Thomas Cornelius Hunter (10 November 1883 – 11 March 1932) was a militant Irish republican. He was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), Sinn Féin, the Irish Volunteers, was twice elected to the Irish parliament, Dáil Éireann, and served as a member of the Irish Republican Army during the Irish Civil War. He was involved in several events connected to the Irish independence movement.
Early life Hunter was born in 1883 in the village of Castletownroche, County Cork in Ireland, son of Con Hunter, a baker, and his wife Ellen (née Hayes) of Glanworth. In 1907, he moved to Dublin to begin his apprenticeship as a draper. He later joined Conradh na Gaeilge and was associated with Thomas Clarke. He was a close friend to Con Colbert (after whom he would name his only child) and William T. Cosgrave.
IRB and the Irish Volunteers It did not take long for him to find his way into the IRB. By 1910, he was a member of the Henry Joy McCracken Circle, which was based out of 41 Parnell Square on Dublin's northside.Bureau of Military History, WS170 (Peter Paul Galligan), p. 2 This Circle, or cell, was attached to the Munitions Section and focused mainly on the procurement of small arms.Bureau of Military History, WS1244 (Joseph O'Rourke), p. 3 Between 1911 and 1912, Hunter became the "Centre" of the Circle. As a Centre, one of his duties was to visit other Circles and deliver various military lectures. He did this frequently with Con Colbert, who was Centre for another Circle.Bureau of Military History, WS0824 (Charles Donnelly), p. 2 Hunter would remain Centre of this Circle right up to the 1916 Easter Rising.
At the formation of the Irish Volunteers in November 1913, Hunter was appointed Vice-Commandant of the 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, under Thomas MacDonagh.Bureau of Military History, WS0249 (Frank Henderson), p. 5Bureau of Military History, WS0263 (Thomas Slater), p. 6Bureau of Military History, WS0748 (John J. Doyle), p. 7 He held the roles of Commandant, Vice-Commandant, and Captain at different times, depending on circumstances. Contemporary accounts indicate that there was uncertainty among some Volunteers regarding his formal rank. Peter Paul Galligan, a member of Hunter's IRB Circle and a soldier in the 2nd Battalion, later stated that he was unsure whether Hunter was Commandant at the time.
On 26 July 1914, the 2nd Battalion was ordered to march to Howth to assist in the landing of approximately 900 rifles and ammunition brought by Erskine Childers aboard the yacht Asgard. It is unclear whether Hunter took part in the march or the landing itself; however, he was involved in the recovery of rifles that had been dispersed and in their subsequent distribution and storage.Bureau of Military History, WS1244 (Joseph O'Rourke), p. 5 This activity reflected his organisational role within the IRB.
On 1 August 1914, Hunter, working with Peadar Clancy, was involved in the Kilcoole gun-running, during which approximately 600 rifles and ammunition were landed in County Wicklow.Bureau of Military History, WS0174 (James Kenny), p. 4
Following the Redmondite Split of September 1914, Hunter was appointed to the IRB Supreme Council after the departure of Bulmer Hobson. He attended one meeting before resigning his position, which was then taken by Sean Tobin.Bureau of Military History, WS0367 (Joseph Gleeson), p. 6 Around the same period, Thomas MacDonagh assumed command of the Dublin Brigade, leaving Hunter acting as Commandant of the 2nd Battalion.Bureau of Military History, WS0249 (Frank Henderson), p. 21
The split resulted in a majority of the Irish Volunteers following John Redmond and the Irish Parliamentary Party into the British Army during the First World War. Those who remained formed a smaller organisation under existing leadership. Professor Liam Ó Briain later described the post-split structure of the Volunteers as follows:Bureau of Military History, WS006 (Professor Liam Ó Bríain), p. 21
At last we had a real body with a real purpose. Organisation was improved by able leaders like Thomas MacDonagh, of the Dublin Brigade, and Brigade-Adjutant Éamon de Valera; Ned Daly and Piaras Béaslaí in the first battalions; Tom Hunter, Eamon Price, and Richard Mulcahy in the second, Eamon Ceannt and Cathal Brugha in the fourth.
Easter Rising and internment In late 1915, the IRB Military Council fixed Easter Sunday as the date for the planned rising. This decision was restricted to members of the Military Council and was not shared with the wider IRB leadership, including Eoin MacNeill. Concerns also arose regarding the position of James Connolly, leader of the Irish Citizens Army, who had indicated that he might initiate action independently of the Irish Volunteers and the IRB.
To address this, a meeting was held on 19 January 1916 between Connolly and members of the Military Council, including Patrick Pearse, Tom Clarke, Éamonn Ceannt, Seán Mac Diarmada and Joseph Plunkett. The meeting took place at a private residence in Dolphin's Barn and continued over several days. By 22 January, Connolly had agreed to align the Irish Citizens Army with the plans and timetable of the IRB Military Council, was inducted into the IRB, and appointed to the Military Council. During this period, Connolly’s absence was not publicly explained, and on his return he did not discuss the meetings. Contemporary accounts later produced differing explanations, including claims that he had been detained by the IRB or that he had been absent for personal reasons.
