Blueshirtism

Blueshirtism
"Shoulders together, forwards forever! To triumph, we march for square!"
Basic Information
Aliases	Irish Blueshirtism Irish Fascism Irish Nazism The Irish Brigade Greenshirtism (Since 1935) Army Comrades Association Irish Republican Fascism (IRB) Irish Fascist Army (IFA) Irish Ultranationalism Hibernocracy Fascism Clover Fascism Celtic Fascism O'Duffyism O'Scruffy Old John Bollocks National Guard Young Ireland Alabama (Wrongly) West Brit Fascism (By the IRA, wrongly) The League Of Youth
Alignments	AuthUnity Culturally Right Conservatives Liberals Nationalists Ultranationalists Fascists Religious RightLib Gang Syncretic
Ideological Influences
Influenced by	Michael Collins Thought Activism Anti-Alcohol (Formerly) Anti-Americanism (Some) Anti-Atheism Anti-British Sentiment (Mostly) Anti-Corruption Anti-Democracy (Mostly) Anti-Drug (Mostly) Anti-Immigration (Mostly) Anti-Imperialism Anti-Marxism Anti-Masonry Anti-Protestantism (Mostly) Anti-Semitism (Later) Anti-Syndicalism Right-Wing Terrorism (Some) Anti-Communism Catholic Fascism Conservative Masculinity Corporate Statism Cultural Nationalism Far-Right Internationalism Francoism Integral Nationalism Irish Republicanism Irredentism Liberal Fascism Militarism Mussolinism National Agrarianism Neo-Crusadism Patriotic Conservatism Revolutionary Nationalism Social Conservatism Croix-de-Feu (Accused) Poop Theocracy (Accused) Salazarism (Accused) Conservative Populism (Alleged) Particracy (Alleged) Localism (Formerly) Police Statism (Formerly) Sinn Féinism (Formerly) Traditionalist Conservatism (Later) Anti-Capitalism (Mostly) Homofascism (Mostly) National Feminism (Mostly) Ultranationalism (Mostly) Apoliticism (Self-Proclaimed) Carlism (Some) Isolationism (Some) Italian Imperialism (Some) Nazi Collaborationism (Some) White Fascism (Some) American Nazism (Sympathetic) Mosleyism (Sympathetic)
Influenced	Fine Gaelism
Ideological Information
Notable Theorists	Eoin O'Duffy (1890-1944) Ireland Joseph MacRory (1861-1945) Ireland Kathleen Browne (1876–1943) Ireland Patrick Moylett (1878–1973) Ireland J. J. Walsh (1880-1948) Ireland Liam de Róiste (1882-1959) Ireland Herbert Moore Pim (1883-1950) Ireland William James Brennan-Whitmore (1886-1977) Ireland Alexander McCabe (1886-1972) Ireland Desmond Fitzgerald (1888-1947) Ireland Patrick McGilligan (1889-1979) Ireland Ernest Blythe (1889-1975) Ireland Thomas F. O'Higgins (1890-1953) Ireland John A. Costello (1891-1976) Ireland Simon Donnelly (1891-1966) Ireland Michael Tierney (1894-1975) Ireland Walter Starkie (1894-1976) Ireland Ned Cronin (1897-1946) Ireland Patrick Giles (1899-1965) Ireland Micheál Mac Liammóir (1899-1978) United Kingdom Francis Stuart (1902-2000) Ireland James Dillon (1902-1986) Ireland Bridget Redmond (1904–1952) Ireland Fay Taylour (1904-1983) Ireland Raymond Moulton O'Brien (1905-1977) Ireland Gerard Sweetman (1908–1970) Ireland Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin (1910-1991) Ireland Patrick Lindsay (1914–1993) Ireland Michael O'Higgins (1917- 2005) Ireland Tarlach Ó hUid (1917-1990) Ireland Enda Kenny (1951-) Ireland (Accused) A6skin9 (?-) Ireland
Character Information
Likes	His Mother Catholicism Spain 🥔 Potatoes Sports
Dislikes	Labour Unions Commies Protestantism Alcoholism Rejection
Song	March On Anthem Old Fenian Chief O'Duffy Abu! Blue Shirted Soldier O'Duffy's Spain Campaign

Blueshirtism is an authoritarian unity, culturally far-right, ideology based on the ideas of Catholic Fascism in Ireland. The ideology is practiced by the short-lived political party Army Comrades Association, later called the National Guard, then Young Ireland and for the final time, the League of Youth, well known as The Blueshirts.

The ideology is named simply after the party that is mentioned before. However, the members of that party are sometimes nicknamed "Blueshirts".

History

Eoin O'Duffy was born in Lough Egish, County Monaghan, Ulster, Ireland near Castleblayney on January 28th 1890 to an impoverished smallholder family while he was the youngest of seven children as his father named Owen Duffy had inherited his 15-acre farm from his father Peter Duffy since 1888 however the family were forced to farm conacre land to work on the roads to make ends meet but then he attended Laggan National School located in Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom and after he graduated to a school located in Laragh, County Wicklow, Leinster where he developed an interest in the Gaelic Revival attended night classes hosted by the "Gaelic League" lead by Douglas Hyde.

In 1902, Bridget Fealy who is the mother of Eoin O'Duffy died from cancer so he bear his mother's ring on forever after being devastated while in 1909, he sat the king's scholarship examination for St Patrick's College located in Dublin, Eastern & Midland, Leinster but as a place was not assured it made him applied to become a clerk in the county surveyor's office in Monaghan, Northern & Western and in 1912, he decided to pursue a career as a surveyor who came fifth in the local government board examination as he was being appointed even he moved to Newbliss to take up his new position before securing a post as an engineer.

