Roger Joseph McHugh (24 July 1908 – 1 January 1987) was an Irish academic, author, playwright, politician and

Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...

. He was educated Our Lady's Bower,

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

;

Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Canon ...

, Dublin and

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

(UCD). McHugh was a supporter of a minor Irish Republican political party Córas na Poblachta and a friend of

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

leader

Seamus O'Donovan James O'Donovan (; 3 November 1896 – 4 June 1979), also known as Seamus or Jim O'Donovan, was a leading volunteer in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and agent in Ireland for the Abwehr. He fought in the Irish War of Independence and then on ...

. In 1939 McHugh was interned by the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

at the Curragh internment camp.MacEoin, Uinseann (1997), ''The IRA in the twilight years 1923-1948'', Argenta Publications, Dublin, pgs 873-74 ISBN 0951117246 He was elected to

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann ( ; ; "Senate of Ireland") is the senate of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (defined as the house of representatives). It is commonly called the Seanad or ...

as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

member in 1954 by the

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...

constituency. He lost his seat at the 1957 election. In 1965 he became Professor of English at UCD and in 1966 he was appointed the first Professor of Anglo–Irish Literature and Drama. He wrote two plays, each produced at the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

: ''Trial at Green Street courthouse'' (1941), and ''Rossa'' (1945).

References

External links

Roger McHugh – Ricorso
{{DEFAULTSORT:McHugh, Roger 1908 births 1987 deaths Independent members of Seanad Éireann Members of the 8th Seanad Academics of University College Dublin Alumni of University College Dublin Members of Seanad Éireann for the National University of Ireland People from County Dublin