Seán Harrington

Seán Harrington (1900 – 1976) was an Irish republican paramilitary who later became a prominent member of the Society of Friends.

Born in Dublin,^[1] Harrington joined the Irish Republican Army (IRA),^[2] and fought in the Irish War of Independence. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and remained with the IRA through the Irish Civil War.^[3]

By 1941, Harrington was a member of the IRA's Army Council which organised a court-marshal of former Chief of Staff Stephen Hayes, although he did not personally take part in the trial.^[4] He became Chief of Staff of the IRA in November 1941 when Pearse Kelly was arrested, but he himself was arrested the following month.^[5] He was charged with failing to explain his possession of £50 and refusing to give his details to police, and was interned for two years.^[6] Despite this, he appears to have remained Chief of Staff until February 1942, when Seán McCool was selected as his replacement.^[7]

On release, Harrington relocated to Dublin, where he found work as the caretaker at the Court Laundry. This was a difficult role, as local levels of crime were high. In December, he was tied to his bed and beaten, taking three months to recover; he apprehended an armed robber in April 1946.^[8] He broke his links with the paramilitary movement and also left the Catholic church, joining a group of Quakers; this group attracted some opposition, and Harrington lost the hearing in one ear after being attacked by a group of young Catholic extremists.^[3]

By the late 1960s, Harrington had left Ireland and moved to Tring in Hertfordshire.^[3]

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