33 Facts About Liam Mellows

William Joseph Mellows was an Irish republican and Sinn Fein politician.

Liam Mellows was active with the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Irish Volunteers, and participated in the Easter Rising in County Galway and the War of Independence.

Liam Mellows's family moved to 10 Annadale Avenue in the Fairview area of Dublin in February 1895, when his father was transferred there; Mellows remained in Wexford with his grandfather, Patrick Jordan, due to ill health.

Liam Mellows met secretary Patrick O'Ryan, Con Colbert and Eamon Martin, who would be a lifelong friend.

Liam Mellows was proposed for the post of organiser and travelling instructor.

Liam Mellows founded the sluagh at Dolphins Barn, County Wexford, which was a success.

Liam Mellows established more sluagdste at Ferns and Enniscorthy in Easter 1912.

Liam Mellows cycled everywhere, which was cheap and convenient; he was promoted to the rank of captain by the ard choisde.

Liam Mellows was organising sports in Tuam in September 1913 when he was introduced to socialist James Connolly at Countess Markievicz's residence, where Connolly was recuperating after his hunger strike.

Liam Mellows was called back to Dublin on 25 November 1913.

Liam Mellows was active in the IRB and was a founder member of the Irish Volunteers, being brought onto its organising committee to strengthen the Fianna representation.

Liam Mellows was given a full-time job at 30s a week.

Liam Mellows was arrested and jailed on several occasions under the Defence of the Realm Act.

Liam Mellows was sent to Galway and made his base at Athenry.

Liam Mellows got away and started a training group at Kynoch's Fort, south Galway, recruiting men from miles around.

Months later Liam Mellows was with volunteers at Tullamore when they were attacked by machine-guns.

Liam Mellows returned to post a letter and assist his comrades.

Liam Mellows led roughly 700 Volunteers in abortive attacks on Royal Irish Constabulary stations at Oranmore, and Clarinbridge in county Galway taking over the town of Athenry.

Liam Mellows returned to Ireland to become Irish Republican Army "Director of Supplies" during the Irish War of Independence, responsible for buying arms.

Liam Mellows rejected the arguments from the pro-Treaty side that it represented the will of the people.

Liam Mellows argued that the people's will was for a republic and that their acceptance of treaty was only because of the threats of the British government: "That is not the will of the people, that is the fear of the people".

The four other anti-Treaty TDs said there was agreement but Liam Mellows did not, and was seen thereafter by pro-Treaty TDs as one of their most implacable opponents.

Liam Mellows wrote a social programme based on the Dail's Democratic Programme of 1919 aimed at winning popular support for the anti-Treaty cause.

Liam Mellows was one of the more strident TDs on the approach to the Irish Civil War.

Liam Mellows had a chance to escape along with Ernie O'Malley, but did not take it.

In 1922, the Labour Party posthumously published a document entitled "Liam Mellow's Jail Programme", based on notes Mellows had smuggled out of jail after being captured by the Irish Free State.

Liam Mellows wrote that "James Connolly realised that if Ireland were really to be free, it must be owned by the Irish people; that it was little use freeing Ireland from foreign tyranny if, in the course of a comparatively short time, it would fall under domestic tyranny as other countries had done".

Liam Mellows spoke on platforms of the 'Friends of Indian Freedom' organisation and in 1919 served on the central committee of the worldwide anti-imperialist organisation the 'League of Oppressed Peoples' as a representative of Ireland.

Pat Walsh opines that Liam Mellows was not a Communist nor a Marxist, but simply a nationalist who, in a situation of desperation for the Republican forces who looked set to lose the Civil War, thought that only by bringing workers into the national struggle could the Republican forces survive.

Liam Mellows is commemorated by statues in Eyre Square in Galway, in the official name of the Irish Defence Forces army barracks at Renmore and in the naming of Liam Mellows Bridge in Dublin.

Liam Mellows is commemorated in the names of two GAA clubs, and by Unidare RFC in Ballymun and their "Liam Mellows Perpetual Cup".

Liam Mellows is referred to by name in the Dominic Behan rewritten version of the rebel song Take It Down from the Mast.

Liam Mellows is buried in Castletown cemetery, County Wexford, a few miles from Arklow.