Daniel Corkery (Irish republican)

From Macroom, County Cork, Corkery was served short terms of imprisonment in 1916 and 1917 for Irish Volunteers activity. During the Irish War of Independence, he took part in barracks attacks and operations against British forces.^[2] He one of the main IRA officers during the Coolavokig ambush in February 1921.^[3]

At the 1921 general election he was elected unopposed to the Second Dáil as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork Mid, North, South, South East and West constituency.^[4][5] An anti-Treaty member from January 1922, he did not take his seat in the Third Dáil. During the Irish Civil War Corkery worked on anti Anglo-Irish Treaty publicity issues in Cork with well-known writers/journalists: Frank O'Connor, Seán Ó Faoláin and Robert Brennan.^[6]

Corkery was arrested by National forces on 4 November 1922 and interned in Cork County prison, Cork, Hare Park internment camp and Mountjoy Prison, Dublin. He stated that he was granted parole in June 1923 in connection with the death of his wife following which he returned to his internment and was finally released in February 1924. Corkery was later awarded a pension by the Irish government under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 for his service with the Irish Volunteers and the IRA between 1917 and 1923.^[2]

He was elected to the 4th Dail at the 1923 general election for the new Cork North constituency, again as an anti-treaty republican. After his re-election at the June 1927 general election as independent republican,^[7] he joined the newly created Fianna Fáil party and took his seat with other Fianna Fáil deputies in August 1927.^[8]

Corkery was re-elected as a Fianna Fáil TD at the September 1927 general election, but lost his seat at the 1932 general election. He re-gained his seat at the 1933 general election, but again lost his seat at the 1937 general election. In 1938 he was elected to the revived Seanad Éireann and continued as a Senator until 1948.^[1]