Eoin O'Duffy becomes an leading member of the "Gaelic Athletic Association" (GAA) before he was appointed secretary of the "Ulster Provincial Council" while later served as treasurer until 1934 but the important role in developing the association is memorialised by the O'Duffy Terrace at the principal provincial stadium at St Tiernach's Park located in Clones, Dartree and he was member of the "Harps Gaelic" football club.

Eoin O'Duffy being a prominent figure of the "Gaelic Athletic Association" (GAA) was active in other sports as he was president of the "Irish Amateur Handball Association" from 1926 to 1934, the "National Athletic & Cycling Association" (NACA) from 1931 to 1934 and the "Irish Olympic Council" from 1931 to 1932 while he believed in the ideal of cleaned manliness but he said that "Sport cultivates in a boy habits of self-control along with self-denial and promotes the most cleanest wholesome of the instincts of youth." and he said "a lack of sport caused some boys to have failed to keep their athleticism became weedy youths, smoking too soon and drinking too soon" even he was appointed secretary of the "Ulster Provincial Council".

In 1917, Eoin O'Duffy joined the "Irish Volunteers" lead by Eoin MacNeill that later become the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) lead by Cathal Brugha while took an active part in the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) to rose rapidly through the ranks started off as the Section Commander of the "Clones Company" before becoming a Captain then Commandant that finally appointed Brigadier since 1919 but then he came to the attention of Michael Collins who enrolled him in the "Irish Republican Brotherhood" (IRB) even supported his advancement in the movement's hierarchy and one year later Collins described O'Duffy as the best man in Ulster as his senior involvement in the "Gaelic Athletic Association" (GAA) along knowledge of Monaghan from his job as a surveyor proved invaluable for organisation including the recruitment.

In 1918, Eoin O'Duffy became secretary of the North Monaghan area council controlled by "Sinn Féin" lead by Arthur Griffith while in September 14th 1918, he was arrested for illegal assembly along with Daniel Hogan after a "Gaelic Athletic Association" (GAA) match to be imprisoned in HM Prison Crumlin Road located in Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland but in November 19th 1918, he was released from prison to focused on organising his brigade to built an effective intelligence network by cultivating contacts with susceptible men from the "Royal Irish Constabulary" (RIC) and in September 1919, he was forced to go on the run after the (RIC) raid on his house even continued to draw his salary from the "Monaghan County Council".

In February 15th 1920, Eoin O'Duffy along with Ernie O'Malley was involved in the first capture of a "Royal Irish Constabulary" (RIC) barracks by the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) located in Ballytrain as the raid boosted local Irish Republican recruitment that shook morale of the "Royal Irish Constabulary" (RIC) even resulted in the closure of many barracks in rural Monaghan but then he was once again arrested to imprisoned in HM Prison Crumlin Road where he went on hunger strike and in June 1920, he was released being arranged which "Sinn Féin" candidates would stand in Monaghan during the 1920 Irish local elections.

Eoin O'Duffy's brigade started raiding the homes of Protestants for arms increasing sectarian tensions while Armed Orangemen began parading the roads of Unionist areas with tit-for-tat killings occurred in reprisal for "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) casualties incurred during raids but then he supported the Belfast Boycott and his brigade began harassing of Protestant stores, burning delivery vans from Belfast, raiding trains carrying northern goods and sabotaging rail tracks.

In January 1921, Eoin O'Duffy became more ruthless by intensifying attacks on British forces while doing executions of suspected informers along with other opponents of the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) but in February 1921, Protestant trader named George Lester held up to searched two boys he suspected of being dispatch carriers for the (IRA) so O'Duffy ordered his death and Lester was survived his injury of being shot.

In February 23th 1921, the "B Specials" of the "Ulster Special Constabulary" (USC) invaded Rosslea located in Fermanagh & Omagh, Fermanagh to sacked the Catholic part of the town while in March 1921, Eoin O'Duffy who commanded a faction of the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) raided the town in reprisal, burning fourteen houses and killing three Protestants even two of them "B Specials" but then in March 1921, he was made commander of the "2nd Northern Division" and in May 1921, he was returned as a "Sinn Féin" TD for the Monaghan constituency to the Second Dáil that lasted from August 16th 1921 to June 16th 1922.

In July 1921, Eoin O'Duffy was sent to deal with Belfast's Bloody Sunday while after the rioting he was given the task of liaising with the British to try to maintain the truce along with defending the Catholic areas against attack but during this time he gained the nickname "Give 'em the lead" after delivering a belligerent speech in South Armagh threatening that "if the Unionists decided they were against Ireland and against their fellow countrymen, the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) would have to use the lead against them and he was director of the organisation in Ulster being a Chief Liaison officer for Ulster at the time the Anglo-Irish treaty was signed.

In December 6th 1921 after the Irish War Of Independence (1919-1921), Eoin O'Duffy supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty seeing this as a stepping stone to an Irish republic while being pessimistic about the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) chances should the war resume but then in January 1922, he became (IRA) Chief of Staff replacing Richard Mulcahy making O'Duffy the youngest general in Europe until Francisco Franco was promoted to that rank and in June 1922, he Frank Aiken who is a future military political opponent stated that from the signing of the treaty to the attack on the Four Courts as O'Duffy did Herculean work for the pro-treaty cause even Aiken felt that without those endeavours aided by Mulcahy along with Eoin MacNeill as the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) would not have taken place.

In January 14th 1922, Dan Hogan was arrested in Derry, Londonderry by the "B Specials" of the "Ulster Special Constabulary" (USC) so in response Eoin O'Duffy proposed the kidnapping of a hundred prominent Orangemen in Fermanagh along with the counties from Tyrone to Collins while in February 7th 1922, the raid was executed but in April 22nd 1922, he accused Liam Lynch's "1st Southern Division" of retaining arms intended for the Northern "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) so he in turn blamed O'Duffy for the arms not reaching the north and he served as a general in the "National Army" as he was given control of the South-Western command even in the ensuing Irish Civil War (1922-1923) he was one of the architects behind the Irish Free State's strategy of seaborne landings in Republican-held areas.

