Michael Flannery (1902-1994), 1991
Language of Materials
Scope and Contents note
The two interviews with Michael Flannery were recorded in January and December 1991 in his home in Jackson Heights, Queens. Flannery focuses mainly on his experiences in Ireland as he recounts his childhood, joining the IRA, serving in the War for Independence and the Civil War, and being imprisoned for two years. Flannery also discusses much of his life in the U.S., including founding and resigning from Noraid, being charged with gunrunning for the IRA, and being Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Historical/Biographical Note
Michael Flannery (1902-1994), a militant Irish nationalist, was born in Knockshegowna, a small village in the North of County Tipperary, Ireland. He spent his early childhood working on his parents' farm and attending school, but by 1916, the year of the Easter Uprising, Flannery left school to join the Irish Volunteers, a nationalist organization that would later become the Irish Republican Army (IRA). During his active duty with the IRA during both the War for Independence (1919-1921) and the Civil War (1922-1923), Flannery patrolled the Irish countryside, ambushing British soldiers. The British eventually captured him and sent him to prison for two years. In 1927, Flannery emigrated to the United States, married, settled in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY and found a job with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
A devout Catholic, Flannery attended Mass every morning at his local church and neither smoked nor drank. His quiet, undemonstrative character and devotion to the Irish nationalist cause brought him respect and admiration in the Irish American community. Flannery's participation in a multitude of organizations including Clan na Gael, American Congress for Irish Freedom, Gaelic Athletic Association, and Irish Action Committee, earned him the following remark from his lawyer, Frank Durkan: "If there was going to be a meeting of six people in the north Bronx in the middle of a snowstorm, the only man you knew would be there was Michael Flannery."
As the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland gained momentum in 1969, tensions increased between Catholics and Protestants and the IRA again rose to the forefront of the struggle. Flannery helped to found the Irish Northern Aid Committee (Noraid) in 1970 to raise funds in the United States to support the families of IRA soldiers who were killed or imprisoned in the North. While the British, Irish, and United States governments believed NORAID to be a front for the IRA, Flannery insisted that, while he supported the IRA's tactics, the money raised did not go to buy arms.
In 1981, Flannery and four other men were charged with gunrunning for the IRA (U.S. vs. Harrison, Falvey, Mullen, Gormley and Flannery). The FBI accused Flannery of handling the money in the transaction. The counsel defending Flannery and the other men took an aggressive strategy during the trial by putting forth the idea that the defendants believed that they were working for the CIA. Since the CIA has a license to export weapons, they did not believe they were breaking any laws. This tactic put the burden on the prosecution to prove that the CIA was not involved and the jury found all five men innocent. Flannery was the only one of the defendants to testify, and he used that opportunity to deliver an impassioned speech about Irish history and British oppression.
Capitalizing on the publicity from the trial, Irish Republicans campaigned to elect Flannery as the Grand Marshal of the New York St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1983. Given Flannery's open support of the IRA and the recent trial, his nomination did not come without controversy. But despite opposition by prominent politicians, community leaders, the Catholic Church and the Irish government, the parade drew a record crowd.
In 1989, Noraid altered its focus to acknowledge the Dublin government and incorporate political measures in resolving the conflict. Flannery and other veterans of his generation believed that a focus on political activities would detract from the fundraising aspects and would ultimately compromise the primary function of the organization. After failing to resolve the differences between his personal beliefs and the new direction the organization was taking, Flannery resigned from Noraid in 1986. He joined the Friends of Irish Freedom in 1989, which had the exclusive purpose of raising money for families of IRA prisoners. He continued his support for FOIF and the militant republican cause until his death in 1994.
Sources:
Hampson, Rick. "The Old Man and the Gun." New York Beacon. 31 March 1995, 35.
Holland, Jack. The American Connection: U.S. Guns, Money, and Influence in Northern Ireland. Boulder, CO: Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 1999.
Mullins, Elmer. "Boylan Blazes: Veteran Republican Flannery Dies at 92." Irish America. 21 November 1994, 15.
