Some official Communist versions of his life conspicuously omit altogether any mention of O'Higgins, such as the following:
In September 1936, the decision was taken to form an Irish unit for the Spanish Republican Army. The Communist Party of Ireland gave the task of recruitment and organisation to Bill Gannon, a Party member who had considerable experience of political work in the Irish Republican Army and been decorated with an Irish Governmental Medal for his distinguished record in the Irish national struggle.
Gannon died in 1965 and got a well-attended party funeral, his coffin being draped with the Hammer and Sickle
Hammer and sickle
The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer and a sickle overlapping each other. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them...
flag.