Frank Stagg
Encyclopedia
Frank Stagg
near Ballinrobe
, County Mayo
, in 1942. His brother, Emmet Stagg
is an Irish Labour Party politician, currently a Teachta Dála
(TD) for Kildare North.
Stagg was educated to primary level at Newbrooke Primary School and at CBS Ballinrobe to secondary level. After finishing his schooling, he worked as an assistant gamekeeper
with his uncle prior to emigrating from Ireland to England in search of work.
Once in England he gained employment as a bus conductor in north London
and later became a bus driver. Whilst in England he met and married fellow Mayo native, Bridie Armstrong from Carnacon
. In 1972, he joined the Luton
cumann
of Sinn Féin
and soon after became a volunteer
in the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA).
. He was tried at Birmingham
Crown Court
. The jury found three of the seven not guilty; the remaining four were all found guilty of criminal damage and conspiracy to commit arson. Stagg and English born priest, Father Patrick Fell
, were found to be the unit’s commanding officers; Stagg was given a ten-year sentence and Fell twelve years. Thomas Gerald Rush was given seven years and Anthony Roland Lynch, who was also found guilty of possessing articles with intent to destroy property, namely nitric acid, balloons, wax and sodium chlorate
, was given ten years.
Stagg was initially sent to the top security Albany Prison
on the Isle of Wight
. In March 1974, having been moved to Parkhurst Prison
, he and fellow Mayo man Michael Gaughan joined a hunger strike begun by the sisters Marion Price and Dolours Price
, Hugh Feeney
and Gerry Kelly
.
Following the hunger strike that resulted in the death of Michael Gaughan, the Price sisters, Feeney and Kelly were granted repatriation to Ireland. Stagg was denied repatriation, and was transferred to Long Lartin Prison
, during his time there he was subject to solitary confinement
for refusing to do prison work, he was also subjected, along with his wife and sisters during visits to humiliating body searches. In protest against this he began a second hunger strike that lasted for thirty-four days, this ended when prison governor agreed to an end to the strip-searches on Stagg and his visitors. Frank Stagg was bed-ridden for the rest of his incarnation in Long Lartin, due to a kidney complaint.
during the IRA/British truce.
Stagg's demands were:
The British government refused to meet any of these demands. He died on February 12, 1976 after 62 days on hunger strike.
in Ballina
as was the wish of Frank Stagg, while his widow, his brother Emmet Stagg
and the Irish government
wished to have him buried in the family plot in the same cemetery and to avoid republican involvement in the funeral. As the republicans waited at Dublin Airport
for the body, the Irish Government
ordered the flight to be diverted to Shannon Airport
.
It was here that his body was brought to Ballina and buried near the family plot. In order to prevent the body being disinterred and reburied by republicans in accordance to the wishes of the dead man, the grave was covered with concrete. In November 1976, a group of republicans tunnelled under the concrete to recover the coffin under cover of darkness and reburied it in the republican plot.
Background
Stagg was the seventh child in a family of thirteen children, born at HollymountHollymount
Hollymount is a village on the R331 regional road in County Mayo, Ireland. It lies mid-way between the towns of Ballinrobe and Claremorris in the plains of South Mayo. It has a post office, a mini-mart, a community center , a small fuel/petrol station, and various public houses. It also has a...
near Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe
-Early history:Dating back to 1390, Ballinrobe is said to be the oldest town in South Mayo. The registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions the monastery de Roba, an Augustinian friary whose recently restored ruins are one of the historical landmarks of the town today...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, in 1942. His brother, Emmet Stagg
Emmet Stagg
Emmet Stagg is an Irish Labour Party politician. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Kildare North constituency and Labour Party Chief Whip.-Early life:...
is an Irish Labour Party politician, currently a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) for Kildare North.
Stagg was educated to primary level at Newbrooke Primary School and at CBS Ballinrobe to secondary level. After finishing his schooling, he worked as an assistant gamekeeper
Gamekeeper
A gamekeeper is a person who manages an area of countryside to make sure there is enough game for shooting, or fish for angling, and who actively manages areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland for the benefit of game birds, deer, fish and wildlife in general.Typically, a gamekeeper is...
with his uncle prior to emigrating from Ireland to England in search of work.
Once in England he gained employment as a bus conductor in north London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and later became a bus driver. Whilst in England he met and married fellow Mayo native, Bridie Armstrong from Carnacon
Carnacon
Carnacon is a small village in central County Mayo in Ireland. It is situated about 12 miles from Castlebar, and is about 8 miles from Claremorris and Ballinrobe. The population of Carnacon is estimated at 200 houses.-Background:...
. In 1972, he joined the Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
cumann
Cumann
A cumann is the lowest local unit or branch of a number of Irish political parties. The term cumann may also be used to describe a non-political association....
of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
and soon after became a volunteer
Volunteer (Irish republican)
Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol., is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various forms of the Irish Republican Army and the Irish National Liberation Army...
in the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA).
