Identity Statement
| Title | Old I.R.A. Men's Association (Cork County) |
| Archive Reference | IE CCCA/U342 |
| Web Link to this Entry | https://iar.ie/archive/old-ira-mens-association-cork-county |
| Creation Dates | (1923) Feb 1934-Jan 1937 |
| Extent Medium | 7 items |
Context
Creator(s): Old I.R.A. Men's Association (Cork County)
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Administrative History ↴
Established in February 1934 by Tom Crofts (elected Vice Chairman), Florence O'Donoghue (Hon. Sec.), Liam Deasy (Chairman). M.Donegan (Hon Teasurer) and others. Membership was open principally to those who served in the Irish Volunteers, Irish Republican Army and Fianna Eireann from [1914 to 1924], and their supporters, and amounted to over 4,800 individuals by 1936. The majority of its members appear to have been former anti-Treaty supporters. The organisation and its members may have had close associations with the Fianna Fáil party. The aims and objectives of the organisation included; working for the achievement and recognition of the Irish Republic, defending the rights of those who suffered (and their dependents) because of their national service, to encourage the Irish language, Irish games and pastimes and the purchase of Irish goods, and to promote the collection of a permanent record of military and political operations between 1914 and 1924. The organisation consisted of units which were based on the IRA Battalion areas in 1922, each of which sent a delegate to the County Committee. A Standing Committee was also elected. The Cork Committee seems to have also participated in the federation of old IRA associations on the basis of establishing an all-Ireland organisation. -
Archival History ↴
Deposited in the Archives in 1992. -
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Donation
Content & Structure
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Scope & Content: Old I.R.A. Men's Association (Cork County) ↴
The collection consists mainly of a Minute Book volume containing a record of meetings and resolutions of the General County Committee, Standing Committee, and Annual County Convention of the Association from 1934-1937. Also 7 items enclosed in the Minute Book consisting mainly of directly related material such as Secretary’s report for 1935, minutes of County Convention 1936, minutes of Easter Commemoration Committee, 1936 and a minute of the Standing Committee, July 1936.
Also found are two much earlier items comprising minutes or draft minutes of conventions apparently of the Cork 1st Brigade IRA referring to proposed ‘Ex IRA Mens Association’ and other matters in January and February 1923, chaired and signed by Florence O’Donoghue.
The collection documents the beginnings, organisation, and activities of an autonomous part of a federated organisation that was politically, socially, and culturally significant in Ireland in the 1930’s and 1940’s. It was a precursor of a large all-Ireland Old IRA association that came to prominence from the 1950s. The collection is of particular use in the study of the activities, concerns and attitudes of a large group of former IRA men and their supporters including those who supported the anti-treaty forces during the Civil War, and those who were in ‘national service’ during the revolutionary and civil war period.
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Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention -
Arrangement ↴
1 Minute Book 1934-1937 (U342/1) plus 6 enclosed items closely related to the contents of the Book (U342/2 – U342/7)
Conditions of Access & Use
| Access Conditions | Open by appointment to those holding a current readers ticket. |
| Creation Dates | (1923) Feb 1934-Jan 1937 |
| Extent Medium | 7 items |
| Material Language Script | Mainly English, some Irish |
| Finding Aids | Descriptive list Archive Web Link → |
Allied Materials
There are no Allied Materials
Descriptive Control Area
| Archivist Note | Brian McGee |
| Rules/Conventions | ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000. |
| Date of Descriptions | 40210 |