Vol. Liam Daltun

     Liam Daltun

"At 18 years of age in 1954 he joined the IRA. He later left the IRA and operated with the breakaway Joe Christle group during the 1950s Republican Border campaign. The Christle Group along with Daltun blew up nine customs posts along the border with the north of Ireland in 1956. Around this time he was arrested in Dublin his trial was held the next day. He defended himself, recognised the court and was acquitted, at a time when Irish Republicans refused to recognise the authority of the courts."*

    After the campaign ended he and other members of the Christle Group (including Gerry Lawless) emigrated to London where they organized into several Irish marxist groups- the Irish Workers Union, The Irish Communist Group, and the Irish Workers Group- and a newspaper called "The Irish Militant," in which Daltun wrote enthusiastically in favor of reviving the Irish Citizen Army.
     Sean Matgamna recalls "He was a knowledgeable, thoughtful man in his mid 30s, who took his Marxism seriously. Unusually among us exiles, he had had some sort of college education."** He worked as a builder and knew a number of languages.
     In the late 60's and early 70's he was involved with Saor Eire ( formed and led by former Dublin Brigade volunteers like himself.) He helped publish their manifesto and, with Bob Purdie and Tariq Ali, the International Marxist Group's underground newspaper "The Red Mole."
   He died in 72 after jumping off a train in what appeared to be a suicide.


*Go raibh mile maith agat to Mick at the Irish Republican Marxist History Project for the quote on his Border Campaign activity and the first photo, and to Frank Keane for the second photo.

** http://www.workersliberty.org/node/3899