John Joe McGirl
Encyclopedia
John Joe McGirl was an Irish republican
, an elected TD
and a former chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army.
Born and raised in Ballinamore
, County Leitrim
, McGirl became involved with the IRA in the 1930s. In 1946, he was arrested along with Cathal Goulding
and ten others and was sentenced to 12 months in prison for IRA membership.
McGirl participated in the IRA Border Campaign
. In January 1957, McGirl was tried and convicted at Ballinamore courthouse and jailed in Mountjoy Prison
.
Although a prisoner, he was elected a Sinn Féin TD
for the Sligo-Leitrim
constituency in the March 1957 Irish general election
, topping the poll with 7,007 votes (a 15.71 percent share). Running on an abstentionist
ticket, he refused to recognise the authority of Dáil Éireann
and would not have taken his seat had it been possible for him to do so. He did not retain his seat at the 1961 election
and his share of the vote was halved and he received only 2,487 votes (a 7.28 percent share).
In November 1957, he delivered the oration at the funerals of some of the "Edentubber Martyrs" - four IRA men who were killed when a bomb they were preparing accidentally exploded.
In 1962, he served on the committee which founded St. Felim’s College, Ballinamore.
When the IRA split in 1969, between "Official IRA
" and "Provisional IRA" factions, McGirl sided with the Provisionals, who were committed to launching an armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland
.
In 1974, he was interned in Northern Ireland
.
McGirl contested the February 1982 and 1987 general elections. In the former contest, he received 2,772 votes (6.07 percent) and in the latter, 2,627 votes (a 5.75 share).
McGirl served as vice-president of Sinn Féin. Originally he was opposed to the dropping of the Eire Nua
policy and was considered an ally of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
. However at the 1986 Sinn Féin
Ard Fheis, McGirl supported the moves of Gerry Adams
and Martin McGuinness
to drop the policy of abstentionism
, greatly angering his contemporaries Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
and Dáithí Ó Conaill
.
McGirl was a publican
, undertaker and bicycle-repairer in Ballinamore
. He was elected a Sinn Féin councillor to Leitrim County Council
in 1961, serving chairperson of that body. He was a member of the council at the time of his death. After his death, a monument was erected to McGirl in his native town of Ballinamore. It is located on the bridge crossing the Shannon-Erne Waterway
.
A nephew, Francis McGirl, was charged but acquitted of the murder of Lord Mountbatten
, who was killed by the IRA when his boat was bombed off the Sligo
coast in 1979. His son, Liam McGirl, was co-opted on to Leitrim County Council in 1988 after his fathers death. He was subsequently re-elected until 2001 where he retired and handed the seat over to Martin Kenny in 2001.
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, an elected TD
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...
and a former chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army.
Born and raised in Ballinamore
Ballinamore
Ballinamore is a small town in County Leitrim, Ireland, from the border with Northern Ireland. It is located on the R202 regional road where it is joined by the R199 and R204. means "mouth of the big ford", and the town is so named because it was the main crossing point of the Yellow River,...
, County Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim 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 Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
, McGirl became involved with the IRA in the 1930s. In 1946, he was arrested along with Cathal Goulding
Cathal Goulding
Cathal Goulding was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army and the Official IRA.One of seven children born into a republican family in East Arran Street in the north inner city of Dublin, Goulding was involved as teenager in Fianna Éireann, the IRA youth wing which he joined with his...
and ten others and was sentenced to 12 months in prison for IRA membership.
McGirl participated in the IRA Border Campaign
Border Campaign (IRA)
The Border Campaign was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the Irish Republican Army against targets in Northern Ireland, with the aim of overthrowing British rule there and creating a united Ireland.Popularly referred to as the Border Campaign, it was also referred to as the...
. In January 1957, McGirl was tried and convicted at Ballinamore courthouse and jailed in Mountjoy Prison
Mountjoy Prison
Mountjoy Prison , founded as Mountjoy Gaol, nicknamed The Joy, is a medium security prison located in Phibsboro in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. It has the largest prison population in Ireland.The current prison governor is Mr...
.
