Seán Harrington


Seán Harrington was an Irish republican paramilitary who later became a prominent member of the Society of Friends.

Biography

Born in Dublin, Harrington joined the Irish Republican Army, and fought in the Irish War of Independence. He opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and remained with the IRA through the Irish Civil War.
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. He became Chief of Staff of the IRA in November 1941 when Pearse Kelly was arrested, but he himself was arrested the following month. 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. Despite this, he appears to have remained Chief of Staff until February 1942, when Seán McCool was selected as his replacement.
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. 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.
By the late 1960s, Harrington had left Ireland and moved to Tring in Hertfordshire.