J. J. Walsh | |
|---|---|
 Walsh circa. 1916 | |
| Minister for Posts and Telegraphs | |
| In office 2 June 1924 – 12 October 1927 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Ernest Blythe |
| Postmaster General | |
| In office 1 April 1922 – 2 June 1924 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office May 1921 – September 1927 | |
| Constituency | Cork Borough |
| In office December 1918 – May 1921 | |
| Constituency | Cork City |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1880-02-20)20 February 1880 Bandon,County Cork, Ireland |
| Died | 3 February 1948(1948-02-03) (aged 67) County Cork, Ireland |
| Political party | |
| Spouse | Jenny Turner |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Years of service | 1913–1916 |
| Rank | Vice-Commandant |
| Battles/wars | Easter Rising |
James Joseph Walsh (20 February 1880 – 3 February 1948), generally referred to asJ. J. Walsh, was Postmaster General, (laterMinister for Posts and Telegraphs) of theIrish Free State from 1923 to 1927.[1] He was also a seniorGaelic Athletic Association organiser andCumann na nGaedheal politician. Later, Walsh had heavy connections with fascism, including his association withAiltirí na hAiséirghe.[2]
J. J. Walsh was born in thetownland of Rathroon, nearBandon, County Cork.[3] His family came from a farming background, "working a substantial holding of medium but well-cultivated land".[4] Until the age of fifteen, Walsh attended a local school in Bandon, but by his own account "as far as learning went, I may as well have been at home".[4] Together with his school-friendP. S. O'Hegarty, he passed the Civil Service exams for the Postal service. He later worked locally as a clerk in the Post Office. Like O'Hegarty, he spent three years in London atKing's College, studying for the Secretary's Office "a syllabus (which) differed little from theIndian Civil Service". While O'Hegarty succeeded in his studies, Walsh did not, and returned to Cork where a friend, Sir Edward Fitzgerald, arranged work for him on the Entertainments Committee of theCork International Exhibition.[5]
Walsh was active in theGaelic Athletic Association, promotingGaelic games in many areas, but particularly in Cork city and county. His interest in organised sports had a strong political dimension.
I happened to be one of those who realised the potentialities of the G.A.A. as a training ground for Physical Force. Contamination with the alien and all his works was taboo. I gathered around me a force of youthful enthusiasts from the University, Civil Service and Business. With this intensely organised instrument, war was declared on foreign games which were made to feel the shock so heavily that one by one, Soccer and Rugby Clubs began to disappear.[6]
He was also instrumental in establishing the'revived' Tailteann Games.
He wasChairman of theCork County Council GAA.[7]
He was involved of the founding of the Cork CityIrish Volunteers.[7]
He participated in theEaster Rising in 1916 in theGPO.[8] He claims he was responsible for mobilising 20 members of theHibernian Rifles and took them to the GPO.[7] However Rifles commandant John J. Scollan contradicts this account.[9] He was promoted from Rifleman to Vice-Commandant of the Hibernian Rifles in 1915.[10]
He was arrested following the general surrender and sentenced to death after acourt-martial atRichmond Barracks. This was almost immediately commuted to life imprisonment, but he was released the following year under a general amnesty.
In later 1917 he was arrested and imprisoned after making a speech declaring "the only way to addressJohn Bull is through the barrel of a rifle".[11]
In autumn 1919 he was involved in a failed assassination attempt onLord French.[12]
Walsh was elected as aSinn FéinMember of Parliament (MP) in the1918 general election for theCork City constituency.[13] As amember of the 1st Dáil he was arrested for partaking in an illegal government. He was released in 1921 and supported theAnglo-Irish Treaty and went on to become a founding member of the new political party,Cumann na nGaedheal. Walsh served as Postmaster General from 1922 until 1924 and joined the cabinet ofW. T. Cosgrave between 1924 and 1927, after the office was reconstituted as theDepartment of Posts and Telegraphs. He was elected at every election for theCork Borough constituency until 1927 when he retired from government.
In August 1922 he was part of a government committee which was intended to consider what theIrish Free State's policy towardsNorth-east Ulster would be.[14]
DuringWorld War II, known at the time in Ireland as "the Emergency", Walsh's connections with fascism, including his association withAiltirí na hAiséirghe,[15] brought him to the attention of theDirectorate of Intelligence (G2), the Intelligence branch of theIrish Army. Their request to theMinister for Justice,Gerald Boland, to place a tap on Walsh's phone was, however, refused.[16] He was closely associated with Irish-based pro-Nazi initiatives through his association withAiltirí na hAiséirghe,[15] duringWorld War II, frequently expressing his views withanti-semitic rhetoric.[17]
In 1944 he published a short memoir, 'Recollections of a Rebel'.[11]
On Sunday 24 April 2016 a plaque commemorating J.J. Walsh was unveiled inKilbrittain.[18]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCork City 1918–1922 With:Liam de Róiste | Constituency abolished |
| Oireachtas | ||
| New constituency | Teachta Dála forCork City 1918–1921 | Constituency abolished |
| Political offices | ||
| New office | Minister for Posts and Telegraphs 1922–1927 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