Although a prisoner, he was elected a Sinn Féin TD
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...
for the Sligo-Leitrim
Sligo-Leitrim (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Sligo–Leitrim was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1948 to 2007...
constituency in the March 1957 Irish general election
Irish general election, 1957
The Irish general election of 1957 was held on 5 March 1957, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 4 February. The newly elected members of the 16th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 20 March when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place...
, topping the poll with 7,007 votes (a 15.71 percent share). Running on an abstentionist
Abstentionism
Abstentionism is standing for election to a deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Abstentionism differs from an election boycott in that abstentionists participate in the election itself...
ticket, he refused to recognise the authority of Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
and would not have taken his seat had it been possible for him to do so. He did not retain his seat at the 1961 election
Irish general election, 1961
The Irish general election of 1961 was held on 4 October 1961, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 8 September. The newly elected members of the 17th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 11 October when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took...
and his share of the vote was halved and he received only 2,487 votes (a 7.28 percent share).
In November 1957, he delivered the oration at the funerals of some of the "Edentubber Martyrs" - four IRA men who were killed when a bomb they were preparing accidentally exploded.
In 1962, he served on the committee which founded St. Felim’s College, Ballinamore.
When the IRA split in 1969, between "Official IRA
Official IRA
The Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA is an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to create a "32-county workers' republic" in Ireland. It emerged from a split in the Irish Republican Army in December 1969, shortly after the beginning of "The Troubles"...
" and "Provisional IRA" factions, McGirl sided with the Provisionals, who were committed to launching an armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
In 1974, he was interned in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
McGirl contested the February 1982 and 1987 general elections. In the former contest, he received 2,772 votes (6.07 percent) and in the latter, 2,627 votes (a 5.75 share).
McGirl served as vice-president of Sinn Féin. Originally he was opposed to the dropping of the Eire Nua
Éire Nua
Éire Nua, or "New Ireland", was a political strategy of the Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin during the 1970s and early 1980s. It was particularly associated with the Dublin based leadership group centred around Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and Dáithí Ó Conaill who were the authors of the policy...
policy and was considered an ally of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh is an Irish republican. He is a former chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army , former president of Sinn Féin and former president of Republican Sinn Féin.-Early life:...
. However at the 1986 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...
Ard Fheis, McGirl supported the moves of Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
and Martin McGuinness
Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was also the Sinn Féin candidate for the Irish presidential election, 2011. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland....
to drop the policy of abstentionism
Abstentionism
Abstentionism is standing for election to a deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Abstentionism differs from an election boycott in that abstentionists participate in the election itself...
, greatly angering his contemporaries Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh is an Irish republican. He is a former chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army , former president of Sinn Féin and former president of Republican Sinn Féin.-Early life:...
and Dáithí Ó Conaill
Dáithí Ó Conaill
Dáithí Ó Conaill was an Irish republican, a member of the IRA Army Council, vice-president of Sinn Féin and Republican Sinn Féin. He was also the first chief of staff of the Continuity IRA.-Joins IRA:...
.
McGirl was a publican
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, undertaker and bicycle-repairer in Ballinamore
Ballinamore
Ballinamore is a small town in County Leitrim, Ireland, from the border with Northern Ireland. It is located on the R202 regional road where it is joined by the R199 and R204. means "mouth of the big ford", and the town is so named because it was the main crossing point of the Yellow River,...
. He was elected a Sinn Féin councillor to Leitrim County Council
Leitrim County Council
Leitrim County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Leitrim in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment....
in 1961, serving chairperson of that body. He was a member of the council at the time of his death. After his death, a monument was erected to McGirl in his native town of Ballinamore. It is located on the bridge crossing the Shannon-Erne Waterway
Shannon-Erne Waterway
The Shannon-Erne Waterway is a canal linking the River Shannon in the Republic of Ireland with the River Erne in Northern Ireland. Managed by Waterways Ireland, the canal is in length, has sixteen locks and runs from Leitrim village in County Leitrim to Upper Lough Erne in County Fermanagh...
.
A nephew, Francis McGirl, was charged but acquitted of the murder of Lord Mountbatten
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, who was killed by the IRA when his boat was bombed off the Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
coast in 1979. His son, Liam McGirl, was co-opted on to Leitrim County Council in 1988 after his fathers death. He was subsequently re-elected until 2001 where he retired and handed the seat over to Martin Kenny in 2001.