Patrick Belton
Encyclopedia
Patrick Belton was an Irish
politician, anti-communist
and leader of the Irish Christian Front. Belton provided a strong Catholic voice in an Irish nationalist context throughout his 20th century career. Supportive of Francisco Franco
and an activist in favour of the forces against Bolshevism, Belton however opposed Eoin O'Duffy
taking an Irish Brigade
to Spain, feeling that they would be needed in Ireland to counter domestic "political ills". His family, including three sons and a granddaughter have also gone on to have careers in Irish politics.
, County Longford
. He attended the local national school and subsequently won a scholarship to King's College London
. Following his secondary education, he stayed in London and entered the British Civil Service. He became very friendly with Arthur Griffith
and Michael Collins
at this time. He was a prominent member of the Geraldines GAA
Club in London, and he was for many years its chairman. In 1909 he became Secretary of the London County Board of the GAA.
In 1910 he was transferred to the Irish Land Commission
in Dublin. He took part in the 1916 Easter Rising
. His obituary in the Longford Leader noted that he "...was associated with Michael Collins and other London comrades when they came to Ireland in 1916 for the Rising. After the Rising he was suspended from the Land Commission on suspicion of having been connected with the event, but was later reinstated". In 1918 he was imprisoned in Belfast Jail, possibly because of his involvement in the National Aid Association.
In 1927 he was elected as a Fianna Fáil
Teachta Dála
(TD) for Dublin County
in the June 1927 general election. However he was expelled from the party soon afterwards as he broke with Fianna Fáil policy by taking the Oath of Allegiance
and entering the Dáil
.
In 1933, he joined Cumann na nGaedheal and was returned as a TD for Dublin North in the 1933 general election
.
called for the formation of a committee to help the (pro Franco
) citizens of Spain
in their war
effort. These calls for support resulted in the formation of the Irish Christian Front (ICF). The ICF held its initial meeting at the Mansion House, Dublin
on 31 August 1936. Already a TD, an ambitious and charismatic leader, Belton became the organisation's president. The group had overwhelming support from the general population as well as the backing of the Catholic church. On ICF platforms would stand local sympathisers, priests, Bishops and local TDs
usually from Fine Gael
but some from Fianna Fáil and even the Labour Party
. Belton would hold pro-Catholic and anti-communist rallies, drawing an estimated crowd of 30,000 on one occasion. He would publicise the massacres committed by the Spanish Republicans
and sent aid and money to Franco's forces.
However Belton, a supporter of nationalist Spain, claimed that the important battle was to be fought at home and not abroad. An ex-Blueshirt, he went as far as opposing Eoin O'Duffy
's dispatching of the Irish Brigade
in the Spanish Civil War.
The ICF would dwindle following Belton's loss in the 1937 general election
. He was elected as a Fine Gael
TD for Dublin County in the 1938 general election
, however he once again lost his seat in the 1943 general election
.
Belton died on 30 January 1945, at his home, Belleview Park, Killiney
, County Dublin
.
Three of his four sons – Richard
, Jack
and Paddy
served as members of the Oireachtas
, as did his granddaughter Avril Doyle
.
"I did not agree with the wisdom of Irishmen going out to Spain." – Irish Press (26 November 1936)
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
politician, anti-communist
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
and leader of the Irish Christian Front. Belton provided a strong Catholic voice in an Irish nationalist context throughout his 20th century career. Supportive of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
and an activist in favour of the forces against Bolshevism, Belton however opposed Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy was in succession a Teachta Dála , the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army , the second Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, leader of the Army Comrades Association and then the first leader of Fine Gael , before leading the Irish Brigade to fight for Francisco Franco during...
taking an Irish Brigade
Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)
The Irish Brigade , fought on the Nationalist side of Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. The unit was formed wholly of Roman Catholics by the politician Eoin O'Duffy, who had previously organised the banned quasi-fascist Blueshirts and openly fascist Greenshirts in Ireland...
to Spain, feeling that they would be needed in Ireland to counter domestic "political ills". His family, including three sons and a granddaughter have also gone on to have careers in Irish politics.
Nationalist Beginnings
He was born in 1885 in Rathcline, near LanesboroughLanesborough-Ballyleague
Lanesborough and Ballyleague is a town composed of two villages in the midlands of Ireland. Lanesborough is on the County Longford side and Ballyleague on the County Roscommon side of the River Shannon...
, County Longford
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
. He attended the local national school and subsequently won a scholarship to King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. Following his secondary education, he stayed in London and entered the British Civil Service. He became very friendly with Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
and Michael Collins
Michael Collins (Irish leader)
Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
at this time. He was a prominent member of the Geraldines GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
Club in London, and he was for many years its chairman. In 1909 he became Secretary of the London County Board of the GAA.
In 1910 he was transferred to the Irish Land Commission
Irish Land Commission
The Irish Land Commission was created in 1881 as a rent fixing commission by the Land Law Act 1881, also known as the second Irish Land Act...
in Dublin. He took part in the 1916 Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
. His obituary in the Longford Leader noted that he "...was associated with Michael Collins and other London comrades when they came to Ireland in 1916 for the Rising. After the Rising he was suspended from the Land Commission on suspicion of having been connected with the event, but was later reinstated". In 1918 he was imprisoned in Belfast Jail, possibly because of his involvement in the National Aid Association.
