Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann National Library of Ireland Collection List 18 Florence O’Donoghue Papers (Mss 31,130 – 31,553) (Accession 2689) Papers of Florence O’Donoghue, manuscripts and newscuttings mainly relating to I.R.B. and I.R.A. c. 1912-67 Compiled by Catherine Fahy 1 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................3 I. Documents and copy documents, letters, journals relating to Irish Volunteers and National events, 1912-July 1921 ..........................................................................6 II. Florence O’Donoghue’s working notebooks, Oct. 1917 – Mar. 1923...............11 III. Oglaigh Na hÉireann, G.H.Q., Dublin: Orders, despatches etc. to Cork, .....13 May 1917-April 1921 .................................................................................................13 IV. Cork and Kerry brigades/1st Southern Division Intelligence reports, Brigade Orders, operational memoranda, Sept. 1918 - Dec. 1921.......................................15 V. British army and R.I.C. documents, telephone transcripts, c.l920 - April 1922 ......................................................................................................................................19 VI. The I.R.B. Constitution, 1920-23........................................................................22 VII. I.R.B. Supreme Council correspondence with the South, 1921-22................23 VIII. Treaty and Civil War period, Liam Lynch and the I.R.B., Nov. 1921 - Nov. 1922..............................................................................................................................25 IX. General correspondence and work in progress by Florence O’Donoghue ....29 X. Miscellaneous statements, letters etc. re the period c. 1916-1923.....................40 XI. Documents and Correspondence re Statements of Evidence for Military Service Pensions Board, 1935-1962. .........................................................................42 XII. Second World War and F. O’D.’s Service in the Southern Command Supplementary Intelligence Service, 1940 – 1951. ..................................................45 XIII. Bureau of Military History..............................................................................46 XIV. Florence O’Donoghue’s notebooks and loose notes, c.1947-66 ....................57 XV. Miscellaneous chronologies, 1893 – 1923 .........................................................59 XVI. Diarmuid Lynch Mss and the IRB and the 1916 rising, 1918-62.................60 XVII. Liam Lynch and No Other law, 1945-66.......................................................65 XVIII. Tomás Mac Curtain, 1936-64 .......................................................................71 XIX. Irish Volunteers in Cork to 1916.....................................................................72 XX. Miscellaneous undated articles by Florence O’Donoghue .............................73 XXI. Obituaries, memorials, annual commemoration ceremonies, 1929-67........74 XXII. Newsclippings and typescript extracts from newspapers, c. 1916-57.........77 XXIII. Miscellaneous files, books and pamphlets, 1902-61....................................79 XXIV. American pamplets, statements, 1905-61 ....................................................80 XXV. Photographs and related material, 1914-66..................................................81 XXVI. Newspaper files, 1914-32...............................................................................83 2 INTRODUCTION Florence O'Donoghue (1895-18 December 1967) was an Irish Historian and head of intelligence of the Cork No. 1 Brigade of the Irish Republican Army during the War of independence. He was born in Rathmore Co Kerry in 1895. He moved to Cork in 1910, where he worked as an apprentice in the drapery trade. Military life The 1916 Easter Rising was a pivotal moment in O’Donoghue’s life. In December 1916, Florence joined the Cork branch of the Irish Volunteers. In early 1917 he was elected unanimously 1st Lieutenant of the Cyclist Company and as result devoted all his spare time to volunteer work. He began writing weekly for two years for the Irish World newspaper. By May 1917, he was sworn into the Irish republican Brotherhood (IRB) and in October, Tomás MacCurtain appointed O'Donoghue as communications of the Cork Brigade. He replaced Pat Higgins as Brigade Adjutant in February 1917. O'Donoghue was a key organiser in the sensational jail-break of Captain Donnchadha Mac Niallghuis on Armistice Day 1918 and took personal responsibility for his protection. Michael Collins was the last officer from Volunteers General Headquarters to visit Cork shortly after Christmas 1919 until the truce in 1921. O'Donoghue built up an