In July 25th 1922, Eoin O'Duffy took Limerick, Southern Mid-West, Munster for the Irish Free State before being held up in the Battle of Killmallock south of the city as the enmities of the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) were to stay with O'Duffy throughout his political career while in September 1922, Minister for Home Affairs Kevin O'Higgins was experiencing indiscipline within the recently formed the "Garda Síochána" in which O'Duffy was appointed to police commissioner after resigning from the "National Army" in order to take up the position as a fine organiser but has been given much of the credit for the emergence of a largely respected non-political unarmed police force and he insisted on a Catholic ethos to distinguish the Gardaí from their "Royal Irish Constabulary" (RIC) predecessors

Eoin O'Duffy regularly told members of the "Garda Síochána" that they were not just men working an ordinary job but policemen fulfilling their religious duty while he was also a vocal opponent of alcohol in the force instructing the force to avoid it in his first public address as Garda Commissioner and he encouraged members to join the "Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart" (PTAA) although the police were not allowed to wear pins on their uniform even O'Duffy made an exception for the pioneer pin.

In March 9th 1932, Éamon de Valera who is member of "Fianna Fáil" was elected president of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State while in March 18th 1932, the new government suspended the Public Safety Act lifting the ban on a number of organisations including the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) along with some political prisoners were released around the same time as many released prisoners began a campaign of unrelenting hostility against those associated with the former "Cumann na nGaedheal" government even Frank Ryan who is one of the most prominent Socialists active in both the "Republican Congress" lead by Peadar O'Donnell declared "as long as we have fists and boots, there will be no free speech for traitors." as there were many cases of intimidation, attacks on persons and the breaking-up of "Cumann na nGaedheal" political meetings in the coming months but in August 11th 1932, Ned Cronin founded the "Army Comrades Association" (ACA) aka the "Blueshirts" as it was designed for Irish Army veterans as a society for former members of the "Free State" army and it felt that freedom of speech was being repressed so they began to provide security at "Cumann na nGaedheal" events even this led to several serious clashes with the (IRA).

In August 1932, Thomas F. O'Higgins became the leader of the "Army Comrades Association" (ACA) as he was joined in the organisation by fellow "Cumann na nGaedhael" members such as Ernest Blythe, Patrick McGilligan and Desmond Fitzgerald while in September 1932, the organisation claimed it had over 30,000 members but historian Mike Cronin believes the "Blueshirts" regularly embellished their numbers as the actual amount was closer to 8,000 at that point and in October 1932, it had about 8,337 members.

In January 24th 1933, the Fianna Fáil government called a surprise election in which the government won comfortably that lead to the election campaign saw a serious escalation of rioting between supporters of the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) and the "Army Comrades Association" (ACA) while in February 1933, Éamon de Valera who is president of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State dismissed Eoin O'Duffy as police commissioner of the "Garda Síochána" because he is too biased due to his past political affiliations but in truth he was planning a military coup for W. T. Cosgrave rather than to turn over power to the incoming "Fianna Fáil" administration and he refused the offer of another position of equivalent rank in the public service.

In April 1933, the "Army Comrades Association" (ACA) lead by Thomas F. O'Higgins began wearing the distinctive blue shirt uniforms while in July 1933, Eoin O'Duffy urged by Ernest Blythe along with Higgins to became leader of the association so he with many other Conservative elements within the Irish Free State began to embrace Fascist ideology which was in vogue at that time even he was seen to be an ideal choice to lead the "Blueshirts" as he was considered charismatic, skilled in organising and untainted by association with the failures of the previous "Cumann na nGaedheal" government but then in July 20th 1933, he was approved as leader of the renamed "National Guard" and he was an admirer of Benito Mussolini as his organisation adopted outward symbols of European fascism such as the straight-arm Roman salute, marching rallies and adopting an economic system called Corporatism requiring members must be Catholic to join in this movement.

The "National Guard" lead by Eoin O'Duffy was similar to the "Voluntary Militia for National Security" (MVSN) along with the "Sturmabteilung" (SA) but then established a weekly newspaper called "The Blueshirt" and he published a new constitution that promoted corporatism, Irish unification and opposition to immigrant controlling influence.

The National Guard has following objectives to Make Ireland Great Again.

• Promote the reunification of Ireland.
• Oppose to Communism and foreign influence to uphold Catholic principles in every sphere of public activity.
• Promote and maintain social order.
• Make organised disciplined voluntary public service a permanent accepted feature of the political life and to lead the youth of Ireland in a movement of constructive national action.
• Promote of co-ordinated national organisations of employers and employed with the aid of judicial tribunals will effectively prevent strikes, lock-outs and harmoniously compose industrial influences.
• Cooperate with the official agencies of the state for the solution of such pressing social problems as the provision of useful and economic public employment for those whom private enterprise cannot absorb.
• Secure the creation of a representative national statutory organisation of farmers with rights and status sufficient to secure the safeguarding of agricultural interests in all revisions of agricultural mixed along with political policy.
• Expose and prevent corruption or victimisation in the national along with the local administration.
• Awaken throughout the country a spirit of combination, discipline, zeal and patriotic realism which will put the state in a position to serve the people efficiently in the economic along with social spheres.

In August 1933, the "National Guard" lead by Eoin O'Duffy planned a flawless parade in Dublin proceeding into Glasnevin Cemetery before stopping at Leinster lawn in front of the Irish parliament known as the Dáil Éireann to make a couple speeches to commemorate Irish leaders such as Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and Kevin O'Higgins while it was a an imitation of Benito Mussolini's March on Rome as it was perceived as such despite contrary claims but Éamon de Valera feared a similar coup d'état as seen in Italy with the "Special Detective Unit" (SDU) raided the houses of prominent treatyites to seize their firearms and in August 11th 1933, he reinstated the Constitution (Amendment No. 17) Act 1931 that banned the parade even it placed the "Garda Síochána" outside of key locations.

