ThoughtGallery.org > Diarmuid Lynch: A Forgotten Irish Patriot

Diarmuid Lynch: A Forgotten Irish Patriot

The Society is happy to welcome back author Eileen McGough, whose talk will offer a look into the life of Diarmuid Lynch, an Irish patriot and American citizen.

Diarmuid (Jeremiah) Lynch, a native of Tracton, was at the heart of the 1916 Easter Rising. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1896, was prominent in the Gaelic League and Gaelic culture in the U.S., becoming an American citizen in 1902. Returning to Ireland in 1907, he became active in the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood) and elected as the Munster representative on the Supreme Council (IRB) in 1911. Active in organizing the Rising, he served as Staff Captain in the GPO as ADC to Connolly and was the last to leave the burning building. Lynch was sentenced to death for his activities, but sentence was commuted following an intervention by U.S. President Wilson. Apart from Michael Collins, only Lynch held positions of officership simultaneously in the IRB, Sinn Féin and the Irish Volunteers. Elected to Dáil Éireann in 1918 for the Cork South-East Constituency, he had been imprisoned in 9 British Jails before deportation to the US in 1918. There he became National Secretary of the Irish-American organization, Friends of Irish Freedom (FOIF) and served in that capacity until 1934. Returning to Ireland in that year, Lynch initiated the first Witness Statements from survivors of the Easter Rising.

Eileen McGough, author of ‘Diarmuid Lynch a Forgotten Irish Patriot'(2013, Mercier Press) is a retired teacher who lives adjacent to Diarmuid Lynch’s ancestral home in South County Cork. Research for the book saw her spend a “most enjoyable and fruitful week” at the AIHS in the Fall of 2011.











When: Wed., Feb. 28, 2018 at 6:30 pm
Where: American Irish Historical Society (AIHS)
991 Fifth Ave.
212-288-2263
Price: Free
Buy tickets/get more info now
See other events in these categories:

The Society is happy to welcome back author Eileen McGough, whose talk will offer a look into the life of Diarmuid Lynch, an Irish patriot and American citizen.

Diarmuid (Jeremiah) Lynch, a native of Tracton, was at the heart of the 1916 Easter Rising. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1896, was prominent in the Gaelic League and Gaelic culture in the U.S., becoming an American citizen in 1902. Returning to Ireland in 1907, he became active in the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood) and elected as the Munster representative on the Supreme Council (IRB) in 1911. Active in organizing the Rising, he served as Staff Captain in the GPO as ADC to Connolly and was the last to leave the burning building. Lynch was sentenced to death for his activities, but sentence was commuted following an intervention by U.S. President Wilson. Apart from Michael Collins, only Lynch held positions of officership simultaneously in the IRB, Sinn Féin and the Irish Volunteers. Elected to Dáil Éireann in 1918 for the Cork South-East Constituency, he had been imprisoned in 9 British Jails before deportation to the US in 1918. There he became National Secretary of the Irish-American organization, Friends of Irish Freedom (FOIF) and served in that capacity until 1934. Returning to Ireland in that year, Lynch initiated the first Witness Statements from survivors of the Easter Rising.

Eileen McGough, author of ‘Diarmuid Lynch a Forgotten Irish Patriot'(2013, Mercier Press) is a retired teacher who lives adjacent to Diarmuid Lynch’s ancestral home in South County Cork. Research for the book saw her spend a “most enjoyable and fruitful week” at the AIHS in the Fall of 2011.

Buy tickets/get more info now