Seán Cronin
Encyclopedia
Seán Cronin was a journalist and former Irish Army
officer and twice Irish Republican Army chief of staff.
Cronin was born in Dublin in 1920 but spent his childhood years in Ballinskelligs
, in the County Kerry
Gaeltacht
.
During the Second World War, Cronin was an officer in the Southern Command. He later emigrated to New York
, where he found work as a journalist. In America, he became involved with Clan na Gael
and later joined the Irish Republican Army
.
In 1955 he returned from the United States and began work as a subeditor in the Evening Press
.
He was soon put in charge of training in the IRA. He outlined his ideas in a booklet, Notes on Guerrilla Warfare. He became the chief strategist for Operation Harvest, a campaign which saw the carrying out a range of military operations from direct attacks on security installations to disruptive actions against infrastructure. He was arrested and imprisoned several times over the course of this campaign (1956-1962).
On two occasions, from 1957 to 1958 and then 1959 to 1960, Cronin was IRA chief of staff. He also served as editor of the Sinn Féin
United Irishman/An tÉireannach Aontaithe
newspaper.
Jailed for his activities, he left the IRA in 1962 after his release from prison.
He later became a journalist for the Irish Times, becoming that paper's first Washington, DC correspondent.
He was the author of a dozen books and pamphlets, including a biography of republican Frank Ryan, Washington’s Irish Policy 1916-1986: Independence, Partition, Neutrality, an authoritative account of Irish-US relations; Our Own Red Blood about the 1916 Easter Rising; and a number of works on guerrilla strategy, including an early Sinn Féin pamphlet Resistance under the pseudonym of J. McGarrity.
After several years of illness, Cronin died in Washington on 9 March 2011. He is survived his second wife, Reva Rubenstein Cronin.
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
officer and twice Irish Republican Army chief of staff.
Cronin was born in Dublin in 1920 but spent his childhood years in Ballinskelligs
Ballinskelligs
Baile an Sceilg , anglicised as Ballinskelligs, is a Gaeltacht village in the south-west of the Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland....
, in the County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
.
During the Second World War, Cronin was an officer in the Southern Command. He later emigrated to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he found work as a journalist. In America, he became involved with Clan na Gael
Clan na Gael
The Clan na Gael was an Irish republican organization in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood...
and later joined the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)
The original Irish Republican Army fought a guerrilla war against British rule in Ireland in the Irish War of Independence 1919–1921. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921, the IRA in the 26 counties that were to become the Irish Free State split between supporters and...
.
In 1955 he returned from the United States and began work as a subeditor in the Evening Press
Evening Press
The Evening Press was an Irish newspaper which was printed from 1954 until 1995. It was set up by Éamon de Valera's Irish Press group, and was originally edited by Douglas Gageby...
.
He was soon put in charge of training in the IRA. He outlined his ideas in a booklet, Notes on Guerrilla Warfare. He became the chief strategist for Operation Harvest, a campaign which saw the carrying out a range of military operations from direct attacks on security installations to disruptive actions against infrastructure. He was arrested and imprisoned several times over the course of this campaign (1956-1962).
On two occasions, from 1957 to 1958 and then 1959 to 1960, Cronin was IRA chief of staff. He also served as editor of the 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...
United Irishman/An tÉireannach Aontaithe
United Irishman
The United Irishman title has been a very popular newspaper title in Ireland and a number of newspapers have been published under the title.*...
newspaper.
Jailed for his activities, he left the IRA in 1962 after his release from prison.
He later became a journalist for the Irish Times, becoming that paper's first Washington, DC correspondent.
He was the author of a dozen books and pamphlets, including a biography of republican Frank Ryan, Washington’s Irish Policy 1916-1986: Independence, Partition, Neutrality, an authoritative account of Irish-US relations; Our Own Red Blood about the 1916 Easter Rising; and a number of works on guerrilla strategy, including an early Sinn Féin pamphlet Resistance under the pseudonym of J. McGarrity.
After several years of illness, Cronin died in Washington on 9 March 2011. He is survived his second wife, Reva Rubenstein Cronin.