intelligence network and agents which included his future wife, Josephine Marchment. She was head female clerk at the 6th Division Headquarters at Victoria Barracks, Cork and passed on secret British Army correspondence to him. Florence recruited people to open letters, tap phone lines and intercept telegrams. The Irish Republican Army had 2,000 active members in Cork which were also used for intelligence gathering. By March 1920, after killing a RIC Inspector, Florence was on the run and serving full time in the Irish Republican Army. In November that year, the Cork Brigade killed six British Amy Officers and executed five Cork civilians on suspicion of spying. After two and a half years of fighting, a truce was agreed on 11 July 1921. The Dáil approved the Anglo Irish Treaty, in January 1922. The country was divided into pro- and anti-treaty camps. Over the coming months and after being elected onto the army’s executive as Adjutant-General, O'Donoghue warned of the dangers of an Irish Civil War. In June 1922, he resigned from the army's national executive and a month later, on 3 July 1922, from the army. Civil war did break out on June 28, 1922 between pro and anti treaty factions, much to O'Donoghue's dismay. During the civil war, he remained neutral and tried to organise a truce to end the fighting. In December 1922, he formed a group called the ‘Neutral IRA’ , along with Sean Hegarty, composed of pro-truce IRA men. O'Donoghue claimed he had 20,000 members in this group. He campaigned for a month's truce between the two sides, so that a political compromise could be reached. However, his efforts came to nothing and in March 1923, he wound up the "Neutral IRA", judging that its objectives could not be achieved. The civil war ended in late April 1923. He served as Major in the Irish Army from 1939-1946. He formed a Supplementary Intelligence Service that would remain behind enemy lines in the event of an invasion. He also taught guerrilla war tactics to new army recruits. Home life Florence married Josephine Marchment in April 1921 and had four children. There were also two children from Josephine’s first marriage. He became a rate collector and remained outside politics. 3 In later years he became a respected historian. While in the army he edited An Cosantoir, the Irish Army’s magazine. He convinced Eamon De Valera to establish the Bureau of Military History which would record personal accounts from the Irish War of Independence. O'Donoghue was a recording officer until 1948. His 4 most famous work is his biography on Liam Lynch, entitled No Other Law. O'Donoghue died on 18 December 1967. Florence O’Donoghue Papers The library acquired the collection in the 1980s. The collection is arranged under various headings. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, copies of British Army Intelligence documents, newspaper clippings, notes, articles, pamphlets and other material relating to the Irish Army and the War of Independence. Summary Mss. 31,130-78: Documents and copy documents, letters, journals etc. re Irish Volunteers and national events 1912 - July 1921. Mss. 31,179-89: F. O’Donoghue’s working notebooks as an officer of the Irish Volunteers, Cork and of the IRB, Oct. 19l7-Mar. 1923. Mss. 31,190-95: Oglaigh na hEireann, G.H.Q., Dublin: orders, dispatches etc, to Cork, May 1917 - Apr. 1921. Mss. 31,196-222: Cork and Kerry Brigades, 1st Southern Division, intelligence reports, brigade orders, operations memoranda etc., Sept. 1918 - Dec. 1921. Mss. 31,223-32: Copy/captured British army and R.I.C. documents, telephone transcripts etc., c. 1920 - April 1922. Mss. 31,233-36: The I.R.B. Constitution, 1920-23. Ms. 31,237 I.R.B.: Supreme Council: correspondence with District and County Centres in the South, Mar. 1921 - Mar. 1922. Mss. 31,238-62: Treaty and Civil War period, Liam Lynch and the IRB, Nov. 1921 - Nov. 1924. Mss. 31,263-320: General correspondence and work in progress by F. O’D., 1925-67. Mss. 31,321-339: Miscellaneous statements, letters, etc. re the period c. 1916- 1923 collected by F. O’D, 1964-7 Mss. 31,340 -343: Documents and correspondence re statements of evidence Required by the Military Service Pensions Board for the period c. 1916-23, 1935-62. 4 Mss. 31,344-51: Second World War and F.O’D.’s service in the Irish army’s Southern Command Supplementary Intelligence Service, 1940- 51. Mss. 31,352 Bureau of Military History: correspondence re its setting up and general operations. 1946-60. Mss. 31,353-54: Bureau of Military History: minutes, Director’s reports etc., 1947-60. Mss. 31,355 -62: Bureau of Military History: F.O’D.’s work as a BMH researcher, 1945-51. Mss. 31,363-75: Bureau of Military History: statements of witnesses collected by F.O’D. with associated correspondence