In August 22nd 1933, the "National Guard" lead by Eoin O'Duffy was declared the an illegal organisation while to circumvent this ban the movement once again adopted a new name styling itself as the "League of Youth" but then a group of Irish republicans including Dan Keating planned to assassinate O'Duffy in Ballyseedy, County Kerry as he was on his way to a meeting and a man was sent to Limerick to find out which car O'Duffy would be travelling in until the man purposely gave false information to let O'Duffy escaped.

In September 3th 1933, Eoin O'Duffy in response to the banning of the "National Guard", the "Cumann na nGaedheal" lead by W. T. Cosgrave and the "National Centre Party" lead by Frank MacDermot merged to form a new party called "Fine Gael" while he became its first president along with Congrave and James Dillon acting as vice-presidents in order to avoid the idea that the new political party would simply be a continuation of "Cumann na nGaedhael" but then the guard changed its name to the "Young Ireland Association" to became part of a youth wing of "Fine Gael" and the new party's stated aim was to create a united Ireland within the British Commonwealth although its programme made no mention of a corporatist state even in fact the original name considered for the party was "The United Ireland Party" until the name "Fine Gael" was settled on along with "Labour Party" leader William Norton was unimpressed as he surmised the new entity as an attempt to put old wine in new bottles with Seán Lemass dismissed this "Triple Alliance" as the "Cripple Alliance".

In October 1933, Eoin O'Duffy was involved in disturbances in Tralee, Kerry during which he was hit with a hammer on the head before his car was torched as he attempted to attend a "Fine Gael" convention while Éamon de Valera used the violence to justify a crackdown on "Blueshirt" activities but then a raid on the "Young Ireland Association" found evidence that it was the "National Guard" under another name even the organisation was once again banned and in November 1933, the political party published a policy document that sought reunification even O'Duffy was forced to tone down his Anti-Democratic rhetoric though many of his colleagues continued to advocate Authoritarianism.

In March 1934, the Minister for Justice P.J. Ruttledge of "Fianna Fáil" brought forward a Wearing of Uniforms (Restriction) Bill which specifically sought to ban political uniforms in Irish public life while badges, banners and military titles that were considered at odds with public peace were also to be prohibited but Ruttledge outright said as much that part of the aim was to end the "Blueshirts" although said that in practice it would apply to every part of the political spectrum and the after following bitter debates in the Dáil Éireann made the bill to be voted down in the senate 30 to 18.

Eoin O'Duffy has responded to the ban by merging the "National Guard" with two political parties such as the "Cumann Na nGaedheal" and the "National Centre Party" lead by Frank MacDermot into one political party called "Fine Gael" that has the ideology of Liberal Conservativism, Christian Democracy and later Pro-Europeanism with Eoin O'Duffy as it's first president while W. T. Cosgrave along with James Dillon acting as vice-presidents but then the guard changed it's name into "Young Ireland" that became part of a youth wing so that means the "Blueshirts" survive the ban and O'Duffy preferred the new political party to be named as the "United Ireland Party" even it did not happened.

Eoin O'Duffy responded with a speech in Ballyshannon, Donegal where referred to himself as a Republican while declared that "Whenever Mr de Valera runs away from the Republic and arrests you Republicans and puts you on board beds in Mountjoy, he is entitled to the fate he gave Mick Collins and Kevin O’Higgins." but then he was arrested by the "Garda Síochána" several days later even was initially released on appeal and he was summoned to appear before the Military Tribunal two days later being charged with membership of an illegal organisation along with the incitement to murder the president of the executive council, however they were unable to convict him of either charge.

Eoin O'Duffy proved an unsuitable leader as he was a soldier rather than a politician who is being temperamental while he resented "Cumann na nGaedheal" drift from Republicanism following the death of Michael Collins but O'Duffy insisted that "Fine Gael" would not "play second fiddle to anybody in the matter of Nationality" even his Nationalistic views alienated Ex-Unionists who had supported W. T. Cosgrave since the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) alarmed Pro-Commonwealth moderates in "Fine Gael" that resulted in O'Duffy being made the subject of an exclusion order in Northern Ireland and he clashed with his party on economic matters where it favoured a return to pasture farming with free trade as he was supportive of the experiments in tillage with Protectionism implemented by his "Fianna Fáil" rivals even he was forced to attempt to compromise between the two.

Eoin O'Duffy's "Fine Gael" colleagues who regarded themselves as defenders of law-and-order were embarrassed by the "Blueshirts" use of violence along with the attacks on the "Garda Síochána" in addition to his connections with foreign Fascist organisations while his view of the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) as a Communist group but his prestige was damaged when "Fine Gael" only won majorities on six councils to "Fianna Fáil" with fifteen votes in the 1934 Irish local elections after he had predicted taking twenty even the cost of Activism began to strain the party financially and his approval of illegal agitation against the collection of land annuities by the government, declaration of his support for a republic and the revelation of his connections with the "British Union of Fascists" (BUF) lead by Oswald Mosley along with the "Fedrelandslaget" lead by Joakim Lehmkuhl were the last straws for moderates in "Fine Gael".

In September 5th 1934, Eoin O'Duffy met with W. T. Cosgrave, Ned Cronin and James Dillon resulting in an agreement that O'Duffy could deliver only carefully prepared concise speeches from manuscripts while give interviews only after consultation along in writing but in September 18th 1934, he resigned from the "League of Youth" as he denounced "Fine Gael" as a Pan-British party of the Irish Free State even claimed that he resigned because he was not prepared to lead the league with the Union Jack tied to his neck and he announced to the press that he was glad to be out of politics even it was not true.