Rohan, Brian. "He Did Not Go Gently: An IRA Burial in Queens for Mike Flannery." Irish Voice. 11 October 1994, 8.
Wilson, Andrew J. Irish America and the Ulster Conflict, 1968-1995. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1995.
Michael Flannery - 14 January 1991, Jan 14, 1991
Abstract
[00:00 - 10:00] Flannery's early experiences. Where he was born, his education, family, his mother's experiences in America and his impression of it as a child.
[10:00 - 20:00] Escaping the British army and joining the volunteers (who would later become the IRA) in 1916, options for a career, experiences in the IRA.
[20:00 - end] More on IRA experiences. Reasons for joining, how he survived, staying at loyalist houses.
Scope and Contents
[00:18] Could you tell me when and where you were born?
[00:44] What was the name of the town or the village that you were born in?
[01:19] Who were your parents?
[01:33] And where were they born?
[02:02] How long was your mother in America?
[03:14] So, when she went back, how old was she then, when she first went back to Ireland?
[03:42] Did she know the man that she met and eventually married before she came back or did she meet him when she came?
[03:52] So she must have gone back and forth a few times to America and Ireland?
[04:07] Tell me some more about your family if you can.
[04:34] Were they all boys before you?
[04:46] Did your mother and father work? Or did you live on a farm?
[05:07] Did you help them as a child growing up? Was it your job to work on the farm also growing up?
[05:16] And what kind of schooling did you have?
[05:56] So you mentioned college, so you had a college education then?
[06:02] What subjects did you learn, what did you specialize in, in college, what was your degree in?
[06:27] How many years of schooling did you actually have?
[06:46] Were you taught English or Irish?
[07:00] Did you speak Gaelic in your home?
[07:19] Had you heard about America when you were in Ireland as a child?
[07:33] Where did your mother live in America?
[07:42] Where did they live in America?
[08:41] What were your impressions? Were you impressed when you heard the stories about America?
[09:45] Do you remember your first job in Ireland other than work on the farm?
[11:54] So if you had stayed at the monastery that could have changed your whole life?
[13:26] Were any boys taken from the monastery?
[13:50] Who would actually take them?
[14:11] And then what would they do with the boys?
[15:45] They would never train the young boys, as in other countries, to become members of their armies or anything?
[16:15] Other than the IRA, did you have any other job in Ireland?
[16:30] You lived at home then, until that time [when he left Ireland for America] ?
[17:19] So you did this [volunteered for IRA] now from the age of about 16 to 25, is that correct?
[19:12] You were how old when you first joined?
[19:18] 14 during the 1916 rebellion. Then you were well aware of what was going on?
[19:53] Why do you feel you wanted this [to join volunteers] so young? Who influenced you to join the volunteers?
[20:43] Were there other members of your family that also belong [to the volunteers] ?
[21:07] So it was the family thing to do then in your situation?
[23:43] So then you were actually paid probably a salary?
[24:15] Who fed you?
[24:52] Did you travel usually with a companion or with other members or did you travel individually mostly?
[26:06] Did you have specific locations, farms and houses that you knew would be safe havens?
[26:42] What is a loyalist house?
[28:14] What would you say? You'd say, "I'm a member of the IRA - can you put me up?" Was it that simple?
[28:22] And if they said no?
[29:28] Did you have to go into any of these houses with arms?
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Duration: 63 minutes. Preservation note: Unidentified ambient noise.
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Michael Flannery - 14 January 1991, Jan 14, 1991
Abstract
[00:00 - 10:00] End of Black and Tan War. Treaty signed in 1921. Republican opposition to Treaty of Limerick. Division of Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland. Discussion of Civil War and division throughout the country.
[10:00 - 20:00] More on Civil War. Reasons why Britain wanted to remain in Ireland. America's support of Britain during Cold War.Experiences in IRA. Organization and strategies of IRA. Ambushing the British. Views on killing British soldiers.
