Eamonn Cooney

Cooney claimed membership of the Irish Volunteers in Belfast from 1914. During the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921), he was appointed a Staff Captain in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) general headquarters and was involved in intelligence work, raids and the defence of nationalist areas in Belfast.^[1] Cooney was arrested by British forces in November 1920 and held in Ballykinlar Internment Camp, County Down until 8 December 1921. Moving to Dublin in March 1922, he transferred to K Company, 1 Battalion, Dublin Brigade, IRA and used his position in the Grocers’ Assistants Union to give the IRA access to the union's Banba Hall, Parnell Square.

Taking the anti-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War, Cooney took part in the occupation and defence of several buildings around Parnell Square and Bolton Street against National forces. He was arrested in December 1922 and interned until April 1923. Cooney was later awarded a pension by the Irish government under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 for service with the Irish Volunteers and the IRA between 1917 and 1923.^[1]

He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North constituency at the September 1927 general election.^[2] He was re-elected at the 1932 and 1933 general elections.^[3] He lost his seat at the 1937 general election but was re-elected for the Dublin North-West constituency at the 1938 general election. He did not contest the 1943 general election, but was an unsuccessful candidate at the 1944 general election.^[3]