Information relating to these meetings appears to have circulated within the senior ranks of the Irish Volunteers shortly thereafter. On 19 January 1916, Hunter was recorded by the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) as attending an evening meeting at Irish Volunteers headquarters, 2 Dawson Street. Other attendees listed in the report included Eoin MacNeill, Herbert ‘Barney’ Mellows, Eoin O'Duffy, Michael J. O'Rahilly, Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, Joseph McGuinness, Joseph O'Connor, Joseph Plunkett, Éamon de Valera, Seán Mac Diarmada, Bulmer Hobson, Éamonn Ceannt, JJ "Ginger" O'Connell, Sean Fitzgibbon, Piaras Béaslaí, Con Colbert, and Thomas McCarthy. The report identified Hunter as employed as a draper’s assistant at Pim’s Department Store and holding the rank of Captain in the Volunteers.National Archives of Ireland, DMP Report (20 January 1916), p. 3
The attendance list shows that five of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic were present. James Connolly and Tom Clarke were not recorded as attending.
On 21 January 1916, Hunter was again recorded by the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) as attending an evening meeting at Irish Volunteers headquarters. Other individuals listed as present were Éamon de Valera, Joseph McGuinness, Michael O'Hanrahan, JJ "Ginger" O'Connell, Con Colbert, and Thomas MacDonagh.National Archives of Ireland, DMP Report (22 January 1916), p. 3
By St Patrick’s Day 1916, Thomas MacDonagh’s increasing involvement with the IRB Military Council and Dublin Brigade command meant that operational control of the 2nd Battalion was generally exercised by Hunter. Although uncertainty persisted regarding whether his formal rank was Commandant or Vice-Commandant, contemporary accounts indicate that he functioned as the officer commanding the battalion.Bureau of Military History, WS0734 (Thomas Meldon), p. 16Bureau of Military History, WS0487 (Joseph O'Connor), p. 12Bureau of Military History, WS0818 (Captain Jack Stafford), p. 2Bureau of Military History, WS0291 (William D. Daly), p. 10 This uncertainty arose from MacDonagh’s prolonged absences due to his responsibilities within the IRB Military Council and the Irish Volunteers Brigade structure.
In his official witness statement, given in January 1950, Oscar Traynor commented on the situation as follows:Bureau of Military History, WS0340 (Oscar Traynor), p. 10
Tom Hunter was still Vice-Commandant, as far as the Volunteers were concerned, but it was never announced that MacDonagh was not the Commandant. He was always regarded as being Commandant of the 2nd Battalion, and even to this present day there seems to be doubt as to whether Thomas MacDonagh was ever Brigadier of the Dublin Brigade. I am almost certain that he was.
The Rising was originally planned to begin at noon on Easter Sunday. The operation was organised in secrecy by the IRB Military Council, and most rank-and-file Volunteers were not informed of its full scope. While mobilisation orders for extended manoeuvres and rations may have suggested unusual activity, the intended scale of the operation was not widely known. This secrecy was compromised when Bulmer Hobson became aware of the plan at an IRB Centre meeting on the evening before Good Friday.
There are two versions to the story of Hobson's subsequent arrest. The first is that he left the IRB meeting and went directly to report the news of The Rising to Eoin MacNeill, Chief of Staff for the Irish Volunteers. MacNeill immediately issued countermanding orders to the Volunteers across the island that all maneuvers were off. The IRB Military Council issued orders for Hobson's arrest before he could cause more confusion. One of the leading men sent to apprehend him was Hunter.Bureau of Military History, WS0150 (Gregory Murphy), p. 6 The other version is that the decision to arrest Hobson was made on the Monday before his IRB Centre meeting."Kidnapped: Bulmer Hobson, the IRB and the 1916 Easter Rising", Marnie Hay, The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Spring/Printemps 2009), pg. 53-60 In either case, these countermanding orders, obviously, threw the months of planning into chaos and, other than the Dublin Brigade, few Volunteer groups across Ireland rose in any significant way.
After spending most of Friday and into Saturday night keeping guard over Hobson,Bureau of Military History, WS0413 (Patrick McCrea), p. 3 Hunter was at Liberty Hall with James Connolly early on Easter Sunday morning. The emotions of those in the building were obviously raw.Bureau of Military History, WS0246 (Marie Perolz), p. 8 While the Military Council dealt with the fall-out and replanning for rising the next day, Hunter was soon busy on the streets of Dublin, organizing and directing the Volunteers. From Father Mathew Park in the suburb of Fairview, Hunter spent most of the day dispatching bicycle messengers to inform the Volunteers to stand ready in their homes and to await further orders.Bureau of Military History, WS0139 (Michael Walker), p. 4 At 7 o'clock Sunday evening, he stopped by the home of Tom Slater. Slater was Hunter's Adjutant in the 2nd Battalion. Together they walked to the Jacob's Biscuit Factory, being joined by Lt. Leo Henderson along the way. As they were on this roughly hour-long walk to Jacob's, Hunter informed the two that there was definitely something planned for the next day, that they would be located in this section of the city and that Hunter wanted to get a better look at the place. Once they had investigated the area, they then walked the hour back to the north side of the city. Hunter then left the other two and went to meet MacDonagh to discuss what he saw.Bureau of Military History, WS0263 (Thomas Slater), p.14