Eoin Macneill: Memoir of a Revolutionary Scholar

by Brian Hughes (Editor)

Eoin MacNeill was one of the most significant figures of twentieth century Irish history, a distinguished scholar, language enthusiast and politician. He founded the Gaelic League in 1893 and the Irish Volunteers in 1913. He opposed the plans for a rebellion in 1916 when he issued his controversial countermanding order on Easter Sunday 1916. He was interned for a year and after his release continued to play a leading role in the War of Independence as a member and minister of the First Dáil. In the early 1920s he was Minister for Education in the first Free State government and in 1924 was also appointed as Irish representative on the ill-fated Boundary Commission. During the 1930s MacNeill began to write a memoir of his momentous life and career. It starts with his childhood in Co. Antrim, his education in Dublin and goes on to describe his involvement in the language revival, the Volunteers and the nationalist movement after 1916. The memoir concludes with MacNeill’s account of the Irish Boundary Commission which led to his departure from politics in 1925 and his return to scholarship. This important memoir has never been published and the Irish Manuscripts Commission is delighted to publish it as a timely tribute to MacNeill, appointed the Commission’s first chairman in 1928.

142 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

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Born in Dublin, Brian Hughes studied in NUI Maynooth and Trinity College Dublin

Reviews

[Caoimhin Gabhann · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a bit longer than it should have but that was my fault, xmas preperations.

Eoin Mac Neill, was for me the man who tried to call off the Easter Rising. That was all I knew and I based my judgement solely on this aspect of his life. In more practical terms, based my judgement on one week of his life and one call, the countermanding order.

This book has opened my eyes to a much larger story and set that part of the story into context. I want to make clear, I didnt and dont agree with the countermanding order, but I recognise now why he did it.
At that time we couldnt have predicted the future and that the seeds of 1916 would lay the roots of 1919 to 1921.

A family divided by the period, one brother pro treaty, the other antitreaty,ultimately losing his life on the hills of Benbulbin. This was missing in the book, although the editor notes why.

But Eoin Mac Neill was a seperatist, he was culturally very strongly an Irish nationalist. Founding the Gaelic league, the Irish volunteers a member of Sinn Fein. Shared a cell with Arthur Griffith himself and was a prominent figure through every major event of the period. I was unaware that he was with O Higgins when shot down and I was unaware that he served time twice through the conflict. Post 1916 De Valera and his company of volunteers salutation in the prison grounds was of interest.

Mac Neill and the boundary commission toofor the short period makes me want to read more.

Thoroughly enjoyable book. And has led me too adjust my thought process around the Glenarm man that is Eoin Mac Neill.