[20:00 - end] More experiences in the IRA. Organization, how it operated, rules and regulations, differences from other armies, ranking within the army. Flannery's first raid. Spies betraying IRA, especially ex-British soldiers. Flannery being captured.
Scope and Contents
[00:13] Now you did this until you left. You left Ireland in 1927 you said. Why?
[00:56] That was the year of the Black and Tan War?
[06:50] You actually had a location then?
[07:00] Can you spell that word, the Dail?
[07:43] What is his name [surviving member of the Dail] ?
[07:47] And he's in Dublin now?
[08:07] How many people were involved in the army, during the time of the treaty, that were opposed?
[13:51] You might have other anecdotes that you want to talk about of your days as a member of the IRA? What territory did it bring you to? How far in the country did you travel?
[16:56] Where did you get your arms?
[17:33] What did you do for your change of clothes?
[17:55] So you would go home occasionally to get replenished?
[18:24] It wasn't an easy life at all, was it?
[18:33] Did you find it exciting?
[18:38] Do you think you had to be young to live this kind of life?
[20:16] What percentage of men if you know, would have been members of the IRA of the Irish community?
[23:39] Would they send you reinforcements if needed?
[23:52] Did you have a rank when you left Ireland?
[24:28] How many were in a column?
[26:07] Do you remember your first raid?
[26:55] How old were you?
[27:02] So you had trained for a while before you actually did it?
[27:53] How did that happen [spending his 19th, 20th and 21st birthdays in prison] ?
[27:56] Were you captured in the middle of a raid or an ambush or just you were in the wrong house or the wrong place?
[29:45] How did you get captured?
Audio
Michael Flannery - 11 December 1991, Dec 11, 1991
Abstract
[00:00 - 10:00] Celebration of Flannery's 90th birthday. Reluctance to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, etc.History of problems in Northern Ireland. Unity vs. disunity. Success in unification of Irish people in 1916.
[10:00 - 20:00] More on Black and Tan War. Negotiations with Britain. Formation of two armies in Ireland. Outbreak of Civil War in 1921. Second Dail. 1969 attempts by Republican army to get members elected into Parliament. Formation of the Worker's Party.
[20:00 - end] Communicating with the IRA while in America. More on America's support of Britain remaining in Ireland. President Bush and Reagan's support of England. Sinn Fein attempts to take over Dail. Division of Republican movement in America and Ireland. Founding and split in republican movement in U.S. Resignation from Noraid in 1986 and formation of new republican Sinn Fein organization.
Scope and Contents
[00:49] So are they planning a big celebration for you, for your 90th birthday?
[00:57] Do you happen to know where it's going to be held, since it's not a surprise?
[01:16] What is the date of your birthday?
[02:45] How did you celebrate your feast days?
[03:08] So this is a personal thing between you and your wife then to celebrate only your feast days? Do you have other friends who do this also or this is strictly between you and your wife?
[03:33] Was this passed down to you?
[03:50] Was this just your idea between the two of you or did you get this idea from some sort of family tradition?
[05:18] Don't you think that most people feel that celebrating their birthday - it's an event, it's a special occasion, it draws attention to somebody, to an individual, and they're special for that day.
[05:53] When you were growing up in Ireland as a young man, was your birthday celebrated in your home? Did your mother and father make a fuss over you?
[06:47] But still that made it special, different from any other day?
[06:53] Tell us about the time from about 1969 when political changes were taking place in Northern Ireland.
[12:38] At what time was this?
[14:39] Whose barracks?
[19:11] At what time frame did he start this Worker's Party?
[19:29] You were living here in this country in 1969. Yet, you were very well informed about exactly what was going on in the North of Ireland.
[21:47] There's been a direct line then between you and the IRA in the North of Ireland all this time, and there continues to be?
[27:06] When you say divided us...?
[28:20] You said that you founded Noraid in this country 20 years ago. Could you tell me exactly when?
[28:55] You were active then, the whole time up until 1986. What was your main focus and purpose?
[29:59] Could you please explain what the Dail actually is?
