Alejandro María Daniel Irujo Urra (1862–1911) was a Spanish lawyer. In popular discourse he is known as father of Manuel Irujo Ollo, a Basque political leader. In scholarly historiographic realm he is acknowledged mostly as defense attorney of Sabino Arana during his trials of 1896 and 1902. Politically Irujo is considered a typical case of an identity located in-between Carlism and emerging Spain's peripheral nationalisms, in this case the Basque one.
Family and youth
Origins of the Irujo family are not clear; some claim they descended from a noble Urra family of Améscoa in Western Navarre.Ángel García-Sanz Marcotegui, La adscripción ideológica de los antepasados de Manuel Irujo Ollo, [in:] Vasconia. Cuadernos de historia – geografía 32 (2002), p. 22 It is certain that in the mid-18th century one branch of the Irujosone of them settled in Pamplona; its descendant was Daniel Irujo Armendáriz (1874-1927), in 1904-1909 serving as alcalde of Pamplona, not to be confused with Daniel Irujo Urra lived in Tafalla; Daniel's grandfather, Matías Irujo Pascual (1757–1832),compare Matías de Irujo Pascual entry, [in:] Geni genealogical service, available here apart from having been an alpargatero owned some 9 ha of vineyards and 12 ha of arable land; he was rich enough to build an own house in the city.Angel Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui, Daniel Irujo Urra: 1862-1911: el carlo-nacionalismo imposible del defensor de Sabino Arana. Ensayo y testimonio, Tafalla 1995, , p. 22 Marriedin 1779 to María Teresa Apastegui (1760-1826) he had 11 children, born between 1780 and 1803; all except one settled on the rural economy.Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 23 It is not clear what language was spoken in the family; in the late 18th century Tafalla remained on the borderlines of Basque-speaking zone.José María Esparza Zabalegui, Lexícografía de Tafalla, [in:] Cuadernos de Etnolgía y Etnografía de Navarra 11/31 (1979), p. 185 The youngest son and Daniel's father, Manuel Irujo Apastegui (1803–1871), entered the Pamplona seminar but abandoned itGarcía-Sanz Marcotegui 2002, p. 21 and completed law in Zaragoza, where he initially practiced.in the office of a known lawyer, Manuel Solano, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 26 During the First Carlist War he joined the legitimists holding some admin posts in Estellain 1838 he was member of Diputación Provisional Carlista for Navarre and most likely resided in Estella, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 26. Some documents of suggest his opponents considered him one of the most influential Navarrese Carlists, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 27 and suffered some repression afterwards, when back in Tafalla.perhaps he spent some time on exile episod in France. Some of his Tafalla estates were expropriated, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, pp. 27-28 This did not prevent his law practice and career in local administration,in 1843 he was nominated by the ayntamiento to Junta de Escuelas; in the mid-1840s he served as teniente de alcade, with his older brother serving as alcalde though he failed in a Cortes bid.
In 1850 Manuel married Engracia Urra Jordan (1825-1885), daughter to an Estella official, whom he probably met during the war.García-Sanz Marcotegui 2002, p. 22 The couple left Tafalla – according to some accounts due to an anti-Carlist backlash sufferedGarcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 21 – and moved to the bride's house in Estella. Engaged in local business,e.g. until death he was president of the board of La Agrícola, in 1917 succeeded by his grandson Manuel, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 101 Manuel went on as lawyer.e.g. he representing local self-government and state in disputes against each other, which certainly helped him to learn the countryside specifics In the 1860s elected as mayor for procedural reasons he could not assume the post,in 1857 he was elected to ayuntamiento but could not exercise as at the same time he was the municipal juez suplemente. In 1862 he was elected again and nominated alcalde; again he preferred retain the juez post and renounced the alcaldia, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, pp. 22, 31, 32 yet in 1866 he was elected to Navarrese Diputación Provincial,Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 33 due to poor health barely serving.Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 34 Manuel and Engracia had 5 children, born between 1850 and 1862; Daniel was the only surviving son.Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 29 It is not clear whether the family spoke Basque or Spanish; in Estella of the time only few spoke "en vasco".Estella spoke Basque in the late 18th century, but in 1842 "en Estella los jovenes no hablan en vasco, solo los viejos de los pueblos cercanos conocen ya ese idioma", José María Satrustegi Zubeldia, El euskera en Tierra Estella, [in:] Euskera 36/1 (1991), p. 120. In the late 19th century some Basque persisted among some people in Sierra de Urbasa and Sierra de Andia, Satrustegi 1991, pp. 121-122
