Eoin O'Duffy

Eoin O'Duffy
O'Duffy in Blueshirt attire, c. 1934
Leader of Fine Gael
In office 8 September 1933 – 18 September 1934
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	W. T. Cosgrave
Garda Commissioner
In office 30 September 1922 – February 1933
Preceded by	Michael Staines
Succeeded by	Eamon Broy
Teachta Dála
In office May 1921 – August 1923
Constituency	Monaghan
Personal details
Born	Owen Duffy (1890-01-28)28 January 1890 Lough Egish, County Monaghan, Ireland
Died	30 November 1944(1944-11-30) (aged 54) Dublin, Ireland
Resting place	Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Sinn Féin (1917–1922) Fine Gael (1933–1934) National Corporate Party (1935–1937)
Military service
Allegiance	Irish Republic Irish Free State
Branch	Irish Volunteers Irish Republican Brotherhood Irish Republican Army National Army Irish Army Irish Brigade
Years of service	1917–1933 1936–1937
Rank	General Chief of Staff
Battles/wars	Irish War of Independence Irish Civil War Spanish Civil War
Eoin O'Duffy's voice Interview recorded 1932 in Liverpool, England

Eoin O'Duffy (born Owen Duffy; 28 January 1890 – 30 November 1944) was an Irish revolutionary, soldier, police commissioner and politician. O'Duffy was the leader of the Monaghan Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a prominent figure in the Ulster IRA during the Irish War of Independence. In this capacity, he became Chief of Staff of the IRA in 1922. He accepted the Anglo-Irish Treaty and as a general became Chief of Staff of the National Army in the Irish Civil War, on the pro-Treaty side.

He had been an early member of Sinn Féin and was elected a Teachta Dála (TD) for Monaghan in the Second Dáil in 1921, supporting pro-Treaty Sinn Féin in the split of 1922. In 1923 he became associated with Cumann na nGaedheal.

He was appointed as the second Commissioner of the Garda Síochána in 1922, the police force of the new Irish Free State, serving until 1933. In 1924 during the Irish Army Mutiny he was appointed as General Officer Commanding of the Irish Army holding both roles until 1925.^[1]

In the 1930s O'Duffy became attracted to the various fascist movements on the continent. In 1933 O'Duffy took control of the paramilitary movement called Army Comrades Association, also known as the Blueshirts. When the Blueshirts merged with Cumann na nGaedhael and National Centre Party to form Fine Gael, O'Duffy began the new party's first leader, remaining as such for 13 months. He subsequently raised the Irish Brigade to fight for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War as an act of Catholic solidarity and was inspired by Benito Mussolini's Italy to create the National Corporate Party. During the Second World War, he was clandestinely involved in pro-Axis circles but focused mostly on athletic administration in his capacity as president of the National Athletics and Cycling Association. He died in 1944.^[2]

O'Duffy was active in multiple sporting bodies, including the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Irish Olympic Council.