Jack Lynch
Prime Minister of Ireland
* * * * * * * * * *
Dan Breen, Irish freedom fighter, was born on August 11, 1894 at the Grange near Donohill in County Tipperary. In 1908, at the age of 14, he left school and worked as a laborer and railroad worker. From 1918 to 1921, he commanded the Irish Republican Army's famous "Flying Column" against British troops and Black-and-Tan auxiliaries. Breen again fought on the IRA side in the Irish Civil War that followed the 1922 peace treaty with Britain against the forces of the Irish Free State. He was captured in 1923. While in prison, he was elected as the representative for Tipperary in the new Irish Parliament. Breen had resided in the United States for a short period during the twenties and thirties. He retired from a long and active public life in 1965. Dan Breen died at the age of 75 on December 27, 1969.
His daring exploits as an IRA commander are recounted in his autobiography, My Fight for Irish Freedom.
Breen was married to Brigid Malone in 1921. They had one son, Dr. Donal Breen, and one daughter, Granya.
The Collection comprises one (1) box containing correspondence between Dan Breen and the Honorable John Monagan, former U.S. Congressman from Connecticut, during the years 1948 to 1969. The Collection offers insight into the thoughts of an early twentieth-century freedom fighter towards the political issues and events which confronted a rapidly changing and increasingly violent world in this postwar period.
Dates: 1948 - 1970
Size: .5 linear feet
Number of boxes: 1
Provenance: Honorable John Monagan, June, 1985
Processed by: Anna T. Zakarija
Date: June 20, 1985
FOLDER LISTING:
Folder: 1 Correspondence: 1948, Sept. 2 - 24
Description: Contains 2 ALS from Breen to the Honorable John Monagan, September
2 and 24, 1948, together w/typed transcript of a Wm Cobbet letter re Ireland,
1834.
Folder: 1a Diary: 1949, August
Description: Diary excerpts
Folder: 2 Correspondence: 1950, Aug 28- Dec 12
Description: Contains 5 ALS, 2 TL (carbons) and 1 Christmas card from Breen to
Monagan. Also includes 2 TLS from Hon. James T. Patterson & Gen. Walter
Smith, CIA.
Folder: 3 Correspondence: 1951, Apr 8-Dec 30
Description: Contains 4 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence.
Folder: 4 Correspondence: 1952, Jan 8 - Dec 11
Description: Contains 5 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with 1 ALS from C.
Owsley, then Director of the Office of Mutual Security.
Folder: 5 Correspondence: 1953, October 21
Description: Contains 1 ALS only from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 6 Correspondence: 1954, December 23
Description: Contains one Christmas card only from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 7 Correspondence: 1958, Aug 20-Dec 4
Description: Contains 4 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence.
Folder: 8 Correspondence: 1959, Feb 6-June 11
Description: Contains 3 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence.
Folder: 9 Correspondence: 1960, Jan 14-Apr 13
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan together w/the latter's
outgoing correspondence. Also includes 1 TLS from Frank Aiken, Office of
External Affair
Folder: 10 Correspondence: 1961, April 5
Description: Contains 1 TL (carbon) only from Monagan to Breen regarding the
former's sister and brother-in-law, the Richard Murphys.
Folder: 11 Correspondence: 1961, April 11
Description: Contains 1 ACS only from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 12 Correspondence: 1961, April 14
Description: Contains 1 TL (carbon) only from Breen to Monagan regarding the
latter's sister and brother-in-law, the Richard Murphys.
Folder: 13 Correspondence: 1961, Apr 24-May 1
Description: Contains 1 TLS from Lawrence F. O'Brien, then Special Assistant to
President John F. Kennedy, to Monagan together with 2 TL (carbons) from
Monagan.
Folder: 14 Correspondence: 1961, May 8
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 15 Correspondence: 1961, May 18 & 22
Description: Contains 1 TLS with holograph notation from Breen to Monagan
together with the latter's outgoing correspondence.
Folder: 16 Correspondence: 1961, May 19
Description: Contains 1 ALS only from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 17 Correspondence: 1961, June 23
Description: Contains 1 TL (carbon) only from Monagan to Breen.
Folder: 18 Correspondence: 1961, October 3
Description: Contains 2 TL (carbons) only from Monagan to Breen and to Brooks
Hays, then Assistant Secretary of State.
Folder: 19 Correspondence: 1961-62, Nov & Jan
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Nancy Ward to Monagan regarding Dan Breen's
heart attack and amputations together with 2 TL (carbons) only from Monagan to
Breen.
Folder: 20 Correspondence: 1962, Apr - June 19
Description: Contains 1 ALS, 1 TLS and 1 TL with holograph notation (See April
30th letter) from Breen to Monagan together w/ the latter's outgoing
correspondence.
Folder: 21 Correspondence: 1963, July 4-Oct 16
Description: Contains 2 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence as well as 1 TLS from M.J. Galvin regarding Major
Walter Reder
Folder: 22 Correspondence: 1964, May 11 & 14
Description: Contains 2 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence.
