Oscar Traynor

Oscar Traynor
Traynor in July 1922
Minister for Justice
In office 20 March 1957 – 11 October 1961
Taoiseach	Éamon de Valera Seán Lemass
Preceded by	James Everett
Succeeded by	Charles Haughey
Minister for Defence
In office 13 June 1951 – 2 June 1954
Taoiseach	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	Seán Mac Eoin
Succeeded by	Seán Mac Eoin
In office 8 September 1939 – 18 February 1948
Taoiseach	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	Frank Aiken
Succeeded by	Thomas F. O'Higgins
Minister for Posts and Telegraphs
In office 11 November 1936 – 8 September 1939
Taoiseach	Éamon de Valera
Preceded by	Gerald Boland
Succeeded by	Thomas Derrig
Parliamentary Secretary
1936	Defence
Teachta Dála
In office February 1932 – October 1961
Constituency	Dublin North-East
In office March 1925 – September 1927
Constituency	Dublin North
Personal details
Born	(1886-03-21)21 March 1886 Dublin, Ireland
Died	14 December 1963(1963-12-14) (aged 77) Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil (1927–1963) Sinn Féin (1925–1927)
Spouse	Anne Coyne ​ (m. 1918)​
Children	3
Military service
Allegiance	Irish Republican Brotherhood Irish Volunteers Irish Republican Army Anti-Treaty IRA
Years of service	1913–1922
Rank	Commandant general
Battles/wars	Easter Rising Irish War of Independence Irish Civil War

Oscar Traynor (21 March 1886 – 14 December 1963) was an Irish republican and Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Justice from 1957 to 1961, Minister for Defence from 1939 to 1948 and 1951 to 1954, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1936 to 1939 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence from June 1936 to November 1936. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1925 to 1927 and 1932 to 1961.

He was also involved with association football, being the president of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) from 1948 until 1963.

Life

Oscar Traynor was born on 21 March 1886 in 32 Upper Abbey Street, Dublin, to Patrick Traynor, bookseller, and his wife Maria Traynor (née Clarke). He was educated by at St Mary's Place, Christian Brothers school. In 1899, he was apprenticed to John Long, a famous wood carver. Traynor later qualified as a compositor.

As a young man, he was a noted footballer and toured Europe as a goalkeeper with Belfast Celtic F.C. whom he played from 1910 to 1912. Traynor rejected claims soccer was a foreign sport calling it "a Celtic game, pure and simple, having its roots in the Highlands of Scotland."

Traynor joined the Irish Volunteers and took part in the Easter Rising in 1916, being the leader of the Metropole Hotel garrison. Following this he was interned in Wales. During the Irish War of Independence, he was brigadier of the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Republican Army and led the attack on The Custom House in 1921 and led a 12 man squad in an ambush on the West Kent Regiment at Claude Road, Drumcondra on 16 June 1921 when the Thompson submachine gun was fired for the first time in action. Three British soldiers were injured in that attack, one seriously. Later Traynor was promoted to command the IRA's 1st Eastern Division.

When the Irish Civil War broke out in June 1922, Traynor took the Anti-Treaty IRA side. The Dublin Brigade was split, however, with many of its members following Michael Collins in taking the pro-Treaty side. During the Battle of Dublin he was in charge of the Barry's Hotel garrison, before making their escape. He organised guerrilla activity in south Dublin and County Wicklow, before being captured by Free State troops in September. He was then imprisoned for the remainder of the war.

On 11 March 1925, he was elected to Dáil Éireann in a by-election as a Sinn Féin TD for the Dublin North constituency, though he did not take his seat due to the abstentionist policy of Sinn Féin. He was re-elected as one of eight members for Dublin North in the June 1927 general election but just one of six Sinn Féin TDs. Once again, he did not take his seat. Traynor did not contest the second general election called that year but declared his support for Fianna Fáil. He stood again in the 1932 general election and was elected as a Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin North.

In 1936, he was first appointed to the Cabinet as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs. In September 1939, Traynor was appointed Minister for Defence and held the portfolio until February 1948. In 1948, he became president of the Football Association of Ireland, a position he held until his death. He served as Minister for Defence in several Fianna Fáil governments and as Minister for Justice, where he was undermined by his junior minister, and later Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, before he retired in 1961.

Traynor died on 15 December 1963 in Dublin at the age of 77.

He has a road named in his memory, running from the Malahide Road through Coolock to Santry in Dublin's northern suburbs.