In 1927 he was elected as a Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
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 Dublin County
Dublin County (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin County was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1921 to 1969...
in the June 1927 general election. However he was expelled from the party soon afterwards as he broke with Fianna Fáil policy by taking the Oath of Allegiance
Oath of Allegiance (Ireland)
The Irish Oath of Allegiance was a controversial provision in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, which Irish TDs and Senators were required to take, in order to take their seats in Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann .-Text of the Oath:The Oath was included in Article 17 of the Irish Free State's 1922...
and entering the Dáil
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...
.
In 1933, he joined Cumann na nGaedheal and was returned as a TD for Dublin North in the 1933 general election
Irish general election, 1933
The Irish general election of 1933 was held on 24 January 1933. The newly elected members of the 8th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 8 February when the new President of the Executive Council and Executive Council of the Irish Free State were appointed....
.
Irish Christian Front formation
On 22 August 1936 the Irish IndependentIrish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
called for the formation of a committee to help the (pro Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
) citizens of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in their 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...
effort. These calls for support resulted in the formation of the Irish Christian Front (ICF). The ICF held its initial meeting at the Mansion House, Dublin
Mansion House, Dublin
The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin since 1715.-Features:The Mansion House's most famous features include the "Round Room", where the First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 to proclaim the Irish Declaration of Independence...
on 31 August 1936. Already a TD, an ambitious and charismatic leader, Belton became the organisation's president. The group had overwhelming support from the general population as well as the backing of the Catholic church. On ICF platforms would stand local sympathisers, priests, Bishops and local TDs
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...
usually from Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
but some from Fianna Fáil and even the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
. Belton would hold pro-Catholic and anti-communist rallies, drawing an estimated crowd of 30,000 on one occasion. He would publicise the massacres committed by the Spanish Republicans
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
and sent aid and money to Franco's forces.
However Belton, a supporter of nationalist Spain, claimed that the important battle was to be fought at home and not abroad. An ex-Blueshirt, he went as far as opposing Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy was in succession a Teachta Dála , the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army , the second Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, leader of the Army Comrades Association and then the first leader of Fine Gael , before leading the Irish Brigade to fight for Francisco Franco during...
's dispatching of the Irish Brigade
Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)
The Irish Brigade , fought on the Nationalist side of Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. The unit was formed wholly of Roman Catholics by the politician Eoin O'Duffy, who had previously organised the banned quasi-fascist Blueshirts and openly fascist Greenshirts in Ireland...
in the Spanish Civil War.
The ICF would dwindle following Belton's loss in the 1937 general election
Irish general election, 1937
The Irish general election of 1937 was held on 1 July 1937, just over two weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 14 June. A plebiscite to ratify the Constitution of Ireland was held on the same day...
. He was elected as a Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
TD for Dublin County in the 1938 general election
Irish general election, 1938
The Irish general election of 1938 was held on 17 June 1938. The 138 newly elected members of the 10th Dáil assembled on 30 June when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
, however he once again lost his seat in the 1943 general election
Irish general election, 1943
The Irish general election of 1943 was held on 23 June 1943. The 138 newly elected members of the 11th Dáil assembled on 1 July when the new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
.
Belton died on 30 January 1945, at his home, Belleview Park, Killiney
Killiney
Killiney is a suburb of Dublin in south County Dublin, Ireland. It is within the administrative area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County. The area is by the coast, south of neighbouring Dalkey, and north to Shankill area in the most southern outskirt of Dublin....
, 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...
.
Three of his four sons – Richard
Richard Belton
Richard Belton was an Irish politician and medical doctor. He was elected to Seanad Éireann on the Administrative Panel at the 1969 election, for Fine Gael...
, Jack
Jack Belton
John Belton was an Irish politician, builder and publican. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1948 general election as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Dublin North East. He was re-elected at the 1951, 1954, 1957 and 1961 general elections...
and Paddy
Paddy Belton
Patrick Belton was an Irish politician, company director and publican. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála at the Dublin North East by-election held on 30 May 1963 caused by the death of his brother Jack Belton. He was re-elected for Dublin North East at the 1965,...
served as members of the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
, as did his granddaughter Avril Doyle
Avril Doyle
Avril Doyle is a former Irish politician. She was a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party.Avril Belton was born in Dublin and was educated at University College Dublin. Her father Richard Belton was a Senator and her grandfather Patrick Belton was a Teachta Dála...
.
Quotes
"When our organisations work is complete we will make Ireland a very hot spot for any communist to live in...if it is necessary to be a fascist to defend Christianity then I am a fascist and so are my colleagues." – Irish Independent, 12 October 1936"I did not agree with the wisdom of Irishmen going out to Spain." – Irish Press (26 November 1936)
External links
- Patrick Belton's electoral history (ElectionsIreland.org)