Joseph Andrew Stynes (15 January 1903 – 29 January 1991)
[Jim Stynes 1995, p.18] was an
Irish Republican
Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate.
The develop ...
and a sportsman, excelling in particular at
Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...
and soccer.
In Dublin
Stynes was born in
Newbridge, County Kildare
Newbridge, officially known by its Irish name Droichead Nua (), is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. While the nearby Great Connell Priory was founded in the 13th century, the town itself formed from the 18th century onwards, and grew rapidl ...
, and attended
Newbridge College
, latin_name =
, logo = Newbridge College crest.gif
, logo_size = 140px
, seal_image =
, image = Newbridge College.jpg
, image_size = 270px
, alt = Newbridge College and the R ...
, where he first played Gaelic football and
hurling
Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of pla ...
.
He moved to
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
to find work.
He was sworn into the
IRA in 1920 by
Seán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass (born John Francis Lemass; 15 July 1899 – 11 May 1971) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1959 to 1966. He also served as Tánaiste from 1957 to 1959, 1951 to 1954 ...
, joining "C" Company, 2nd battalion, Dublin brigade.
He was stewarding in
Croke Park
Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and h ...
on
Bloody Sunday 1920
Bloody Sunday ( ga, Domhnach na Fola) was a day of violence in Dublin on 21 November 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. More than 30 people were killed or fatally wounded.
The day began with an Irish Republican Army (IRA) operation, ...
, while carrying concealed guns for the IRA.
When British security forces raided the ground, he dumped the guns and escaped over a wall.
[Jim Stynes 1995, p.13] He participated in the
burning of the Custom House
On 25 May 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, the Custom House in Dublin was occupied and then burnt in an operation by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The Custom House was the headquarters of the Local Government Board for Ireland, an ...
in 1921.
[Joe Stynes 1991, p.9]
Stynes played Gaelic football for the McCracken's club on
the Northside, then transferred to the elite
O'Tooles club in February 1922. He was an 'outstanding' forward
[Nolan, p.190] with 'rare qualities'. He took the anti-
Treaty
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...
side during the
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...
, but managed to play several games for the senior
Dublin county football team
The Dublin county football team represents Dublin in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Dublin GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ire ...
while "on the run" from the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independ ...
authorities.
He fought in the
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry ...
area during the
Battle of Dublin
The Battle of Dublin was a week of street battles in Dublin from 28 June to 5 July 1922 that marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War. Six months after the Anglo-Irish Treaty ended the recent Irish War of Independence, it was fought betw ...
, evading capture during the evacuation of the Hammam Hotel. An attempt to tunnel into
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
...
from an adjoining house ended when the house was raided while Stynes was absent.
He missed Dublin's win in the
1922 All-Ireland final (played 7 October 1923) as by then he was
interned
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
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 Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel ...
.
[Jim Stynes 1995, p.14] Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Tom Ennis of the
National Army, a former teammate of Stynes who took the pro-Treaty side, secured Stynes' availability for subsequent Dublin matches,
and he got a winner's medal for the
1923 final (played 28 September 1924), in which he scored the final two points.
He missed the
1924 final (played 26 April 1925) after being suspended by the
GAA for breaching
its ban on playing "foreign" games by playing soccer,
a game he had learnt while in the Curragh.
While suspended from the GAA, he played soccer for
Bohemians, where he scored 13 times in 28 appearances during the
1925–26 season. In the
Leinster Senior Cup final of 1926, he played well, but retired injured, as Bohs beat
Shelbourne 2–1. He also played
semi-professionally for Shelbourne at a time when work was hard to find, partly because of his unpopular political views.
In New York
In 1926, Stynes emigrated to the United States, settling in New York City,
[Jim Stynes 1995, p.15] where he worked as an accountant with
Cartier jewellers.
He remained active in both
North American GAA and emigrant Irish Republican groups. In later years, he returned annually to Ireland for the
All Ireland football final in Dublin and political meetings in Northern Ireland.
In May 1927, he played for a
New York county team that beat the visiting All-Ireland champions,
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...
. He regularly returned to visit Ireland, and represented America in football internationals against Ireland at the
Tailteann Games in Dublin in both 1928 and 1932.
[Nolan, p.263] During his 1928 trip, he turned out once more for Dublin in their Leinster Final defeat to
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cent ...
. He also represented New York touring sides against
Mayo Mayo often refers to:
* Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo"
* Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Mayo may also refer to:
Places
Antarctica
* Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land
Australia
* Division of Mayo, an A ...
in 1932
and Kerry in 1933. In December 1932, he won a Dublin junior club title with
Sean McDermotts
Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...