In October 1934, Eoin O'Duffy announced his intentions to lead the "Blueshirts" as an independent movement while it split into two factions such as one supporting O'Duffy along with the other one supporting Ned Cronin's leadership as the faction seemed to have been the majority of the membership but then both men toured the country attempting to win the support of local Blueshirt branches and in December 16th 1934, he attended the Montreux Fascist conference in Switzerland even the next year the "Blueshirts" was disintegrated.

Considerable debate has been held in Irish society across many decades over whether or not it is accurate to describe the "Blueshirts" lead by Eoin O'Duffy as Fascists for example Stanley G. Payne has argued that it never really a Fascist organization at all while Maurice Manning also did not consider them Fascists with their mixture of Patriotic Conservatism, militia activities and Corporatism amounting to no more than a kind of Celtic version of the "Croix-de-Feu" lead by François de La Rocque but ultimately the "Blueshirts" had much of the appearance with little enough of the substance of Fascism and historians are divided on the extent to which the "Blueshirts" took a lead from Benito Mussolini even it has many imitators at that time.

Some of the "Blueshirts" later went to fight for Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) because of the Anti-Communism while they imitated some aspects of the Benito Mussolini movement such as the coloured-shirt uniforms, Roman salutes and even the March on Rome but however historian R. M. Douglas has opined that it is incorrect to portray them as an Irish manifestation of Fascism and Mike Cronin who is an academic specialising in Irish political cultural history even he concludes that the "Blueshirts" undoubtedly possessed certain Fascist traits as some claimed that they were not Fascists in the German or Italian sense.

Mike Cronin suggests the term "Para-Fascists" is more appropriate indicating that while they took on the outward trapping of Fascism as they did not commit to the more radical elements but he contends that with certain members of the Blueshirts did hold Fascist views as they were effectively drowned out by the number of Traditionally Conservative members particularly after the merger into "Fine Gael" and nonetheless Cronin notes that the "Blueshirts" potential for outright Fascism should not be dismissed either.

Fearghal McGarry of Queen’s University of Belfast located in Northern Ireland has suggested that while Eoin O'Duffy can be thought of as a genuine Fascist despite his role as the leader he was not representative of the bulk of the membership but the degree to which the "Blueshirts" should be thought of as Fascists has been overemphasised by Irish Republicans in order to reinforce their Anti-Fascist credentials during the interwar period and McGarry has said the danger from the Blueshirts was not that they would turn Ireland into Fascist Italy but also into the Portuguese dictatorship that existed under António de Oliveira Salazar at the time.

Paul Bew has argued against the term "Fascist" being applied to the "Blueshirts" so instead labelled them as angry rural Conservatives engaged in Populism with the views of the average member being closer to that of the "Irish Parliamentary Party" (IPP) lead by Isaac Butt or the "Irish National Land League" lead by Charles Stewart Parnell than Italian Fascism while on the same line Alvin Jackson has stated that some of the "Cumann na nGaedheal" leadership flirted with paramilitarism with the trappings of Fascism but in his view about Eoin O'Duffy's fondness for outrageous rhetoric with elaborate uniforms was more Daniel O'Connell than Hitlerian and historian John Joseph Lee has remarked that Fascism was far too intellectually demanding for the bulk of the "Blueshirts".

Marxist historian John Newsinger disputes this line of thinking somewhat by agreeing that the rank or file of the "Blueshirts" were not ideologically Fascists as so long the leadership was, the consequences of the "Blueshirts" coming to power would have been one-party state dictatorship while Michael O'Riordan who is an Anti-Fascist who fought in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) that led the "Communist Party of Ireland" (CPI) for many decades said of the ex-Blueshirts who later volunteered to fight in Spain stated "I never regarded them as Fascists. They saw themselves as involved in a Christian crusade against godless Communism in Spain even at worst then they were dupes." but in the aftermath of Eoin O'Duffy's departure from "Fine Gael" so most of the party settled back into Traditional Conservatism under the leadership of W. T. Cosgrave along with James Dillon and however this was not true of all of the membership.

Some commentators have suggested that rather than view the conflict between the "Blueshirts" and the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) through the prism of Fascism vs Anti-Fascism but in reality the conflict should be seen as more akin to a political rehashing of the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) and it has began against the backdrop of "Fianna Fáil" entering into government for the first time.

In June 1935, Eoin O'Duffy founded his own political movement called the "National Corporate Party" (NCP) aka the "Greenshirts" after a meeting of 500 people while eighty "Blueshirts" have become "Greenshirts" as it have raised funds through public dances but it promotes an independent Republic outside of the British Empire to represents the ideas of the Easter Rising (1916) and the party have committed itself to the preservation along with promotion of the Irish language mixed with Gaelic culture even another Irish Fascist political party called the "Architects Of The Resurrection" lead by Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin does the same thing since 1942 during World War Two (1939-1945).

Eoin O'Duffy seeking to regain his former political influence attempted to court the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) encouraging his followers to wear easter lilies while desist from informing on republicans but then at the early stages of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War (1935-1937) he offered Benito Mussolini the service of 1000 "Blueshirts" because he believed the war represented the struggle of civilisation against Barbarism and in September 18th 1935, during an interview he said that the "Blueshirts" were volunteering to fight not for Italy or against Abyssinia so instead they are fighting for the principle of the corporate system against which the forces of both Marxism and of Capitalism were ranged.

In July 1936, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) has started that made Cardinal Joseph MacRory who is friends with a Carlist named Count Ramírez De Arellano suggested Eoin O'Duffy to create the "Irish Brigade" fight for the "Nationalist Faction" lead by Francisco Franco since he had organised the enormous Dublin Eucharistic Congress since 1932 while O'Duffy travelled to Spain to met with Franco and Arellano promising that 5,000 volunteers would follow him but Franco desire for Irish support changed in an opportunist manner as he felt that encouraging Irish involvement would cement his support from the equally religious-minded Carlist groups even he ensure his leadership of the Nationalists and in December 1936, he was certain of the "Carlists" support as thereafter played down the need for Irish volunteers.