The young Alejandro María Daniel IrujoManuel de Irujo sin florituras. Conversación mantenida en 1975 con D. Manuel de Irujo por Iñaki Anasagasti, p. 16, available here and his siblings were brought up in religious ambience.e.g. in 1865 Manuel Irujo in name of his own and all family members signed an address to the Pope and declared 20 reales per every family member for a related fundraising collection, El Pensamiento Español 08.09.65, available here, also Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 50 In the mid-1870s he was sent away from Estella, then a Carlist capital, to the Bétharram college near Pau. Prior to 1876 he moved to the Jesuit Orduña establishment,Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 43 where he met the likes of Sabino Aranasome claim that Irujo and Arana were schoolgroup, a theory doubted by others as Arana was 3 years Irujo's junior; because of the age difference, their friendship was probably not very close, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 44 and Juan Olazábal.Euskera: se empieza inventando un idioma, [in:] Bye Bye Spain service, available here In 1878 he commenced law studies in Valladolid, graduating in derecho civíl y canónico in 1882.Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, pp. 44-46. Another source claims he graduated in 1885, Inocencia de un patriota. Notable defensa del fundador del partido nacionalista Don Sabino de Arana y Goiri ante el Tribunal por el ilustre Abogado D. Daniel de Irujo, Buenos Aires 1913, p. 5 Evading military service,not sure on what basis, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 46 in 1883 he settled in Pamplona. Employed by the law office of his brother-in-law,in 1880 Estanislao Aranzadi married Irujo's sister. Upon his settlement in Pamplona, Irujo lived in their house, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 46 he set up his own office following a move back to Estella in 1885.Lau-buru 20.12.85, available here In 1890 Daniel married Aniana Ollo Elordi (1866–1950), Estella-born daughter of a local pharmacist and concejal.she was daughter to Alsasua-born Eusebio Ollo Miranda and Manilla-born Carolina Elordi, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 49 The couple had 10 children, born between 1891 and 1910.two of them died in early infancy Most were engaged in Basque nationalist politics. The best known, Manuel, was minister in the Republican government during the Civil War. Also other sons held posts in Basque Republican administration,Andres was responsible for re-organisation of Basque security forces. Some account highlight his role in bringing order to the militia-dominated security troops and their later organized withdrawal. Others highlight his role in rounding up political enemies, Pablo Larraz Andía, Víctor Sierra-Sesumaga (eds.), Requetés. De las trincheras al olvidio, Madrid 2011, , p. 286. Pello is known mostly for facilitaing escape of an endangered archbishop to the Nationalist zone, Iñaki Egaña, Quién es quién en la historia del país de los vascos, Tafalla 2005, , p. 263 two of them – Andrés and Pello - known for their contribution to the Basque culture during exile yearsmost of the family were arrested by the Nationalists either in Navarre on in Gipúzkoa in 1936, many of them sentenced to death. Females were exchanged for prisoners held by the Republicans in 1937, males were released in 1938. Jesús de Galíndez, Los vascos en el Madrid sitiado: memorias del Partido Nacionalista Vasco y de la Delegación de Euzkadi en Madrid desde septiembre de 1936 a mayo de 1937, Tafalla 1002, , p. 142 in Southern America.Iñaki Egaña, Diccionario histórico-político de Euskal Herria, Tafalla 1996, , p. 447, Josu Checa, Prólogo a la presente edición, [in:] Manuel Irujo Ollo, Inglaterra y los vascos, Tafalla 2004, , pp. 10-11. For exile record of Irujo's widow see Aniana Ollo de Irujo entry, [in:] exiliadosrepublicanos service, available here Some lived long enough to return to Spain following the death of Franco.
Early career
In historiography political antecedents of Daniel are summarized as "scarcely homogeneous". Some of his paternal uncles engaged in Tafallese Cristinos militia and ancestors of his wife were distinguished Estella Liberals.Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 50-2 García-Sanz Marcotegui 2002, pp. 34-5 It is clear, however, that the Carlist leaning prevailed; apart from Daniel's father and other paternal unclesespecially the older brother of Manuel, Matías, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, pp. 22-25 also his maternal uncle, Sebastián Urra Jordán, held various posts in the party and represented it in the Cortes.a priest since 1854, he was professor at the Pamplona seminar in the 1860s. Actively engaged in Carlist administration in Navarre during the war, he was member of Diputación Foral del Reino de Navarra. Briefly on exile, since 1884 served as a cathedral canon in León As it was him appointed by late Manuel cabezalero of his children,Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 35 Urra has contributed to their Carlist outlook.García-Sanz Marcotegui 2002, pp. 24-25 Already as a child in Carlist-held Estella Daniel used to collect unexploded cartridges fired by the governmental troops to make sure they do not hurt the Carlists,Paul Vignaux, Manuel de Irujo: ministre de la République dans la guerre d'Espagne, 1936-1939, Paris 1986, , p. 84, Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 43 and he admitted to having "sucked" Carlism when a child.as he admitted later, "había yo mamado el carlismo, como también vosostros lo mamasteis", quoted after Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 59 Education in Orduña college, managed by the Jesuits, is likely to have reinforced this stand; also during academic years in Valladolid Irujo remained in the company of Carlism-minded friends.Garcia-Sanz Marcotegui 1995, p. 44