. He won New York state championships with Kildare in 1938 and with
Kilkenny as late as 1947.
He also played on the New York hurling teams in 1943 and 1946.
[Jim Stynes 1995, p.19]
In 1938, Stynes signed on behalf of the American GAA an Irish-American
petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication.
In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offic ...
for the release of
Frank Ryan, the IRA leader imprisoned by
Franco
Franco may refer to:
Name
* Franco (name)
* Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975
* Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître"
Prefix
* Franco, a prefix used when ...
's Nationalists during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
for fighting in the
International Brigades
The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed ...
. In 1939, he was indicted and charged with attempting to bribe
US Customs
The United States Customs Service was the very first federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. federal government. Established on July 31, 1789, it collected import tariffs, performed other selected border security duties, as well as conducted c ...
officials while operating as an agent for the
Irish Sweepstakes
The Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake was a lottery established in the Irish Free State in 1930 as the Irish Free State Hospitals' Sweepstake to finance hospitals. It is generally referred to as the Irish Sweepstake or Irish Sweepstakes, frequently ab ...
. He was politically active in
Clan na Gael
Clan na Gael ( ga, label=modern Irish orthography, Clann na nGael, ; "family of the Gaels") was an Irish republican organization in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister org ...
, and after 1948 was leader of the few branches that had remained loyal to the
rump of the IRA. In 1949, Stynes supported a decision, which split the Clan, to use its funds for a monument in Dublin to
Seán Russell
Seán Russell (13 October 1893 – 14 August 1940) was an Irish republican who participated in the Easter Rising of 1916, held senior positions in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War, and was Chief ...
rather than retaining them for a future IRA campaign. After the decline of Clan na Gael, and the outbreak of
the Northern Troubles, he was sympathetic to
NORAID
NORAID, officially the Irish Northern Aid Committee, is an Irish American membership organization founded after the start of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1969. The organization states its mission is to aid in the creation of a United Irel ...
.
He sided with
Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin or RSF ( ga, Sinn Féin Poblachtach) is an Irish republican political party in Ireland. RSF claims to be heirs of the Sinn Féin party founded in 1905 and took its present form in 1986 following a split in Sinn Féin. RS ...
after its 1986 split from
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 ...
, and in 1987 he co-founded the National Irish Freedom Committee (NIFC; ga, Cumann Na Saoirse Náisiúnta) for its American supporters.
Most younger and American-born Irish republicans remained with NORAID and Sinn Féin.
He died at his home in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, New York.
Relatives
Stynes married Bridget Ní Mahon, originally from
Athy
Athy ( ; ) is a market town at the meeting of the River Barrow and the Grand Canal in south-west County Kildare, Ireland, 72 kilometres southwest of Dublin. A population of 9,677 (as of the 2016 census) makes it the sixth largest town in Ki ...
, in 1930 in New York.
They had nine children.
His grandson
Chris Stynes
Christopher Desmond Stynes (born January 19, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball utility player.Pete Palmer; Gary Gillette; Stuart Shea. The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia'. Sterling Publishing Company; 1 February 2006. . p. 680.
Early life
Chri ...
played
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
.
Joe Stynes's brother Peter played Gaelic football for Dublin in the 1925 and 1926 Leinster championships, and got a 1926
League runners-up medal. Peter won
Dublin club titles with O'Toole's in 1925, 1926, and 1928.
[Nolan, pp.1163–4] He was the uncle of
Jim Stynes
James Stynes OAM (23 April 196620 March 2012) was an Irish-born footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football. Playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), he went on to becom ...
,
Australian rules footballer,
and his brother
Brian
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word m ...
, who won an All-Ireland with Dublin
in 1995.
References
*
*
*
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stynes, Joe
1903 births
1991 deaths
Association footballers from County Kildare
Association footballers not categorized by position
Bohemian F.C. players
Dual players
Dublin inter-county Gaelic footballers
Gaelic footballers who switched code
Irish emigrants to the United States
Irish Republican Army (1919–1922) members
Irish republicans
Kildare New York Gaelic footballers
Kilkenny New York Gaelic footballers
League of Ireland players
New York inter-county Gaelic footballers
New York inter-county hurlers
People of the Irish Civil War (Anti-Treaty side)
Republic of Ireland association footballers
Republican Sinn Féin members
Shelbourne F.C. players
Joe