Larry Grogan ( ga, Labhras Ó Gruagáin; 1899–1979) was an Irish republican activist. Born in Drogheda, Grogan joined the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respon ...

at the age of 18,Community is a central part of 'the Ballsbridge of Drogheda'
, ''

Drogheda Independent The ''Drogheda Independent'' is a newspaper that serves the Drogheda area, including Drogheda, Mid-Louth and East Meath. The newspaper covers many thing's from local and regional news and advertisements including its own database of records ...

'', 10 May 2006 which subsequently became part of the original

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

(IRA). He was active in the Irish War of Independence, then in the Irish Civil War in the

anti-treaty IRA The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...

. He was imprisoned in

Mountjoy Prison Mountjoy Prison ( ga, Príosún Mhuinseo), founded as Mountjoy Gaol and nicknamed ''The Joy'', is a medium security men's prison located in Phibsborough in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current prison Governor is Edward Mullins. History ...

in 1922, and was subsequently interned in the

Curragh Camp The Curragh Camp ( ga, Campa an Churraigh) is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel. History Longstanding ...

, where he kept an autograph book, collecting signatures including that of Michael Hilliard. Grogan remained an active republican, and was elected to the

IRA Army Council The IRA Army Council was the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about independence to the whole island of Ireland and the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and Grea ...

in 1938. In this capacity, he signed the ultimatum to the British government declaring that, if major concessions were not made immediately, a Sabotage Campaign would be initiated. On 9 September 1939, he was arrested along with the majority of the

(Matty Tuite, Willy McGuiness, Paedar O'flaherty and Patrick McGrath) at 16 Rathmines Park, Dublin. Grogan was kept at

Arbour Hill Prison Arbour Hill Prison () is a prison located in the Arbour Hill area near Heuston Station in the centre of Dublin, Ireland. The prison is the national centre for male sex offenders. Adjacent to the prison are the Church of the Sacred Heart, ...

. The following year, he was transferred to the Curragh, and assumed command of the IRA internees. He decided to organise them in an effort to improve conditions, and in December the group burnt down several wooden huts. This led to a clampdown, including solitary confinement and an incident in which soldiers fired on the inmates, killing one; Grogan was subsequently removed from the camp and given a prison term. Some of his time in gaol was spent with

Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...

, and the two remained friends, Behan often visiting Grogan after the war. Grogan was released in March 1945, and immediately endorsed efforts to rebuild the IRA. By the end of the decade, he had been appointed

IRA Quartermaster General The IRA Quartermaster General (QMG) runs a department which is responsible for obtaining, concealing and maintaining the store of weaponry of the Irish Republican Army. In the Provisional IRA, the QMG department is a large and important departmen ...

. He voted to launch the Border Campaign in 1956, and was arrested and again interned in Mountjoy in January 1957. One year later, he was joined by his son. On this occasion, the internees were led by

Dáithí Ó Conaill Dáithí Ó Conaill (English: ''David O'Connell'') (May 1938 – 1 January 1991) was an Irish republican, a member of the IRA Army Council of the Provisional IRA, and vice-president of Sinn Féin and Republican Sinn Féin. He was also the firs ...

, but older leaders such as Grogan were regularly consulted. While in gaol, he contested

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

for

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...

at the

1957 Irish general election The 1957 Irish general election to the 16th Dáil was held on Tuesday, 5 March, following a dissolution of the 15th Dáil on 12 February by President Seán T. O'Kelly on the request of Taoiseach John A. Costello on 4 February. It was the lon ...

, taking 9.6% of the first preference votes. Released before the end of the decade, Grogan became increasingly associated with the conservative wing of the movement. He stood again in Louth at the

1961 Irish general election The 1961 Irish general election to the 17th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 4 October, following the dissolution of the 16th Dáil on 15 September by President Éamon de Valera on the request of Taoiseach Seán Lemass. The general election took pla ...

, managing only 4.5% of the vote, and became a vice-president of Sinn Féin in 1962, serving until 1969. In the split of 1970, Grogan supported the provisional wing,Roy H. W. Johnston, ''Century of endeavour'', p.243, 245 remaining on Sinn Féin's Ard Chomhairle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grogan, Larry 1899 births 1979 deaths Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members Irish republicans Irish republicans interned without trial People from Drogheda Provisional Irish Republican Army members Republicans imprisoned during the Northern Ireland conflict Sinn Féin politicians