John Joe McGirl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office March 1957 – May 1961 | |
| Constituency | Sligo–Leitrim |
| Chief of Staff of the IRA | |
| In office October 1958 – 24 October 1958 | |
| Preceded by | Seán Cronin |
| Succeeded by | Ruairí Ó Brádaigh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1921-03-25)25 March 1921 Drumany, Aughnasheelin,County Leitrim, Ireland |
| Died | 8 December 1988(1988-12-08) (aged 67) County Leitrim, Ireland |
| Party | Sinn Féin |
| Spouse | Bridget McGirl |
| Children | 4 |
John Joe McGirl (25 March 1921 – 8 December 1988) was anIrish republican, aSinn Féin politician, and theChief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army.
He was born in Drumany, Aughnasheelin,[1]County Leitrim, the son of Joseph McGirl, a farmer, and Bridget McGirl (née Gallagher).[2] McGirl became involved with theIrish Republican Army (IRA) in the 1930s.[3] McGirl was trained for the 1939–1940 sabotage/bombing attack on British soil – theS-Plan. He was arrested along withCathal Goulding and ten others in April 1946. McGirl was sentenced to 12 months in prison for IRA membership spending his prison time in theCurragh Camp.[4] McGirl wasinterned again in the 1950s.[5]
McGirl participated in theIRA Border campaign.[6] In January 1957, he was tried and convicted at Ballinamore courthouse and imprisoned inMountjoy Prison.
Although a prisoner, he was elected as aSinn FéinTeachta Dála (TD) for theSligo–Leitrim constituency at the1957 general election, topping the poll with 7,007 votes (15.7%).[7] Running on anabstentionist ticket, Sinn Féin won four seats at the general election (alsoEighneachán Ó hAnnluain,Ruairí Ó Brádaigh andJohn Joe Rice). McGirl did not retain his seat at the1961 general election. His share of the vote was halved and he received only 2,487 votes (7.3%).[8]
In November 1957, he delivered the oration at the funerals of some of the "Edentubber martyrs", four IRA members who were killed when a bomb they were preparing accidentally exploded. In 1962, he served on the committee that founded St. Felim's College, Ballinamore.
When the IRA split in 1969, betweenOfficial IRA andProvisional IRA factions, McGirl sided with the Provisionals, who were committed to launching anarmed campaign against British rule inNorthern Ireland. He wasinterned inLong Kesh in 1974 and was present when it was burned by internees (15 October 1974).[9]
McGirl contested theFebruary 1982 and1987 general elections for Sligo–Leitrim. In the former contest, he received 2,772 votes (6.1%) and in the latter, 2,627 votes (5.7%).
McGirl served as vice-president of Sinn Féin. Originally he was opposed to the dropping of theÉire Nua policy and was considered an ally of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (who later foundedRepublican Sinn Féin). However, at the 1986Sinn FéinArdfheis, McGirl supported the moves ofGerry Adams andMartin McGuinness to drop the policy of abstentionism, greatly angering his contemporaries Ó Brádaigh andDáithí Ó Conaill.
McGirl was apublican, undertaker and bicycle-repairer in Ballinamore.[10] He was elected a Sinn Féin councillor toLeitrim County Council in 1960, serving as chairperson of that body. He was still 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 theShannon–Erne Waterway. Each August there is a commemoration and march through Ballinamore to the John Joe McGirl monument.[11]
A nephew, Francis McGirl, was charged but acquitted of the murder ofLord Mountbatten, who was killed by the IRA when his boat was bombed off theSligo coast in 1979.[6] John Joe's son, Liam McGirl, was co-opted on to Leitrim County Council in 1988 after his father's death.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Vice-President ofSinn Féin 1985–1988 | Succeeded by |