Frank Aiken

Tomorrow, February 13th marks the anniversary of the birth of Frank Aiken in 1898. Born in county Armagh Aiken played a prominent role in the years of the Irish revolution and later served as a TD, Minister and Tainaiste. Following his death in 1983 there were widespread tributes and reports on his political and military career.

The Evening Echo provided the following outline following his death in May of that year:

Former Tainaiste, Frank Aiken, died in Dublin early this morning aged 85. A native of South Armagh, and as the son of a substantial farmer, educated at St. Colman's College, Newry he joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and became Sinn Fein organiser for South Armagh in 1917.

In the following year he was jailed for organising the Volunteers. In the 1920-21 period he led several attacks on R.I.C. barracks in the area. He was also credited with leading an attack on a train carrying cavalry returning from escort duties when King George V of England opened the Stormont Parliament. Four soldiers and eighty horses were killed.

In his first essay into constitutional politics in election to Stormont in June 1921 he was unsuccessful on the Sinn Fein ticket. He was O.C. of the 4th Northern Division of the I.R.A. and took over Dundalk barracks from the British after the Treaty. Aiken was loyal to the orders of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State until the attack on the Four Courts in Dublin when he threw in his lot with anti-Treatyites. But he concentrated his attention on the North of Ireland and was appointed O.C.

The Irish Independent commented on other aspects of Aiken’s career:

In his lifetime, the late Frank Aiken saw this country assume its independence, worked in its political system and then presented an image of us abroad which was unique. His role at the United Nations will go down in the history books: recognising the confrontation character of post-World War II politics he tried, as far as he was able to, to bridge the gap between the two power blocks without fudging our stand on issues of principle. In this way he helped place Ireland on an independent path in the United Nations. Mr. Aiken belonged at home to a Party which he helped to fashion, and his work in that area won him respect from people even outside Fianna Fail. There were, of course, plenty who disagreed with him — his role in Irish politics is for the historians.

For more information search the pages of the Irish Newspaper Archive (www.irishnewsarchive.com )