James Connolly Poole
James Connolly Poole was born in Dublin's Gloucester
Street, later known as Séan McDermott Street, on 24
July 1917 and he died on 23 December 1997 aged 80.
James's mother was a friend of James Connolly - he
helped her out when she fell on hard times and after
one of their conversations, James Connolly said, ``if
you have another son will you name him after me?'' And
in July 1917 James Connolly Poole was born, the
youngest of seven sons and one daughter.
This was not the family's first step into
republicanism. James's uncle, Captain Christopher
Poole, was in the 1916 Rising and another uncle, Joseph
Poole was a member of the Fenian Brotherhood and was
executed for a killing he did not commit on 18 December
1883 when he was 18 years old.
James Poole joined Na Fianna Eireann at a very young
age and later went into the IRA. He was arrested in the
Dublin mountains with others and served time in Arbour
Hill. After his release he was back in the IRA and was
interned in the Curragh for three years in the 1940s.
When arrested he did not give his real name but his
mother's maiden name. At the time there were guns in
the house so he gave a false name in order to save
other member of his family from arrest and to give them
time to get the guns to a safe place.
In the Curragh he became a fluent Irish speaker and for
the rest of his life he spoke Irish at every
opportunity he got. After his release from the Curragh
he returned to the Republican Movement. He met his wife
Mary and settled down but always remained in the
Republican Movement.
With the split in 1969 James was one of the first to go
with the Provisional Movement. The Republican Club was
a social gathering for James and his old friends and
was in existence into the late 1970s. When they had
their ceilí and functions they always called on James
to do MC.
James worked in Dublin Corporation until his retirement
and he remained a true republican until he died.
Colonel-Commandant John Graham
On New Year's Eve, 1997, one of Ireland's noblest
soldiers died. He was Col-Commdt John Graham, Director
of Information on the Northern Command Staff of Oglaigh
na hEireann, in 1941/2, and O/C of ``H'' Coy of Northern
Command.
John was an inspiration to all who knew him during
those dark days. His unbreakable spirit burned like a
lighthouse, his days and nights filled with unceasing
organising, teaching and publicising the Republican
cause. He came from sturdy Protestant stock, and lived
the example of the men of `98, walking fearlessly
through many dangers.
He was the Editor of the Republican News, the paper of
the struggle during the Forties. He was a founder
member of the Ulster Union Club, a channel for
Protestant patriots to recover their national
birthright.
He founded and organised ``H'' Coy of the Northern
Command, to perform special tasks, of which I had the
honour to be a volunteer. This Company had six
officers, five of whom were Protestant, all of whom
behaved with great honour and endurance. In my book ``An
Ulster Idyll'' John is referred to as John Grey, for
security reasons, since at that time he lived in a
loyalist area.
In the autumn of 1942, John was arrested in a raid on
the printing plant on Crumlin Road in Belfast, and
appeared in the Dock with Hugh McAteer, Chief of Staff,
and David Fleming from Killarney, charged with Treason
Felony - the crime of John Mitchel, a Protestant
Republican 100 years earlier. He was sentenced to 15
years penal servitude, in ``A'' wing on the Crumlin Road,
where he was a contemporary of Joe Cahill and Jimmy
Steele. A bigoted judge taunted him with the fact that
he was a Protestant, to which John replied: ``I'm proud
to be an Irishman, and Ireland is still worth fighting
for''.
In later years he struggled with bad health, but never
lost his interest and enthuasism for contemporary
events, and often chuckled with me over the escapades
of the young men of today. ``Ireland was never as well
served - these men have the determination to stick it
out to the end - and they will win.''
By Vincent MacDowell
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)