Letter from Kevin R. O’Shiel to Diarmid Coffey, 23 August 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Kevin R. O’Shiel

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Diarmid Coffey (1888-1964) joined the Irish Volunteers in 1914 and became secretary of the Irish National Volunteers after the organisation split in 1915 (it was the other group who participated in the Rising). He later served as assistant clerk of the Seanad. Kevin Roantree O'Shiel (1891-1970) also joined the Irish Volunteers but left after the split and became increasingly influenced by separatism, joining the Irish National League, then Sinn Féin and later served as a judge for the Dáil Land Commission. In the letter, O'Shiel refers to a missed opportunity to meet with Coffey while both were in Omagh. He refers to the work of the Irish National League and begs Coffey to cut ties with the Irish Parliamentary Party ('the rotten old British imperial party') and join the INL. The INL (originally the Anti-Partition League) was originally founded by northern nationalists to oppose the Irish Parliamentary Party.

 National Library of Ireland Coffey & Chenevix Trench Papers, Collection List No 153; Ms. 46,307/10 https://letters1916.ie/item/1992 English Kevin R. O’Shiel 1916-08-23 Hill View Cottage, Fougher, Port na Blagh, County Donegal Diarmid Coffey Male 1970 Politics Politics

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 Hill View Cottage, Tougher, Ballymore P.O. Port-na-Blagh Co. Donegal 23-viii-'16 My Dear Coffey,/ You must excuse me for my seeming rudeness in not seeing you when you passed through Omagh the other day & in not writing you until now, but really you can't know how busy I've been with the I.N.L. campaign. I should certainly have made it my business to get you that day you were in Omagh had you given me any data. When you were not on the morning train from Derry I concluded that you had not come. I was in the Herald office until just a quarter of an hour before you came. I hear you remained in Omagh until 4oc. Is that so? Why in the name of Goodness did you not turn up to us? I am here for a bit of a holiday. We are only about 8 miles from Cloghaneely. Do you know of any stalwarts there that it would be worth my while interviewing? The people here are all splendidly anti—English & anti—Partition & this is Dr.O'Donnell's Tetrarchy! I am pleased to say that the I.N.L. is going along bonnily. I have already asissted at the establishment of 5 branches & we have now over 40 on our books. When are you coming in? For Heaven's sake leave the rotten old Imperial British Party in Ireland; it is contaminating even to be a passive supporter of it. Write a strong letter to the paper denouncing them & join us. This is a time when no Irishman can afford to hide his light under a bushel. Did you see that we have several branches already established in London & other English towns & preparations have been made to establish branches in the States. I sent you a copy of the "Fermanagh Herald" the other day giving account of our great meeting there. I shall send in some of our papers from time to time. Yours Ever, Kevin R.O'Shiel Kevin R. O’Shiel Letter from Kevin R. O’Shiel to Diarmid Coffey, 23 August 1916 Diarmid Coffey Letter From John Miley to Diarmid Coffey, 18 January 1916Letter from Edward (Ned) Lysaght to Diarmid Coffey, 18 June 1916Letter from Kevin R. O’Shiel to Diarmid Coffey, 23 August 1916Letter from Jane Coffey to her son Diarmid Coffey, 17 October 1916Letter From John Miley in France to Diarmid Coffey on the Ulster Home Defence ForceLetter to Diarmid Coffey from Dermod O’Brien about the Irish QuestionLetter from Diarmid Coffey to Jane Coffey, 8 October 1916Letter from Diarmid Coffey to Jane Coffey, 16 October 1916Letter from Jane Coffey to her son Diarmid Coffey, 16 October 1916 Hill View Cottage, Fougher, Port na Blagh, County Donegal Letter from Kevin R. O’Shiel to Diarmid Coffey, 23 August 1916