Cathal Brugha

Lore & Background

Brugha was born in Dublin to a mixed Roman Catholic and Protestant family, the tenth of fourteen children. He attended Colmcille Schools and Belvedere College, intending to study medicine until his father's business failed in 1890. He joined the Gaelic League in 1899, changing his name from Charles Burgess to Cathal Brugha. He married Kathleen Kingston in 1912; they had six children. He became a lieutenant in the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and led a group to receive arms in the Howth gun-running of 1914. During the Easter Rising of 1916, he was second-in-command at the South Dublin Union, was badly wounded, and was found singing 'God Save Ireland' with his pistol still in hand. He recovered but was left with a permanent limp.

Brugha was elected Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann at its first meeting on 21 January 1919 and read the Declaration of Independence. He served as president pro tempore until 1 April 1919, when Éamon de Valera took over. He proposed a Republican constitution at the 1917 Sinn Féin convention and became IRA Chief of Staff from October 1917 to March 1918. He had differences with Michael Collins over the IRB's influence, opposing its oath of allegiance. During the War of Independence, he argued against ambushes without a call to surrender and proposed moving the war to England, but was overruled. He voted against the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 7 January 1922. During the Civil War, he was appointed commandant of forces in O'Connell Street. On 5 July 1922, he ordered his men to surrender but refused himself, approached Free State troops brandishing a revolver, and was shot in the leg, severing an artery. He died on 7 July 1922.

Reader's Guide

Cathal Brugha was a foundational figure in the establishment of the Irish Republic, serving as the first president of Dáil Éireann and as Minister for Defence during the War of Independence. His insistence on civilian control over the IRA and his opposition to secret societies like the IRB shaped the early republican movement's internal dynamics. His vote against the Anglo-Irish Treaty and his subsequent death in the Civil War made him a martyr for the anti-Treaty cause. His legacy is commemorated in street and barracks names in Dublin and Waterford, and he is referenced in songs such as 'The Foggy Dew' and 'Soldiers of '22'. His wife Caitlín and son Ruairí later served as TDs, extending his political influence.

Did You Know?

• Brugha was born Charles William St John Burgess and changed his name after joining the Gaelic League in 1899.
• He was left with a permanent limp after being badly wounded in the Easter Rising of 1916.
• He never went on the run during the War of Independence and continued to run his candle-making business.
• His son Ruairí Brugha married Máire MacSwiney, daughter of Terence MacSwiney, the Republican Lord Mayor of Cork who died on hunger strike in 1920.