Eoin O'Duffy attended the founding meeting of the "Cumann Poblachta na hÉireann" lead by George Noble Plunkett never becoming a member while support of the "Irish Brigade" was based primarily on the Catholic ethos of most Irish people as distinct from their opinion on Spanish politics per se but any Irish Independent newspaper editorials endorsed the idea and in August 10th 1936, it published a letter from O'Duffy seeking assistance for his Anti-Red Crusade.

In August 21st 1936, the "Catholic Church" was naturally on his side while Cardinal McRory stated "There is no room any longer for any doubts as to the issue at stake in the Spanish conflict as it is a question of whether Spain will remain as she has been so long a Christian Catholic land or a Anti-God Bolshevist one." even many local government County Councils passed resolutions in support starting with the location Clonmel, Tipperary but the Irish government along with senior civil servants were dismayed by the Church's militant position on the war in Spain as one official in the "Department of External Affairs" describing it as "not very helpful guidance and worrying about the involvement of Irish citizens in a foreign war of this terrible character." and in February 1937, Éamon de Valera remained strictly neutral despite the opposition of "Fine Gael" even with the support of the "Labour Party" signed Ireland up to the multi-national "Non-Intervention Committee".

Éamon de Valera's publicist Aodh de Blácam wrote "For God and Spain: the Truth about the Spanish War" in support of Francisco Franco while rallies were held around the country in support of Franco by a Catholic organisation named the "Irish Christian Front" (ICF) lead by Patrick Belton including a mass meeting of 40,000 people in Cork, Southern where some rioting broke out between Republican and Pro-Franco supporters but this support was mirrored outside the Irish Free State even in the United States of America the largely Catholic Irish American community was in a minority that supported Franco along the "Nationalist Faction" and a proposal in the US Congress to allow sales of arms to the Spanish Republic was opposed successfully by a campaign led by the Catholic Joseph Kennedy.

In Northern Ireland, support was so strong in the Catholic minority that it largely abandoned the "Northern Ireland Labour Party" (NILP) whose leader Harry Midgley supported the Spanish Republic as he was greeted at one party meeting with chants of "We Want Franco" while 7,000 men volunteered into the "Irish Brigade" of whom about 700 eventually went to Spain but many of the officers were aligned with O'Duffy's political party as the majority of his force were not "National Corporate Party" (NCP) members because instead they are former "Blueshirts" still loyal to Francisco Franco even some were former "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) or "National Army" men like the veterans of the Pro-Treaty side of the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) and many others were naïve youngsters the "Irish Department of External Affairs" described them as "very young men who have been enticed from their families by the impression that they are going to fight for Christianity".

One author has described some of the "Irish Brigade" as "Social misfits who saw themselves as the twentieth century's Wild Geese and rural lads talked into enlistment by rhetoric from the pulpit." while according to Matt Doolan who is an ex-brigader stated that "the "Irish Brigade" was a very fair cross-section of Irish life of the period including a number of prominent members of the old "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) but now Francisco Franco was less keen on having the brigade and Eoin O'Duffy had difficulty persuading him to arrange a ship to transport his means a ship expected since October 1936 was cancelled.

In November 1936, the 200 volunteers travelled to Spain in small groups with eventually 500 others embarked on the "Kriegsmarine" ship Urundi at Galway, Connacht while large crowds gathered to sing "Faith of Our Fathers" as volunteers were blessed by priests being handed of sacred heart badges, miraculous medals and prayer books but in December 1936, one of Eoin O'Duffy's associates by the name of Liam Walsh had secured a commitment from Nazi Germany to send the Urundi to pick up the Irish volunteers and it docked at Ferrol, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.

From their training base at Cáceres, Extremadura the "Irish Brigade" were attached to the "Spanish Foreign Legion" lead by José Millán-Astray as its "XV Bandera" divided in four companies while two of their officers such as Fitzpatrick & Nangle were Irishmen who had formerly served as officers in the "British Army" that lead Eoin O'Duffy suspected that they were actually in the employ of the British government even in turn Fitzpatrick considered O'Duffy to be a sh!t but the brigade's lack of discipline along with their excessive drinking was strongly criticized by their Spanish superiors and there was dissension between the volunteers and their Chaplain Father Mulrean who made himself unpopular due to his public berating of the Irishmen for their immoral behaviour in front of Spanish officers as they criticized the brigade as annoying even then many of the volunteers also witnessed mass executions by the machine gunning of captured "Republican Faction" even one recalling "we saw General Franco's army executing the Reds in mass groups every morning".

In January 1937, despite the Irish Government trying to stop the "Irish Brigade" from coming into Spain to fight along with Eoin O'Duffy went to Spain where he meets Juan De la Cierva, Javier Ramírez Sinués and Emilio Mola promising that 5,000 Irish volunteers would be here even in reality there were 700 as Franciso Franco no longer needed the brigade for political reasons so O'Duffy never sent a second ship for the next 600 volunteers while In February 19th 1937, the Battle of Jarama have the brigade approaching the front line to fight as part of the right flank at Ciempozuelos, Community of Madrid but when approaching the front line they were fired upon by a newly formed allied Falangist unit from the Canary Islands and in an hour-long exchange of friendly fire 2 Irish that lead to up to 9 Canarians being killed.

In February 1937, the prospect of more Irish reinforcements arriving was precluded by the Irish government passing a law prohibiting any more volunteers to leave for Spain to fight for either side while the "Irish Brigade" lead by Eoin O'Duffy had a problem coping with oily food along the unaccustomed profusion of good wine as most of the time of the Brigade at the front was spent manning the trenches at Ciempozuelos even according to one volunteer stated "we never saw the Reds but were often under Red artillery fire." but there are casualties due to artillery with mortar fire as well as disease backed by ill health mounted steadily and in its only offensive action against the village of Titulcia in a rainstorm got six brigaders were killed with 15 wounded before they retired to their own trenches so the following day the brigade refused to continue the attack so instead was placed in defensive positions at La Maranosa nearby even these were the only two incidents the brigade was involved in where fighting took place.

