Sinn Féin’ – a Rough Timeline

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

‘Sinn Féin’ – a rough timeline

Sinn Féin founded 1905 Sinn Féin (/ʃɪn ˈfeɪn/ shin-FAYN; English: Ourselves or We Ourselves) is an Irish republican political movement active throughout Ireland since the early 20th century. 1926 Republican Split The Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith. It split in 1926, with many leaving under Eamon de Valera to form the Fianna Fáil Sinn Féin Fianna Fáil party. Eamon de Valera It took its current form in 1970 after another split within the party. One side styled as 1969/70 Republican Split ‘Provisional’ Sinn Féin with the other faction known initially as ‘Official’ Sinn Féin, later as the Workers' Party of Ireland.

Official S.F. Provisional S.F. Gerry Adams has been president of (later the Workers’ Party) (Provisional) Sinn Féin since 1983, following the long tenure of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh. 1981 H-Block ‘Hunger Strikes’ crisis ‘Provisional’ Sinn Féin further split in 1986 when former President Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and about twenty other delegates walked out, later met in Dublin to re-organise as Republican 1986 Republican Split Sinn Féin. Both this and the previous 1970 split were on the contentious topic of Abstentionism – the recognition and involvement or otherwise with the Parliaments of Dublin, London and (Prov.) Sinn Féin Republican SF Belfast.

Gerry Adams Ruairí Ó Brádaigh Our collector, now distanced from politics, was actively involved through the 1960s, as a ‘Provisional’ through the 70s and 80s and 1998 continued with Ó Brádaigh in the leadership of Republican Sinn Féin following the 1986 schism. Good Friday Agreement (Continuing an Abstentionist policy, Republican 2010s S.F. refused to accept the Good Friday Agreement and continue to deny the legitimacy ‘Retirement’ of our collector of the Irish Parliament in Dublin and the Stormont Assembly in Belfast).

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

Glossary

Abstentionism is standing for election to a H-Blocks HM Prison Maze (previously Long Kesh deliberative assembly while refusing to take up any seats Detention Centre and known colloquially as the Maze won or otherwise participate in the assembly's business. Prison, The Maze, the H-Blocks or Long Kesh) was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary Arthur Griffith was an Irish politician and writer, who prisoners from mid-1971 to mid-2000. founded and later led the political party Sinn Féin. IRA , an acronym of The Irish Republican Army, is any Cumann is an Irish term meaning the lowest local unit of several armed movements in Ireland in the 20th and 21st or branch of a number of Irish political parties. The term centuries dedicated to Irish republicanism, the belief that all cumann may also be used to describe a non-political of Ireland should be an independent republic. association. Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the Cumann na mBan is an Irish republican women's United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914, merging with and dissolving Inghinidhe na hÉireann, Official Sinn Féin was one half of the split in the Sinn and in 1916 it became an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers. Féin movement in 1970, eventually known as The Workers’ Party. Denis Faul (Fr.) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest and civil rights campaigner best known for his role in the Provisional Sinn Féin was one half of the split in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike. Sinn Féin movement in 1970, the political wing of the Provisional IRA, later simply known as Sinn Féin. Éamon de Valera was a prominent politician and statesman in twentieth-century Ireland. His political career Republican Sinn Féin is a political party founded by spanned over half a century, from 1917 to 1973; he served those who left (Provisional) Sinn Féin in 1986 due to the several terms as head of government and head of state. party’s changed stance on abstension (see above).

Éire is the Irish name for the State known in the English Ruairí Ó Brádaigh was an Irish republican language as Ireland. paramilitary and political leader. He was Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1958 to 1959 and Éire Nua or "New Ireland", was a proposal supported by again from 1960 to 1962, president of Sinn Féin from 1970 to the Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin during the 1970s and 1983, and president of Republican Sinn Féin from 1987 to early 1980s for a federal United Ireland. 2009.

Fianna Fáil is the Irish political party founded by Sinn Féin (/ʃɪn ˈfeɪn/ shin-fayn;[2] Irish pronunciation: Éamon de Valera and by opponents of the 1921 Treaty with [ʃɪnʲ ˈfʲeːnʲ]; English: Ourselves or We Ourselves[3]) is an London. It split from Sinn Féin in 1926. Irish republican political party/movement active throughout Ireland in various guises through the 20th and Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician who is into the 21st century. the president of the Sinn Féin political party and a member of parliament (Teachta Dála) for the Louth constituency Stormont is frequently used as a metonym for the since the 2011 general election. Government of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Assembly, as well as their predecessor institutions, such as Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement was the Parliament of Northern Ireland. a peace deal and the single greatest political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

AN IRISH REPUBLICAN ARCHIVE

Political Posters, broadsheets, flyers, typed speeches, press-releases, leaflets, original documents, photographs, newspapers, magazines and ephemeral objects - the collection of a prominent Munster Republican Activist, 1950-2015.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

Cataloguer’s Note

This archive relates to the history of the Sinn Féin from 1950 to 2015. It includes thousands of documents and publications from these 65 years of the movement and some earlier publications.

