Longford's Republican Story 1900 - 2000

     Longford’s Republican Story 1900- 2000 is the biggest and most significant book ever written on County Longford. The county was a hotbed of activity in the War of Independence under the leadership of General Seán Mac Eoin, “The most active county outside of Munster.” The names of 3,200 IRA men from that period are listed and the author spent a whole year identifying each person and establishing their townlands. 970 Cumann na mBan members are also listed. Subsequent episodes throughout the century are covered, including the Civil War, the rise and fall of the Blueshirts, Longford men’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War and internment during the 1940s. Two major incidents from the early 1940s were the shooting of Barney Casey in the Curragh Camp and the execution of Richard Goss in 1941.


If Seán Mac Eoin was the major figure during the War of Independence and Civil War, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh was the most significant Longford man in the latter half of the book. Significantly, three Longford man were Chiefs of Staff of three different armies during the century. Seán Mac Eoin was Chief of Staff of the Free State army in the 1920s, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh was Chief of Staff of the IRA in the early 1960s and Sir Henry Wilson, from Clonbroney (the same parish as Seán Mac Eoin), was chief of Staff of the British Army during the War of Independence.


Longford’s Republican Story 1900 -2000 was written by Seán Ó Súilleabháin, a native of Aughnacliffe, Co Longford. It runs to 590 pages in A4 size with 450 photographs and an extensive index. The book is broken up into sections for ease of browsing. A masterpiece that took five years to produce.