Hugo MacNeill (Irish Army officer)
Irish soldier (1896–1986)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hugo Hyacinth MacNeill (16 Apr 1900 – 17 Apr 1963) was an Irish general officer.[1]
.jpg)
Hugo MacNeill | |
|---|---|
Hugo MacNeill, between 1914-1923 | |
| Born | 16 April 1900 Howth, Co. Dublin |
| Died | 17 April 1963 (aged 63) Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin |
Burial place | Dean's Grange Cemetery, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin |
| Spouse |
Margaret McKenna (m. 1924) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
Service | |
Service years | 1913–1951 |
Rank | Major General |
| Commands |
|
Conflicts | |
Life and military career
Born in 1900,[2] he was the nephew of politician Eoin MacNeill (1867–1945).[3][4]
Hugo MacNeill was member of Fianna Éireann and the Irish Volunteers before becoming an officer of the National Army during the Irish Civil War.[1][4] In 1923, he was promoted to colonel after an intelligence windfall allowed him to prevent a series of Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacks in Dublin. In March 1924, McNeill led a party of troops to Devlin's Hotel in Parnell Street, Dublin to arrest army mutineers.[1][5] In the aftermath of the Army Mutiny In the aftermath of the Army Mutiny, he was promoted to major general and appointed Adjutant-General, a position he held until October 1926.[6][7] In 1926, he was sent on a mission with several other officers to visit US military installations. While there, he attended the US Army Command and Staff Course in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.[8][9][10] On his return he became Director of the Defence Plans Division in General Headquarters.[1][11]
During the Emergency, he was placed in command of the 2nd Division in the north.[1][12][13] Post war he became GOC Eastern Command before retiring in 1951. Following retirement, MacNeill co-ordinated the An Tóstal festivals in 1952-4 and was president of the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen (ONE) in 1953. He died in 1963 and was buried in Dean's Grange Cemetery.[1]
Controversies
MacNeill was reputedly sympathetic to German interests,[14][15][16] and some sources suggest he approached the German diplomatic legation in the early 1940s,[17] without apparent authorisation. These approaches were reputedly to seek German assistance in the event that Britain invaded Ireland.[18] British intelligence reported that MacNeill was "firm friends" with Eoin O'Duffy and an admirer "of German methods and efficiency".[19]