The archive was created and collected by an active republican from 1960 to date. Based in the province of Munster, with long ties to the tradition of Irish Republicanism, the owner started to collect material from the very beginning of his involvement with Sinn Féin – an all-Ireland organized republican movement.

The archive includes broadsheets, flyers, documents, letters, minutes of meetings, account books, membership cards, memorial cards, receipts, pamphlets and posters on all aspects of the Sinn Féin movement from the Nineteen Fifties to the present day.

Featuring in excess of 10,000 items, most of which relate to Sinn Féin, the archive includes highly important material relating to the National H-Block Committee, the Hunger Strikes in Northern Ireland and elsewhere.

In addition to the minutes of meetings, press releases and other correspondence issued by Sinn Féin, he collected all printed materials, both published by and pertaining to Sinn Féin and its later offshoots.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx 1 Political Posters 1940 - 2015

The archive includes a significant collection of political posters from 1940 to the present day. These include posters relating to the Hunger Strike of political prisoners in Portlaoise Prison in the 1980s.

The collection relates to Long Kesh, the H-Block, and the IRA Hunger Strike at the Maze.

Some of the posters included:

- Original poster from 1963 relating to attacks on the seller of Easter Lilies - Original Batik by Josephine Hayden, prisoner in Limerick Jail 2000 - Handmade poster, Support Barnes & McCormick 1960 - Anti-Lisbon treaty - Complete sets of the Hunger Strike posters - “Don’t Let Them Die” series

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

- R.I.P. series - “My Boy Gave His Life For This”. Rare - Support your T.D. series CIRA poster - The IRA Manifesto from 1956 - A map of the Anglo Irish War - Demand Release Poster from the 1950s - “No to NATO No to Nice” - Irish Freedom! - 375 Men in Belfast jail - “Death Bullets” - 16 men on hunger strike in Mountjoy - 151 in Curragh Concentration Camp - “Hunger Strikers Need Your Support”; Limerick publication - Gaelic American, 19th Jam 1957. Report on Sean South funeral - “Don’t Let Him Die”

- Boys of Ireland join Na Fianna - Wanted for murder Margaret Thatcher Eireann, Irish National Boys Scouts 1963. Signed - Greek poster on the hunger strikes Deasúin O’ Longain?

Altogether, the cataloguer counted some 283 posters, most of which are excellent original posters. Some are copies of posters and a selection of which are copies of older political posters and broadsides.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

2 Sinn Féin 1950 - 2015

Seven plastic folders of broadsheets, fliers, typed speeches for commemoration celebrations. Typed articles, photocopies of documents. These folders contain about 1500 items which have been carefully curated by the owner.

There is one folder in particular which contains hundreds of items on the hunger strikes in the North. The folders also contain a selection of very rare Fr. Faul publications relating to the hunger strikes (I expect these were early publications) and that very few copies of these particular pamphlets have survived. These files also include a Garda search warrant for the day after the helicopter escape in Mountjoy 1973. Fake National Union of Journalists membership card.

These folders are not logically sorted, but they do offer an indication of the depth and spread of the collection relating to Sinn Féin since the 1950s.

As a sample, what follows are each of the pockets in only one of the seven folders – also available as a separate PDF file :

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

3 H-Block National Committee file

Box file marked H- Block local and national. Contains about 300 items including daily press releases and daily lists of instructions to committee branches throughout the country. This file also includes material local to the Limerick branch, including notebooks giving full details of minutes collected and from when. Includes a copy of Faoi Glas journal of the sentenced Republican prisoners in Long Kesh, Christmas 1975. - Two H-Blocks – a history of torture - Armagh women - Political conflict - Political prisoners - March to British Embassy - Injury report

Highly important file.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

4 Sinn Féin 1960 – 2015

File box of Sinn Féin. Material from the 1960s to 2015. - Minutes of meetings - Notices of meetings - Letters - Correspondence - Correspondence relating to resignation.

C. 200 items in this file box. Includes documents from Ard Comhairle of Sinn Féin in 1962 onwards. Highly important collection of correspondence and original documents on Sinn Féin.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

5 ‘Blue Suitcase’

This suitcase contains about 1000 items, including old and more. - Recent newspapers.

- The suitcase includes a selection of various Republican and left wing newspapers from the time of the hunger strikes.

- The case also includes a near complete run of Tirghrá

- “The Voice of the Republican North” in Belfast in 1963 with an ALS from the editor promising the December issue will be properly printed, if there is no interference.

The case also includes a set (20 issues) of Saoirse Nua from 2010 – 2015. The Voice of the Republican Movement and Forum Magazine, a Republican journal from 2003.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

6 Brown Case

A full case of (mostly A4, c. 600 items) material, which includes one file with copies of various Republican publications, including: - Glór na mBan - Fianna - Setanta - An Drithleog - Salute - Free Citizen - Irish Republican Bulletin. Also included are files on the EEC. Civil Rights Movement, includes a run of the campaign newsletter Publications by Martin Calligan, Co. Clare.

Exceptionally rare file on the Limerick Republican Press.

