Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning How close did Ireland come to military dictatorship?
Feb 21, 2026
Gerard Shannon, historian and biographer of Rory O'Connor, maps the life of a militant revolutionary. He recounts O'Connor's engineering skills, dramatic turn from politics to armed action, the Four Courts seizure, capture and execution, and the personal ironies with Kevin O'Higgins. The conversation highlights why O'Connor faded from memory and the coincidences that followed his death.
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From Privilege To Revolutionary Leadership
- Rory O'Connor rose from an upper-middle-class 'castle Catholic' background to become a central IRA leader and public face of the anti-Treaty movement.
- His engineering training and Canada experience informed his roles as Director of Engineering and OC in Britain.
Homesick Surveyor In Canada
- In Canada Rory wrote homesick letters and rejected corrupt promotion practices on the railways.
- That experience taught him leadership and technical skills later used in the revolutionary movement.
Larkfield Cover For Munitions
- Rory and Thomas Dillon set up the Larkfield Chemical Company as a cover for making munitions before 1916.
- He became very close to the Plunkett family and was engaged briefly to Fiona Plunkett.