Republicanism
In April 1973, Stagg was arrested with six others alleged to comprise an IRA unit planning a campaign in CoventryCoventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
. He was tried at Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
. The jury found three of the seven not guilty; the remaining four were all found guilty of criminal damage and conspiracy to commit arson. Stagg and English born priest, Father Patrick Fell
Patrick Fell
Father Patrick Fell was a Roman Catholic priest who was accused and later convicted in the 1970s of being a commander of an IRA active service unit. Fell never admitted to IRA Membership and pleaded NOT guilty to the charges....
, were found to be the unit’s commanding officers; Stagg was given a ten-year sentence and Fell twelve years. Thomas Gerald Rush was given seven years and Anthony Roland Lynch, who was also found guilty of possessing articles with intent to destroy property, namely nitric acid, balloons, wax and sodium chlorate
Sodium chlorate
Sodium chlorate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . When pure, it is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water. It is hygroscopic. It decomposes above 250 °C to release oxygen and leave sodium chloride...
, was given ten years.
Stagg was initially sent to the top security Albany Prison
Albany (HM Prison)
HMP Isle of Wight - Albany Barracks is a Category B men's prison, situated on the outskirts of Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. In March 1974, having been moved to Parkhurst Prison
Parkhurst (HM Prison)
HMP Isle of Wight - Parkhurst Barracks is a prison situated in Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.Parkhurst prison is one of the three prisons that make up HMP Isle of Wight, the other two being Camp Hill, and Albany...
, he and fellow Mayo man Michael Gaughan joined a hunger strike begun by the sisters Marion Price and Dolours Price
Dolours Price
Dolours Price is a former volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army . She is also a politicial activist and critic of Gerry Adams and the current leadership of Sinn Féin.-Early life:...
, Hugh Feeney
Hugh Feeney
Hugh Feeney was a volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who, together with Dolours Price and Marian Price, organised the car bombings of the Old Bailey and Scotland Yard on March 8, 1973...
and Gerry Kelly
Gerry Kelly
Gerard "Gerry" Kelly is an Irish republican politician and former Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer who played a leading role in the negotiations that led to the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998...
.
Following the hunger strike that resulted in the death of Michael Gaughan, the Price sisters, Feeney and Kelly were granted repatriation to Ireland. Stagg was denied repatriation, and was transferred to Long Lartin Prison
Long Lartin (HM Prison)
HM Prison Long Lartin is a Category A men's prison, located in the village of South Littleton in Worcestershire, England. Long Lartin Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
, during his time there he was subject to solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
for refusing to do prison work, he was also subjected, along with his wife and sisters during visits to humiliating body searches. In protest against this he began a second hunger strike that lasted for thirty-four days, this ended when prison governor agreed to an end to the strip-searches on Stagg and his visitors. Frank Stagg was bed-ridden for the rest of his incarnation in Long Lartin, due to a kidney complaint.
Hunger strike
In 1975 he was transferred to Wakefield Prison, where it was demanded that he again do prison work, which he refused and was place in solitary confinement. On December 14, 1975, Stagg embarked on a hunger strike in Wakefield Prison along with a number of Republican prisoners, after being refused repatriation to IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
during the IRA/British truce.
Stagg's demands were:
- An end to solitary confinement.
- No prison work.
- Repatriation to prison in Ireland.
The British government refused to meet any of these demands. He died on February 12, 1976 after 62 days on hunger strike.
Funeral
Frank Stagg's burial caused considerable controversy in Ireland, with republicans and two of his brothers seeking to have Stagg buried in the republican plotRepublican plot
In Ireland, a republican plot is a cemetery plot where combatants or members of various Irish republican organisations are buried in a common grave, as opposed to being buried with family members. These plots may often also hold the bodies of casualties of earlier 19th and 20th-century campaigns by...
in Ballina
Ballina, County Mayo
Ballina is a large town in north County Mayo in Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountain range to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west...
as was the wish of Frank Stagg, while his widow, his brother Emmet Stagg
Emmet Stagg
Emmet Stagg is an Irish Labour Party politician. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Kildare North constituency and Labour Party Chief Whip.-Early life:...
and the Irish government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
wished to have him buried in the family plot in the same cemetery and to avoid republican involvement in the funeral. As the republicans waited at Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
for the body, the Irish Government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
ordered the flight to be diverted to Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...
.
It was here that his body was brought to Ballina and buried near the family plot. In order to prevent the body being disinterred and reburied by republicans in accordance to the wishes of the dead man, the grave was covered with concrete. In November 1976, a group of republicans tunnelled under the concrete to recover the coffin under cover of darkness and reburied it in the republican plot.