In April 1937, Eoin O'Duffy's adjutant Captain Gunning made off with the wages along with a number of passports while O'Duffy's men started to nickname him "O'Scruffy" or "Old John Bollocks" even one member of the "Irish Brigade" noted in his diary that morale was collapsing stated "Bandera cracking up as all men are getting sick & weak, dozens going to hospital each day and great rumours about going home." while after the failed assault on Titulcia made the Francoist general Juan Yagüe from the "Spainish Legion" lead by José Millán-Astray wrote to Francisco Franco reporting "that due to the total lack of professional commander as the military efficiency of this unit is absolutely nil." but recommending that the brigade be dissolved with those who wanted to serve in other units accommodated even with the rest repatriated to Ireland and O'Duffy then offered to withdraw his unit that Franco agreed as most brigade returned to Cáceres to be shipped home from Portugal.

In June 1927, Eoin O'Duffy returned to Dublin to be greeted by hundreds if not thousands as expected while his political career was over but showing their displeasure with the affair the "Irish Brigade" volunteers from County Kerry along with the north of Ireland marched off separately from the main contingent disassociating themselves from O'Duffy and by the time Irish volunteers returned to Ireland, there was no longer widespread support for Francisco Franco's cause even Fearghal McGarry writes "as it dragged on and atrocities such as the German bombing of Guernica as a village in the Basque region became known the idea of Franco leading a religious crusade became more difficult to sustain and also significant was the collapse of the opportunistic Pro-Franco lobby".

In 1937, the "Irish Brigade" lead by Eoin O'Duffy had returned in failure along with the "Irish Christian Front" (ICF) lead by Patrick Belton had acrimoniously collapsed under its own internal pressures even the "Catholic Church" toned down its pro-Franco stance when it was revealed that the front had gained control of its national collection for Spain under rather dubious circumstances while the losses of the Brigade are not exactly clear but then one member of the "Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists" (OUN) lead by Stepan Bandera of a certain faction cited 35 killed in Spain with 40 more wounded along with another count calculates that ten were killed in action with a another 21 died of wounds or disease even historian Fearghal McGarry writes that "they left behind them fifteen dead compatriots and six hospitalized Legionnaires." and in May 1940, the President Douglas Hyde of the Republic of Ireland destroyed its files relating to the Brigade.

In 1938, Eoin O'Duffy returned to Ireland to wrote a book called "Crusade In Spain" (1938) as it features the "Irish Brigade" while it has Anti-Masonic along with Anti-Semitism undertones because of the trade unions are directed or focused by the "Communist International" (Comintern) lead by Karl Radek but then in 1939, he later congratulated Francisco Franco for winning the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) who later replied him back with a thank you for defending Catholicism, occidental civilisation and humanity from destructive disorder and "The Irish Times" reported that O'Duffy along with his followers were trying to set up a new organisation however nothing materialised so he was subsequently put under surveillance by the "Directorate of Military Intelligence".

In February 1939, Eoin O'Duffy have met up with a German American named Oskar Pfaus who is a "Abwehr" spy whom he put in touch with the "Irish Republican Army" (IRA) along with meting an Italian diplomat named Vincenzo Berardis as he assessed O'Duffy as being a committed Fascist even noted his approval of the S-Plan with his opposition to de Valera's coercion against the (IRA) while a month later he met Berardis again to solicit his support for a new Fascist movement that would unite Irish fascists with the Irish Republicans together but he is thought to have met with several leading (IRA) figures with erman diplomat Eduard Hempel in a remote corner of Donegal during the summer and the "Directorate of Military Intelligence" suspected O'Duffy of flirting with the (IRA) by acting as a negotiator between them and the Germans even at one point O'Duffy was offered a position as an (IRA) intelligence officer then on another occasion he was invited to join former (IRA) Chiefs of Staff Moss Twomey along with Andy Cooney in a protest against the "Yankee invasion of the Six Counties" in the summer of 1941.

In February 21st 1940 during World War Two (1939-1945), Eoin O'Duffy attended the founding meeting of "Republican System" lead by Simon Donnelly along with former leaders of the "Irish Christian Front" while in November 1940, he spoke with German spy Hermann Goertz in a meeting arranged by Seamus O'Donovan but he made a good impression on Goertz to put him in contact with General Hugo MacNeill who met with O'Duffy and German diplomat Henning Thomsen the next month to draw up a bilateral understanding between the "National Army" and Germany in the event of a British invasion of Ireland.

In the summer of 1943, Eoin O'Duffy approached the German Legation located in Dublin wanted to organise the "Irish Volunteer Legion" to fight against the Soviet Union at the Eastern Front while explained his offer to the German ambassador as a wish to save Europe from Bolshevism even he requested an aircraft to be sent from Germany so that he could conduct the necessary negotiations in Berlin but the offer was not taken seriously that made him devolved a serious drinking problem as his health had begun to seriously deteriorate and in November 30th 1944, he died due to alcohol poisoning received a state funeral following Requiem Mass in St Mary's Pro-Cathedral as he was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Personality and Behaviour

• Blueshirtism has a mind of Eoin O'Duffy.
• He like being active in sports like football or bike riding and wanted people to do them.
• He don't like alcohol or smoking but he drinks in private or being caught doing it.
• Sometimes he would become Greenshirtism even in his Birthday or St. Patricks Day.
• He did not accept Racism or Anti-Semitism unless certain minorities has done something to him and his friends.
• He hang with Pērkonkrusts as friends by trading potatoes, farming potatoes or stoning Anti-Fascism with potatoes.
• He is trying to be a partner of Police Statism by helping him fighting against crime but he is rejected alot of times.
• He is best friends with Francoism due to his almost attempted battle against Anarcho-Syndicalism or any other Spanish Leftists.
• He wanted to fight with National Socialism against certain Leftists just like Francoism but he is rejected by him.
• He mistaken Alabama as the Irish Brigade or Northern Ireland.
• He wanted to be sidekick of Irish Republicanism but got mostly rejected because of personal differences.
• He was looking for his missing Liberal Conservative son called Fine Gael even he ask Liberal Conservatism to find him.
• He is a Catholic Christian and he will do everything to defend Catholic Theocracy.

