Richard Gogan

Richard Gogan
Press photo, circa 1960.
Teachta Dála
In office May 1954 – June 1977
Constituency	Dublin North-West
Personal details
Born	(1899-11-29)29 November 1899 Dublin, Ireland
Died	28 April 1982(1982-04-28) (aged 82)
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Nickname	'Dick'
Military service
Branch/service	Irish Volunteers Irish Republican Army Anti-Treaty IRA
Years of service	1913–1923
Rank	Volunteer (Irish Volunteers) Private (Irish Republican Army)
Unit	B Company, 1st Battalion, Dublin Brigade
Battles/wars	Easter Rising Irish War of Independence Irish Civil War

Richard P. Gogan (29 November 1899 – 28 April 1982) was a member of the Irish Volunteers who fought in the 1916 Easter Rising. In later life, he became a Fianna Fáil politician.

Early and personal life

He was the son of William J. Gogan and was married to Kitty Gogan. He was one of the Guard of Honour at the funeral of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa in August 1915, and was present when Patrick Pearse gave his famous speech at the graveside.

Revolutionary period (1916–1923)

Gogan joined the Irish Volunteers in November 1913. He was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, Dublin Brigade from 1914 commanded by Edward Daly. During Easter Week 1916, he saw action at Cabra and at the General Post Office (GPO). On Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, he was part of a unit that were tasked to take control of three bridges into Dublin, at the North Circular Road, Cabra Road and Cross Guns Bridge on Phibsboro Road. They came under machine gun and artillery fire from nearby British military units, and an artillery piece sprayed their barricade with shrapnel after which they escaped and took shelter near Ben Eavin House in Glasnevin. At some point in the early hours of 25 April 1916, he left along with Jack Price, PJ Corless and his brother Vincent.

The next report of his participation in the Rising is at the GPO in O'Connell Street. Early in the morning of Friday 28 April, he volunteered as a stretcher-bearer to carry the wounded James Connolly out of the GPO, which was by then on fire. Under heavy machine-gun fire, he and two others (Sean Price and Paddy Ryan) carried Connolly to an Irish Volunteer position in a mineral water factory on Henry Place.

Prior to the Rising, there is a report of Gogan working in a bomb factory at a house called 'Cluny' in Clontarf which was used as an Irish Volunteers' munitions base.

During the Irish War of Independence, Gogan took part in arms raids, armed street patrols, dispatch work and had custody of an arms dump at his father's business premises at 184 Parnell Street, Dublin. Taking the anti Treaty side in the Civil War, he took part in the occupation and defence of buildings during the Battle of Dublin. He was captured in late January 1923 by National forces and interned in Mountjoy Jail, Dublin. He signed the 'form' pledging not to take up arms against the Free State for early release. Gogan reported back for duty but had no further activity. His father's business premises at 184 Parnell Street, Dublin was raided by the Garda Síochána as late as 1927. Gogan later applied to the Irish government for a service pension under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 and was awarded 6 and 103/500 years service in 1943 at Grade E for his service with the Irish Volunteers and the IRA between 1 April 1916 and 30 September 1923.

Political career

He was a founding member of Fianna Fáil. Gogan was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin North-West constituency at the 1954 general election, having previously unsuccessfully contested the 1948 and 1951 general elections. He held his seat at every subsequent election until losing at the 1977 general election in the new Dublin Cabra constituency.