| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Seán Seosamh Ó Síoda | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Left corner-forward | ||
| Born | 16 October 1897 Tralee,County Kerry | ||
| Died | 12 January 1980(1980-01-12) (aged 82) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Club | |||
| Years | Club | ||
1920s–1930s1920s–1930s | Tralee Parnells | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Kerry titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1919–1930 | Kerry | 35 (4–22) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 7 | ||
| All-Irelands | 4 | ||
| NFL | 2 | ||
John Joseph Sheehy (16 October 1897 – 12 January 1980) was anIrish political/military activist and sportsperson. He participated in theIrish War of Independence andIrish Civil War in theIrish Republican Army (IRA), where he was a senior figure inCounty Kerry. He also gained fame as a successful Gaelic footballer representing theKerry county team.
In 1914 Sheehy joined the republican boy scouts theFianna Éireann and later theIrish Volunteers.[1] Sheehy commanded theBoherbee company of the IRA, and later of the Tralee. His brother Jimmy was killed in the British Army in theBattle of the Somme in 1916.
He sided against theAnglo-Irish Treaty in 1922, like most of the IRA in Kerry. In the Civil War, when Free State troops landed in Kerry as part of aseaborne offensive, he was in command of the Anti-Treaty garrison inTralee. After the Army took the town, Sheehy retreated, burning the barracks there. As the conflict became aguerrilla affair, he found himself in charge of three 'columns', or around 75 men in total, in theBallymacthomas area.[2]: 161 He andTom McEllistrim were in charge of an attack on Castlemaine in January 1923.[2]: 251
Just after the Civil War, when Sheehy was still on the run, he managed to play football for Kerry. Kerry captainCon Brosnan, though a member of the Free State army, would guarantee his safe passage. Sheehy would pay into Munster and All Ireland finals, slip off his street clothes, play, and then at the final whistle, disappear back into the crowd.[3] In 1936 Sheehy was in New York and was able to smuggle a large number of Thompson sub machine guns back to Ireland.[4]
In February 1941 Sheehy was arrested and interned in theCurragh Internment Camp for two years.[5] Sheehy was arrested again and charged with making "seditious speeches" on the day that IRA hunger strikerSeán McCaughey died (11 May 1946). Sheehy was found guilty and sentenced to four months imprisonment.[6]
He playedGaelic football with his local clubJohn Mitchels and was a member of the seniorKerry county team from 1919 until 1930. He also played hurling withTralee Parnells. Sheehy captained Kerry to theAll-Ireland title in 1930. Three of his sons –Seán Óg,Niall andPaudie – all won All-Ireland titles with Kerry in the 1960s.[7] He played in theRailway CupHurling final in 1927 and was captain of the Football team the same year and won other medals in 1931.[citation needed]
Sheehy remained a staunch supporter ofSinn Féin, and was critical of the moves to end abstention by the party in the late 1960s. He sided with the Provisionals in the split at the 1970 Ard Fheis and remained active in Provisional Sinn Féin until his death, supporting the IRA's guerrilla campaign. John Joe Sheehy died in Tralee, and was given a republican funeral at his own request. Sheehy's funeral oration was given byDáithí Ó Conaill, vice-president ofSinn Féin.[8]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Kerry Senior Football Captain 1926 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Kerry Senior Football Captain 1927–1928 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Kerry Senior Football Captain 1930 | Succeeded by |
| Achievements | ||
| Preceded by - (Galway) | All-Ireland Senior Football winningcaptain 1926 | Succeeded by Mick Buckley (Kildare) |
| Achievements | ||
| Preceded by | All-Ireland Senior Football winningcaptain 1930 | Succeeded by |