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Michael Flannery - 11 December 1991, Dec 11, 1991
Abstract
[00:00 - 10:00] More on Noraid. Founding, purpose, and activities of Noraid. Methods for sending money to Ireland. The organization losing prestige in America in recent times.
[10:00 - 20:00] Corruption in the American government and lack of political support for Irish.Reluctance of other countries to help Ireland because there's not enough economic benefit. Flannery's being put on trial for lending money to send arms over to Ireland.
[20:00 - end] More details about Flannery's trial. Other defendants, lawyers representing defendants, U.S. government's involvement in helping send arms over to Ireland, charges brought against Flannery and other defendants.
Scope and Contents
[02:40] How did you ensure the fact that the money you sent from this country got into the proper hands over in the North?
[03:26] And how did you check on that [that the money was going to people who needed help] ?
[04:59] Who did this fumigating?
[05:25] So the constant communication was through letters as well as people travelling back and forth informing both sides what was going on. What about telephone contact?
[05:52] How did you know that [your phone was tapped] ?
[06:26] Who do you think was tapping your telephone?
[07:14] This is the Noraid office you're talking about?
[07:18] How did you feel about this?
[08:10] Are there any other functions of Noraid besides what you've mentioned?
[08:50] You're talking about by population?
[12:14] Isn't it a fact that there aren't that many Irish politicians put up these days for office?
[13:53] What specifically do you feel would be a good method to stop the drug infiltration into the United States?
[15:27] Let's get back to Noraid and some of the things that they did up to the time when you had to go on trial. If you could lead us into that area. How you were accused? What you were accused of?
[18:17] When who wanted to borrow money?
[18:29] And you lent them money from Noraid?
[19:06] How did you do this?
[19:32] Were arms going over just from this country?
[20:12] What were you actually accused of that brought about this trial?
[20:24] When did this trial take place?
[20:31] And who brought the charges against you?
[20:44] It was a Federal case then? It was the United States Supreme Court? Against you as an individual or against Noraid?
[20:56] And who are the individuals that the charges were brought against besides yourself?
[21:24] And who did you get to represent you?
[26:07] This all came out in that trial?
[26:39] Do you recall all of the charges against you?
[26:59] Frank Durkan represented you or George Harrison?
[27:11] Who did Paul O'Dwyer represent in this case?
[27:32] So the charges were sending arms to Ireland? Were there any other charges?
Audio
Michael Flannery - 11 December 1991, Dec 11, 1991
Abstract
[00:00 - 10:00] More on Flannery's trial. Perjury of government agents while testifying. Effects of trial on individuals and Noraid.
[10:00 - 20:00] Noraid protests outside British consulate and UN during hunger strikes.Raising money for Gaelic Park. Unity of Irish American organizations. Flannery being Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1983. Increased rowdiness of parade crowds. Irish and British governments' opposition to Flannery being Grand Marshal.
[20:00 - end] More on St. Patrick's Day Parade. Controversy over Flannery being Grand Marshal.Monument in Nenagh dedicated to patriots who died in revolutionary war. Documentary made about Flannery without his knowledge. Flannery's visit there to unveil a plaque on the monument dedicated to the 10 hunger strikers who died. All the places the documentarians followed Flannery.
Scope and Contents
[03:36] Would you tell me the exact date of the beginning of this trial?
[04:14] Now, you were all acquitted, is that correct? Was there any aftermath or effect that the trial had on you or any of the defendants?
[04:59] What effect did the trial have on the function of Noraid?
[06:36] Who brought him down? The United States prosecution did? And then it was the strategy of the defense not to cross-examine him?
[07:38] What was the general effect, or even specific effect of the supply of arms to Ireland after the trial?
[08:00] But it did resume later?
[08:25 ] Who did the crowd consist of?
[08:51 ] Was it a large courtroom?
[08:55] Did the trial get a nickname? Were the five of you called anything in particular?
[09:12] Who do you think tagged that name onto you?
