The gatekeeper: a biography of Liam Tobin
Major General Liam Tobin was a central figure in the Irish Revolution, yet he has not received sufficient attention for the contributions that he made to the fight for independence from Britain. Operating as Deputy Director of Intelligence during the War of Independence, he ran the intelligence office located at 3 Crow Street mere yards from Dublin Castle, and worked directly under Michael Collins. Upon entering the National Forces in 1922 he was given the rank of Major General, and participated in the re-capturing of Cork City from anti-Treaty forces during the Civil War. After the death of Collins, he and fellow pre-Truce officers became disillusioned with the Free State government’s attitude towards the Anglo-Irish Treaty. They feared that it would become a permanent fixture, rather than a stepping stone to complete independence as Collins had promised. As a result, in March 1924 Tobin and his comrades organised the Army Mutiny, which saw officers refuse their demobilisation orders and remove arms from various barracks across the country. While the mutiny was short-lived and was never viewed as a significant military threat to the government, the crisis lasted three weeks and it is considered to be the last act of the Civil War. He would later become a supporter of Fianna Fáil in 1926, an interesting move considering he had previously taken the pro-Treaty side in the Civil War. Tobin is one of many figures from the Irish Revolution that has not received adequate attention in the historiography for the contributions that he made, nor is he exceptional with regards to his feelings of disillusionment after the Civil War. However, this thesis aims to highlight the key roles that he played throughout the Revolution, from intelligence officer, Major General, mutineer, comrade, enemy and executioner. Divided into five sections, the structure presents a chronological examination of his life from the Easter Rising to his eventual death in 1963, with particular focus on his intelligence activities and his role in the mutiny. He is considered controversial to some historians, and many aspects of his activities remain shrouded in mystery, from allegations that he destroyed government files, to claims that he was working as an intelligence officer for Fianna Fáil. Part of the reason that he has never been examined in detail before is because he refused to speak about his activities during this period. However, a study of Liam Tobin is necessary to fully understand how the intelligence department functioned during the War of Independence, and his motivations behind the mutiny require further investigation. Therefore, this thesis aims to examine why Tobin was such an important figure in the Revolution, and explain why he was considered to be one of Collins’ deadliest lieutenants.
Liam Tobin, Army mutiny, IRA Intelligence
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