Frank Carty
Francis Joseph Carty (3 April 1897 – 10 September 1942) was a leader of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the Irish War of Independence, and a long-serving Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD).[1]
Frank Carty | |
|---|---|
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office July 1937 – 10 September 1942 | |
| Constituency | Sligo |
| In office August 1923 – July 1937 | |
| Constituency | Leitrim–Sligo |
| In office May 1921 – August 1923 | |
| Constituency | Sligo–Mayo East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francis Joseph Carty 3 April 1897 |
| Died | 10 September 1942 (aged 45) |
| Political party | |
| Spouse |
Kathleen McGowan (m. 1938) |
Early life
He was born on 3 April 1897 in Clooncunny, County Sligo, the only son of John Carty and Ellen Carty (née Rice).[2]
Prison escapes and attempts
Carty's first escape from confinement came on 26 June 1920, when he was rescued from Sligo Gaol.[3]
On 15 February 1921, Carty next escaped from Derry Gaol. The rescue party was led by Charles McGuinness. Carty was taken from the city in a coal boat, the Carricklee by the first mate Oskar Norrby, a Swede.[4]
Following recapture, Frank Carty was later involved in an incident in Glasgow, Scotland when on 4 May 1921, members of the IRA attempted to free him from a prison van in a failed escape attempt. One Inspector was killed by gunfire, and another was wounded. Following the incident, thirteen people were brought to trial, but were acquitted by the jury, which accepted their alibi.[5]
Political career
Carty was first elected in the 1921 general election to the 2nd Dáil for the Sligo–Mayo East constituency, and was re-elected in eight successive general elections.[6] In common with other TDs opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, he did not take his seat in the 3rd Dáil or in the 4th Dáil, returning to Leinster House only as a founder member of Fianna Fáil, when he followed Éamon de Valera into the 5th Dáil, taking his seat on 12 August 1927.[6]
He remained active in local politics, being a member of the Sligo County Council from 1928 to 1934 representing the Tubbercurry area.[7] He was re-elected in August 1942, only a month before his death, after which his Dáil seat remained vacant until the 1943 general election.[6]
Self-educated, he was called to the bar in 1936. He married Kathleen McGowan in 1938; they had no children.[2]
References
- "Francis Carty". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- Boylan, Shaun. "Carty, Francis Joseph". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- Escape From Confinement Archived 5 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- Escape from Prison in Derry Archived 5 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- "IRA Incident, 1921". The Glasgow Story. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- "Frank Carty". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- Crowley, John (2018), Atlas of the Irish Revolution, New York University Press, New York, pg 609, ISBN 978-4798-3428-0
Sources
- Younger, Carlton (1968). "Ireland's Civil War", 354.
- Coyle, Stephen (2008). "High Noon on High Street: The Story of a Daring Ambush by the IRA in Glasgow in 1921". ISBN 978-1-873586-44-0.
- James, Lawrence. "Warrior Race: A History of the British at War", Macmillan (2003), 354, ISBN 0-312-30737-3, ISBN 978-0-312-30737-0.