How to Draw

1. Draw a clover.
2. Fill the stem and petals in light blue.
3. Draw a red cross on middle of the petals.
4. Draw in the eyes.

You're done!

Color Name		HEX	RGB
	Moderate Blue	#5492D4	84, 146, 212
	Strong Red	#CF0103	207, 1, 3

Relations

Cairde

• Catholic Theocracy - De Mandato Summi Pontificis (By Order Of The Pope).
• Hibernocracy - Tá Éire iontach! (Ireland is great!)
• Francoism - Better than those rap!st reds!
• Carlism - You are a Spanish version of the White Movement (Russian).
• Clerical Fascism - You have give birth to me as a Good lad!
• Irredentism - A land called Northern Ireland is like a pimple and we need to pot it.
• Corporatism - I will take part in a divided world of Capitalism and Communism.
• Ultranationalism - I hope there is a icon called Irish Ultranationalism that exists within you.
• Pērkonkrusts - Potatoes and fascism, very based.
• National Radicalism - I didn't realize that Falangism is not just for Latinos even I have met them in a war.
• Falangism - I am on your side.
• Fascism - You have inspired me and my friends to follow your path for creating the best thing called then Vatican City along with preventing Communism from infecting the entire world.
• Militarism - Even the Irish Brigade has a bunch flaws in it but they did fought the battles to save Spain.
• National Agrarianism - You're right, I would rather grow my own potatoes in an Irish farm rather than getting them from foreign nations to prevent blight from coming back to our land called Ireland.
• Integralism - This is Gamer Catholicism.

Neodrach

• Nazism - The Irish Volunteer Corps was an idea to let our Irish veterans from Spain to fight against Bolshevism but you rejected that idea and also you are planning to erase the Catholics after you done erase the Jews along with the Slavs but at least I'm not woke. At least you made a Pro-Irish film.
• Irish Republicanism - We both wanted a free independent Ireland so we help each other but you started to hate me because I supported The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and become a Fascist Corporatist instead of a Socialist like you.
• Fianna Fáil - You wanted Ireland to be stronger and healthier right, But could you stop adding new strict laws on me please.
• British Fascism - I used to be your enemy during the Early 20th Century but now I understand that you have denounce the Black & Tans and wanted Ireland to be itself so we might both became friends but maybe.
• Fine Gael - I have created you to keep me safe but you have embraced a low ideology called Liberalism.
• Salazarism - I know you have a perfect society in your nation but why did you think Fascism is a Atheist ideology, Mussolini has created the Vatican City for both of us.
• White Nationalism - You do realise that Irish people are white and decent but at least you are a Fascist already.
• National Feminism - I do have women in my movement and please Click Here To See The Proof Of It.

Naimhde

• Protestant Theocracy - The reason why you suck because your Christianity is about birth control, wife divorce and British Imperialism.
• Christian Socialism - This is the true colours of Protestantism and everybody knows that.
• Anti-Fascism - You are going to be stoned to death but with potatoes.
• Labour Zionism - It was also known as Sydincalist Zionism.
• Toryism - I won't lead the league of youth with the Union Jack tied to my neck!
• Marxism–Leninism - You're responsible for creating the Limerick Soviet to divide Ireland even more.
• Socialism - You're the reason why the IRA broke apart.
• Syndicalism - You are a brute who causes destruction and disorder.
• The International Brigades - You are making a Irishman fighting against an another Irishman and that is not diversity. Watch This Video About Real Diversity

Further Information

Wikipedia

• Eoin O'Duffy
• Army Comrades Association (Blueshirts)
• National Corporate Party (Greenshirts)
• Irish Brigade (Spanish Civil War)
• Ned Cronin
• Ernest Blythe
• Thomas F. O'Higgins
• Joseph MacRory

Videos

• Irish Fascists | Stuff That I Find Interesting by Jabzy
• Fine Gael and the Blueshirts | 1933 - 1934 | The Emergency - E03 by The Irish Nation Lives
• Ireland's 1932 General Election, The Blueshirts, & The Rise of Sinn Féin by Unemployed Historian
• Ireland: A Beacon Against Fascism? by Unemployed Historian
• The Blueshirts - Irish Blueshirt Michael Patrick Lynch Killed 13 August 1934 by Sales Consultant
• 600 Irish Blueshirts Conceal Uniforms by Movietone
• Blackshirts (1934) by British Pathé
• Liverpudlians! - Listen To General O'duffey (1932) by British Pathé
• O'Duffy's Men Back From Spanish War. by British Pathé
• Even The Olives Are Bleeding (RTÉ Documentary) 1/5 by Brian Dominic Mallon
• Fine Gael party's Fascist history: "The Blueshirts" by Fine Gael party's Fascist history: "The Blueshirts"
• Fine Gael Origin by Rebel Telly

Alternate History

• What If Ireland Became Fascist? | Alternate History by Monsieur Z
• Fascist Ireland by Alternatehistorypt
• Ireland In Fatherland by Alternatehistorypt
• If Ireland joined the Axis Powers by LeMapGuy

Other Websites

• The Blueshirts and the Abyssinian Crisis

Literature

• Crusade In Spain by Eoin O'Duffy (Missing Book)

Gallery

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  Credit: TheLegend2T, Source