Folder: 22a Correspondence: 1965, February 3
Description: ALS, Breen to Monagan re Winston Churchill
Folder: 23 Correspondence: 1965, April 30
Description: Contains 1 ALS only from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 24 Correspondence: 1965, April 20
Description: Contains 1 ALS only from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 25 Correspondence: 1965, April 21
Description: Contains 1 ALS only from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 26 Correspondence: 1965, Apr 25-May 18
Description: Contains 1 ALS (photostat only) from Breen to Monagan together w/1
TL (carbon) from then Asst. Secy for Congressional Relations, Douglas MacArthur
II.
Folder: 27 Correspondence: 1965, May 8
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with 2 typed
transcripts of that letter.
Folder: 28 Correspondence: 1965, June 15 & 30
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence.
Folder: 29 Correspondence: 1965, June 23
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan.
Folder: 30 Correspondence: 1965, September 2
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with two typed
transcripts of that letter
Folder: 31 Correspondence: 1965, September 22
Description: Contains 1 TL (carbon) only from Monagan to Breen.
Folder: 32 Correspondence: 1965, October 5
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with a fragment
regarding the Korean missions
Folder: 33 Correspondence: 1965, October 24
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with two typed
transcripts of that letter.
Folder: 34 Correspondence: 1965, November 11
Description: Contains 1 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with one typed
transcript of that letter.
Folder: 35 Correspondence: 1966, Feb 14-July 4
Description: Contains 3 ALS & 2 ANS from Breen to Monagan together w/the
latter's correspondence. Also includes letters from Mary Campbell & Peter
Kenney of NBC.
Folder: 36 Correspondence: 1967, Feb 22-Dec 13
Description: Contains 4 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence. Also includes typed transcripts of Breen's letters.
Folder: 37 Correspondence: 1968, Apr 10-June 26
Description: Contains 2 ALS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence. Includes two typed transcripts of the Breen
letters.
Folder: 38 Correspondence: 1969, Dec 13 - 31
Description: Contains 1 ACS from Breen to Monagan together with the latter's
outgoing correspondence. Also includes a letter from Donal Breen, Dan Breen's
son.
Folder: 39 Correspondence: 1970, April 14 & 22
Description: Contains letter from Dan Breen's son, Donal, to Monagan together
with the latter's outgoing correspondence regarding Dan Breen's funeral
Folder: 40 Correspondence: Undated
Description: Contains 2 fragmentary ALS and 1 ACS from Breen to Monagan
together with a TL (carbon) as well as undated envelopes.
Folder: 41 Correspondence: 1969, 1972 & Undated
Description: Contains biographical materials (i.e., newspaper clippings) on Dan
Breen.
Folder: 42 Correspondence: 1951, September 26
Description: Contains clipping from the Baltimore Sun newspaper.
Folder: 43 Photographs
The Breen-Monagan Collection Index
FOLDER INDEX TERM
8 Allies, American
19 Amputation
36 Arab-Israeli War
17 Article by Breen
29 Ben Bella
16 Berley, A.
18 Berlin Situation
41 Biographical
13 Breen's Assistance
10 Breen, Bob
28 Breen, Bob
39 Breen, Donal
16 Brennan, Robert
7 Catholic Free Press
33 China
40 China
7 China
6 Christmas Greetings
3 Churchill & Eden
30 Churchill, Winston
42 Clipping
41 Clippings
1 Cobbet, William
14 Covert Activities
14 Cuban Missile Crisis
22 Cyprus Crisis
29 DeGaulle, Charles
38 Death of Breen
2 Dillon
35 Documentary on Breen
27 Dominican Republic
11 Easter wishes
3 Eden & Churchill
4 England & Egypt
4 France & Breton boy
24 Friends
39 Funeral of Breen
14 General Elections
40 German Re-armament
30 Ghandi
34 Gifts
13 Guerilla warfare
19 Health
38 Health
31 Health
28 Health
5 Health
37 Health
20 IRA in English prisons
32 India & Pakistan
30 India & Pakistan War
20 Irish Republicans
15 Irish-Amererican Relations
1 Irish-Americans
22 Johnson, Lyndon B.
21 Kennedy Visit
9 Kennedy, John F.
23 Kennedy, John F.
37 Kennedy, Robert F.
27 Kennedy, Robert F.
32 Korean Missions
2 Korean War
40 Korean War
3 Korean War
4 Korean War & China
16 Latin America
7 McCaffery, Richard
8 McCarthy, Joseph
17 Memorials in Stone
24 Monagan's Visit
12 Murphy, Richard
10 Murphy, Richard
34 NY Power Failure
36 O'Brien, Cruise
25 Personal
31 Personal
18 Planes, U.S.
2 Postwar Europe
33 Protest
8 Reder, Major Walter
21 Reder, Major Walter
9 Rooney, John
26 Rusk, Dean
17 Scholarships
34 Smith, Steele
3 Soviet Union
1 Status of Ireland
18 Treaty of 1945-1946
5 Trieste Affair
9 U.S. Embassy, Dublin
36 Vietnam
22 Vietnam
35 Vietnam
26 Vietnam War
32 Vietnam War
33 Vietnam War
37 Vietnam War
12 Visit
15 Ward, Joseph
29 Wilson, Harold
27 Wilson, Harold
35 Wilson, Woodrow