Liam de Róiste Papers Descriptive List Ref. U271

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of the dangers of drinking, and ‘Fodhla’ (1908). He later published a collection of patriotic poetry, prose, and orations, Voices of the past (1915). Deeply conscious of the need for economic as well as cultural revival, he was one of the founders of the Industrial Development Association in 1903, serving as honorary secretary until 1924, and also helped found the Irish International Trading Corporation, where he worked until 1956, in an attempt to give employment in his native area. He was later a member of Cork harbour board and of the board of management of Cork mental hospital. He co-founded the Cork branch of Sinn Féin in 1906 and was one of the organisers of the meeting attended by Eoin MacNeill (qv) and Roger Casement (qv) which established the Irish Volunteers in Cork in 1913. In 1914 he smuggled a Mauser rifle to Cork from London, and he was involved in events surrounding the 1916 rising; but poor eyesight and a non- violent disposition left him unsure of his capabilities as a gunman; he was never a member of the IRB. In the war of independence, he was involved in various manoeuvres obliging him to stay away from his home for long periods, and in 1921 this probably saved his life when a squad of Black and Tans shot his friend Fr Séamus Ó Ceallacháin, who had arrived on a visit. A full-time organiser for Sinn Féin in Cork, he was elected to the first Dáil in 1918, and was subsequently re-elected in 1922. He served as leascheann comhairle, chairing a number of debates, and also chaired the parliamentary meeting (14 January 1922) that resolved to accept the treaty and set up a provisional government. As disagreement drifted into civil war, he was involved in attempts to reconcile both sides: although he supported the treaty, he was not fully in accord with leading members of Cumann na nGaedheal such as Kevin O'Higgins (qv) and Paddy Hogan (qv), who were suspicious of his desire for compromise, while he in turn believed that the government was already losing its Gaelic ethos. He left national politics and did not stand in the 1923 general election, but unsuccessfully contested the seanad elections of 1925. In 1936 he was involved in the Irish Christian Front, which supported Franco in the Spanish civil war; he was also involved in Muintir na Tíre. In 1945 he was elected to Cork corporation as a member of the Civic Party, having been requested to stand by the Knights of Columbanus. An unassuming man of great charm and intelligence, he remained receptive to new ideas throughout his life. He continued to study, write, and lecture on Irish history and culture until his death, and contributed a series of articles to the Cork Examiner detailing his experiences in various cultural and political movements. He married (27 July 1909) Nóra Ní Bhriain, sometime secretary of Iníní na hÉireann. He died 15 May 1959 in Cork.

(Above from: Dictionary of Irish Biography, by Paul Rouse https://www.dib.ie/biography/de- roiste-liam-a2470 )

Archival History The diaries section may have been donated to Cork Archives Council in February 1980 by Richard O'Brien.