Sir Osmond Esmonde, 12th Baronet

Early life

He was born in Ballynastragh, Gorey, County Wexford in 1896, the eldest son of Sir Thomas Esmonde. He was educated at Mount St Benedict School in Gorey; and the Downside School. He attended Balliol College, Oxford and University College Dublin, though he did not graduate from either.

Politics

After the 1916 Easter Rising, he joined Sinn Féin and campaigned at the 1918 general election for Roger Sweetman in North Wexford, even though his father was the sitting MP and Irish Parliamentary Party candidate. Thereafter Esmonde contributed to the Irish War of Independence by acting a diplomat for the new Sinn Féin shadow government. After a period in London assisting Arthur O'Brien, Esmonde joined Éamon de Valera in the United States where they sought recognition for the Irish Republic and resources to fund it. In late 1920 Esmonde was dispatched to try and gain recognition for Ireland from members of the British Commonwealth.

Tour of the Commonwealth

First travelling from New York City to Vancouver, Esmonde departed for New Zealand and Australia abroad "the Makura". Following a brief shore leave in Hawaii where Esmonde met the Irish-American governor of the islands Charles J. McCarthy in Honolulu, the Makura arrived in New Zealand in January 1921. However, the British had made contact with New Zealand authorities and had ordered that Esmonde not be allowed to land in the country. Blocked from New Zealand, the Makura continued onwards towards Sydney, Australia. There also the British had made arrangements to block Esmonde; under the "War Precautions Repeal Act 1920" Australia was granted the power to block any British citizen from entering the country without first agreeing to swear an oath of allegiance to the British monarchy. Esmonde refused to swear the oath and was held to the Makura. The situation caused controversy in Australia and was reported on from as far away as New York. Compounding Esmonde's issues was a labour strike being held concurrently, one that would see Esmonde and the Makura held in Sydney's docks for over six weeks.

The Makura left Sydney in March 1921 and attempted to return to New Zealand, but initially was once again blocked. However, this time Esmonde was aided by Irish members of the New Zealand police force, and was able to leave the Makura and visit several locations in New Zealand.

Following an incident where he was deported from Fiji, Esmonde made his return to Vancouver, Canada on 29 March. He was detained for two days before being allowed entry, only to be arrested on 4 April on charges of sedition. Esmonde was placed on trial not once but twice in Canada, but in the second case the Judge, while finding him guilty, refused to sentence him. Esmonde returned to Ireland in the summer of 1921.

Further diplomatic work

After the signing of the Anglo-Irish treaty in December 1921, Esmonde was sent to Paris, France to aid Seán T. O'Kelly. While there, Esmonde attended the Irish Race Convention of 1922. Later in 1922 he was deployed to Spain before being recalled to Dublin in 1923, where he became assistant secretary at the Department of External Affairs. On 26 August 1923, one day before the 1923 Irish general election, Esmonde departed for Geneva, Switzerland as part of the Irish delegation to the League of Nations.

As a TD

While abroad Esmonde was elected as a Cumann na nGaedheal TD for Wexford. However, just a year later he left Cumann na nGaedhael for the National Group. Unlike other National Group TDs, Esmonde did not resign his seat. Esmonde rejoined Cumann na nGaedhael in early 1927 but did not contest the June 1927 general election.

Esmonde time away from the Dáil was extremely brief however, as he was returned to the 6th Dáil in the September 1927 general election. He was re-elected at the 1932 general election, and again at the 1933 general election. During his time in the Dáil, Esmonde's speeches were not noted for their eloquence but for their wit and frankness.

By 1933 Esmonde had become part of the Army Comrades Association paramilitary organisation (better known as the Blueshirts), which had merged with Cumann na nGaedheal in September 1933 to become Fine Gael. Esmonde was amongst a small number of Fine Gael TDs who wore the Blueshirt uniform into the Seanad, a manoeuvre which resulted in the banning of political uniforms from the Oireachtas.

In November 1935, following the outbreak of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Esmonde proclaimed that he thought Benito Mussolini was the "Abraham Lincoln of Africa", whose mission was to "abolish the slave trade in spite of the sentimental sympathy of Great Britain".

Personal life

Esmonde did not enjoy a good relationship with his father, Thomas Esmonde. His father died in 1935 and left his entire estate to his second wife Anna Frances Levins rather than Osmond, his only surviving son (a brother John had been killed in the Battle of Jutland during World War I). In 1936, just weeks before his own death, Osmond Esmonde attempted to have a court overturn the will, claiming that the deaths of his brother and mother as well as the burning of the family's traditional home of Ballynastragh House in 1923 by the Anti-Treaty IRA had driven his father insane. The court still found in favour of his stepmother, although Esmonde reportedly took the result in stride.

In his non-political life, Esmonde was interested in soccer, archery, and aviation. At one point Esmonde was both President of the Football Association of Ireland and the Leinster Football Association and highly involved in ensuring the Irish national team were able to play in international matches. Esmonde was also vice-president of the Irish Aero Club and flew his own plane. During the 1932 general election, Esmonde used his plane to drop election material to voters.

Death

After his death aged 40 on 22 July 1936, the consequent by-election for his seat in Dáil Éireann was held on 17 August, and won by the Fianna Fáil candidate Denis Allen.

Esmonde never married and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his uncle Laurence Esmonde.