[09:31] Now that was in 1982. Had you any contact, anything to do with the hunger strikers that had taken place, with their activities that had taken place in 1981. Did you as Noraid or as an individual have anything to do with that?
[11:01] Was this done mostly through Noraid?
[11:32 ] Are there any other occasions that you can think of that in the 1980s that brought out large groups of Irish people that you were a part of?
[12:29] You're saying there was a lot of strength and unity during the hunger strike activities. And then after your trial in 1982 was there any support or any reason? You were still able to in other words able to raise funds.
[13:02] Tell me something about that [being grand marshal of St. Patrick's Day Parade] ? How were you elected?
[20:15] Did you almost feel like you were on trial again?
[20:41] Were you invited for instance to go on any talk shows, radio or tv shows where you actually got paid money during this time? Were you often paid?
[21:13] Who did the documentary?
[21:54] Could you please spell for me Nenagh where you said the monument was?
[22:26] Now this monument, what is it a monument to?
[23:06] Explain to me what went on when you visited the monument that they documented there.
[24:44] You mean the ambushes that had taken place many years ago during the Revolution?
[25:00] Do you play a part in any of these ambushes?
[25:26] Where did this documentary first appear?
[25:43] How did you find out about this documentary about you?
[26:18] How long did it take?
[26:28] Could you please tell me exactly to the best of your memory, what took place in the documentary footage?
[28:12] Did you ever find out who these people were that made this documentary?
[28:33] You mean cable tv?
[28:44] And you never paid any attention then?
[28:48] And obviously no one ever thought to give you a copy of this?
[29:06] Did you find the documentary complementary?
[29:36] Did you find it factual?
[30:08] What do you think was the purpose of this documentary?
[30:25] Did you feel used?
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Duration: 62 minutes. Preservation note: Unidentified ambient noise.
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Michael Flannery - 11 December 1991, Dec 11, 1991
Abstract
[00:00 - 10:00] More on documentary.Trips back to Ireland. Reasons for not returning to Ireland until 1949. Involvement with Clan na Gael before the Depression. Reasons for leaving Ireland in 1925.
[10:00 - 20:00] Experiences coming to America. More on Clan na Gael and helping unemployed members without family in America. Holding dances to make money.Being declared a foreign agent by the U.S. government.
[20:00 - end] More on consequences of being a foreign agent. British propaganda plan against Noraid backfires. Disunity of Irish people during mid 1980s - division in Irish parliament, loss of Gaelic Park, St. Patrick's Day parade, emigration from Ireland - and how it allows Britain to remain in power.
Scope and Contents
[00:30] Do you recall the date that this documentary was shown on channel 13? This documentary called, 'The Old Man and the Gun?'
[02:01] Did anything else ever come from this documentary? Did it affect your life in any other way?
[03:03] How often do you go to Ireland?
[03:14] Prior to that you did not go back?
[04:02] What 64 members were these?
[04:49] Where was this hall?
[05:37] What year was this? 1929?
[05:49] Did you buy from the city?
[06:11] Rented by somebody else or rented by you?
[06:17] So that was your speakeasy?
[07:27] Do you go back yearly?
[07:35] Do you go back to the same area? Or do you tour Ireland? Or do you visit friends and relatives?
[08:18] During the Depression, where did you find people who were so needy? Were they members of the Clan na Gael?
[08:28] They were allowed then to stay in your clubhouse until they got on their feet and got jobs?
[08:44] So you would say that was the Irish network working in those days?
[09:01] You made a statement that you planned to go back to Ireland although you thought that you wouldn't be very welcome. Under what circumstances did you leave Ireland?
[09:52] You did leave voluntarily then?
[10:27] Did you come by ship under your own name?
[10:56] There was no ambassador to Ireland at that time?
[11:07] When was the first ambassador to Ireland, do you recall?
[14:12] How long did this exist before they all found employment and were well enough to leave?
[15:04] Did you ever have others join? What kept it at that number [64 members] ?
[15:17] Then what happened to the Clan na Gael and the clubhouse?
