Seán Dunne (politician)

Dunne was born in Timoleague, County Cork to Edward Dunne, an RIC constable, and Bridget Coppinger, a school teacher. On 10 May, 1920 in an ambush at nearby Ahawadda his father and two other constables were killed by Irish Volunteers in an ambush. Dunne subsequently grew up in his mother's native area of Waterford.[2]

At 16 he became involved in the Labour and Republican movements. He joined the Workers' Union of Ireland in 1936 and led "hunger marches" in 1937. As a republican he was interned in the Curragh for the first two years of the Second World War, rejoining the WUI on his release. In 1944 he became Secretary of the Agricultural Workers' section of the WUI. It was eventually decided that a separate union was required for agricultural workers and in May 1946 the Federation of Rural Workers was founded with Dunne as Organising Secretary, a post he held until 1954. [3] Dunne organised many strikes among rural workers and was instrumental in achieving the weekly half day for members in the early 1950's.[2]

Dunne first stood for election to Dáil Éireann in the Dublin County constituency at the by-election held on 29 October 1947, following the death of Fianna Fáil TD Patrick Fogarty. He was placed last of four candidates, and the seat was won for the new Clann na Poblachta party by its leader Seán MacBride, who went on to become Minister for Foreign Affairs.

At the 1948 general election, Dunne stood again in Dublin County, which had been reduced in size and now had only 3 seats, rather than the previous five. He was elected without reaching the quota and took his seat in the 13th Dáil.

He was re-elected at the 1951 general election and again at the 1954 general election, but did not contest the 1957 general election. He stood again in Dublin County at the 1961 election as an independent candidate, when he was returned to the 17th Dáil. He held his seat at the 1965 general election, this time standing again as a Labour party candidate.[4] He constantly carried "Leabhar Ballyfermot", a notebook containing his constituents' problems.[5] He had the distinction of being ejected from two parliaments, Dáil Éireann and Stormont as well as British Labour Party conferences. Seán MacEntee once labelled him "an extreme communist".[2]

He died aged 51 on 25 June 1969, only seven days after being returned at the 1969 general election for the new Dublin South-West constituency, before he could sign the Roll in the 19th Dáil. The by-election for his seat was held on 4 March 1970 and won for Fianna Fáil by Seán Sherwin; the Labour candidate, Matt Merrigan lost by only 262 votes after Dunne's widow Cora stood as independent candidate.

Haughey, Ryan and Dunne Address Voters 1969. Radio Archives RTE.