Special Criminal Court proceedings and file of handouts on Republican movements, written by Pat? And distributed at Bodenstown.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

7 Sinn Féin plastic box with pink lid 1950 - 2000

This box includes about 500-600 items, all of which relate to Sinn Féin. It includes typed press releases, typescript manuscripts, Sinn Féin constitution. - Ard Fheis programs, 1960s-2000, pamphlets from the 1950s-1990s.

- Press release from the 1960s – 1990s.

- Hugely important box of material.

- This box also includes about 200 pamphlets.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

8 The Irish Republican Information Services 1973 - 1978

- Press releases from 7th August 1973 to March 10th 1978. - Stored in two large file boxes and now rehoused in 6 standard file boxes.

- Hugely important collection which contains about 2000 duplicated sheets.

- There are some early releases on the Littlejohn Affair.

- The run starts at Vol. I no. 48 September 20th 1974 and runs to Vol. 3 no. 21, March 10th 1978

- Some bulletins are illustrated.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

9 Memorial Cards & Postcards 1960 – 2015

- Memorial cards, Christmas cards. - Christmas cards from prisoners, including Bobby. Handmade and drawn cards. - Bookmarks - Admittance to the Church for the funeral mass after Bloody Sunday. - Election material – no extradition labels - Brits Out, Eire Nua - Admission cards to Sinn Fein Ard Fheis from 1963. - Later dates - C. 300 items

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

10 Human Rights

- Blue folder containing c. 200 sheets relating to human rights - Copies of plays produced in prisons - Print outs from “Welcome to the Dark Side” - Reports that Martin McGuinness is a British spy - Amnesty International press release on ill treatment in the North. Northern Ireland report.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

11 Street Literature

Yellow file marked misc. fliers - Contains about 700 broadsheets / fliers / street literature / election literature / demonstrations / justice for Cleary’s Department Store workers - A fine selection of street material

12 Prisoners, prisons, etc.

- Orange file - Michael Campbell, Vicky Kelly - Welcome home party for PJ and Jack - Memorial cards, Bill Meehan - Sean Mackin - Limerick prisoners demand political status - Maghaberry prison protest - Boston trial convicts 3 Irish activists - Strip search the Queen - C. 300 items, highly important file

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

13 Sinn Féin Flyers

- Green folder - Contains 300-350 flyers. Mostly printed on one side only. C. 150 8vo size, and the rest A4 in size. - The Real Ronald Regan / Vote Long Des / Buy Irish – Boycott British - Don’t Join RUC / DSNI / Sinn Féin. National Unity, end Independence programme - 1960s / Provisional Sinn Féin (West London) - Support the Provisionals / The North: Whose Side Are You On? Brits out Peace in.

14 Republican Movement Flyers

Purple folder - C. 100 mostly AL flyers and duplicated press releases etc, relating to the Republican movement. - Support the Hunger Strikers - Sinn Féin goes Republican Lite on Brexit by Anthony Coughlan - “Cross Border Action” Saturday August 30th 1981 - George Plant Memorial Committee, Clonmel Co. Tipperary 1951 - Ar Son na Poblachta - Remember the Prisoners, 1,300 in Jail for Ireland

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

15 Na Fianna

Green folder with various artists on Na Fianna, some signed and inscribed by the authors. Computer print on to news clippings etc. C. 50 items

16 Misc. Republican letters, etc

Blue folder contains about 100 items. - Letters from Sinn Féin HQ - Letter from solicitor RE: prosecution in Special Criminal Court - This file includes ALS and TLS’s from various people involved in the Republican movement. Some attacking articles for publications. Telegrams notifying the receipt of Ard Chomhairle meetings

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

17 Saoirse

A complete file of the republican Sinn Féin newspaper from Vol I May 1987 to December 2011. Bound

- January 2012 – to the present, loose monthly papers, two issues missing. C. 240 issues

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

18 Special Criminal Court

Fifty six volumes of Daily Typescript Notes and evidences

- Garda photographs and maps - Volume on the verdict is missing

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

19 Recordings

Ten tapes of interviews with Gerry McCarthy. Deals with his life in the Republican movement 1930s- 1990s.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

20 Pamphlets

In addition to the above there are additional pamphlets on all aspects of: - Irish Life & Culture - Social movements - Street Literature - Local history These pamphlets (C.2000) do not all relate to the Sinn Féin movement but do form part of the archive.

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

21 Wolfe Tone Weekly

- Bound set of The Wolfe Tone Weekly, edited by Brian O’Higgins - December 4th 1937 to February 20th 1939 - C. 60 issues

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

22 Cumann na mBan 1960s-1990s

Highly important file of correspondence, including many handwritten letters. Accounts for the sale of the United Irishmen.

- One account book - One report book (reports on the Kilkenny/Limerick branches) - Copies of the Constitution of Cumann na mBan - Monthly report forms - Printed flyers - Four original photographs, including one of Bodenstown in 1960. - c. 100 items

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie

Notes

Conor Kenny, Kennys Bookshop, Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 N5P8, Ireland © Kennys Bookshop & Art Galleries Ltd., 2017 | t: +353 91 709359 e: [email protected] www.kennys.ie