[15:26] Running the dances still? And where did the profits go?
[15:47] Until what year were you still in existence there?
[17:05] Did you own the building at that time or were you still renting?
[17:21] Were you the president of the Clan na Gael?
[17:53] What else was going on in your life in 1984, 1985, 1986?
[19:06] Did the government pay you as a foreign agent?
[23:59] Did they then cease their propaganda?
[24:30] So now we're at the middle of the 1980's. Is there anything else that you can think of that you want to share?
[25:03] You mean the division amongst themselves?
[27:26] What do you think the main reason is that we're not united?
[29:20] The reason that they're coming in great numbers again is because there are no jobs in Ireland?
Michael Flannery - 14 January 1991, Jan 14, 1991
Abstract
[00:00 - 10:00] Continuation of story about first time Flannery captured as member of IRA. Practice of IRA members to give false names when arrested. Charges brought against Flannery. Churches during the Black and Tan War vs. the Civil War.
[10:00 - 20:00] More on experiences with IRA and being captured. Description of Mountjoy prison. Building of escape tunnel. Conditions of Flannery's cell in Mountjoy. Story of night of planned escape through the tunnel.
[20:00 - end] More on night of planned escape. Attempt to break leaking gas pipe in his cell. Capture of other prisoners in tunnel. Beatings of prisoners who tried to escape. Reasons for being put in solitary confinement.
Scope and Contents
[02:25] Where is Mountjoy prison?
[02:37] When you were first captured, you obviously had to go through an interrogation?
[03:31] Did you give a false name?
[04:31] In other words, you would speak to somebody in prison and you would be introduced to him and you wouldn't even know he had a false name, is that what you're saying? That's how quiet everybody was?
[05:15] I guess you were afraid too that they were spies, was that part of it or not?
[05:27 ] Did you have certain codes or certain words that you'd use with each other so that you'd know that you were all part of the IRA?
[06:06] What were you charged with when you were captured?
[06:51] Were you represented by counsel?
[07:30] Were the churches a place of safety when you were on the run?
[09:00] Did the church ever give you a haven when you were on the run?
[10:13] I guess you didn't get much sleep in those days?
[10:29] You were interrogated in the first jail, the local jail, then you were brought to another jail you said. Was that a county jail? How did that work?
[12:06] So it was four feet of stone and dirt?
[13:24] Did anyone escape through this tunnel?
[15:40] How long did it take to build the tunnel?
[15:48] And you found out about it afterward?
[16:08] Why were you in solitary confinement?
[18:44] So you had your own clothes in this jail?
[20:58] This was the same night that the tunnel was going to be finished?
[22:50] But you stayed in the same cell?
[25:56] Were you beaten?
[26:42] How long were you in jail?
[27:11] Why were you put in solitary confinement?
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Duration: 63 minutes. Preservation note: Unidentified ambient noise.
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Michael Flannery - 14 January 1991, Jan 14, 1991
Abstract
[00:00 - 10:00] More on experience in prison. Story about being transferred to top tier of women's prison - friendly guard, execution of IRA leaders.
[10:00 - 20:00] More on experience in prison.Discussion of Black and Tan War - how it started, establishment of Dail, origination of black and tan name, arrival of British auxiliaries in Ireland.
[20:00 - end] More on Black and Tan War - truce, British propaganda, ending.Different fighting strategy during Civil War than Black and Tan War. Flannery's job as a liaison officer and other activities when not fighting during Black and Tan War.
Scope and Contents
[08:27] This was the warden of the whole prison?
[12:35] The Black and Tan War didn't last that long, though, did it?
[22:31] So how long did the Black and Tan War last, do you recall?
[23:13] Were you a part of any of this or were you in prison during the Black and Tan War?
[25:36] When did you do this [work as a liaison officer] ?
[29:24] So how did you get this position?
[29:52] Who gave you the assignment?
[30:06] So you were a volunteer advocate, then, to keep the peace among the community of the Irish, is that correct?
[31:06] But you would do this all on a volunteer basis?
