Скачать или смотреть The Irish Rebel Priest who armed men - Fr Paddy Flanagan

Did you know one of Ireland’s revolutionary figures was also a Catholic priest?

Ireland’s revolutionary period was shaped not only by soldiers and politicians, but also by individuals who worked quietly in the years before open rebellion began.

Father Paddy Flanagan was one such figure.

Around 1911–1912, several years before the Easter Rising, The priest in Ringsend, Fr. Flanagan founded an armed nationalist scout unit known as Fianna Phádraig. Modelled on the better-known Fianna Éireann, the group was designed to educate and prepare young Irish nationalists for the struggle for independence.

Flanagan taught Irish history, discipline, and nationalist ideals. More controversially, he ensured that members of the group had access to rifles — a clear sign that he believed Ireland’s future would eventually be decided by force as well as faith.

When the Easter Rising erupted in 1916, Father Flanagan openly supported the Irish Volunteers. Rather than fighting on the front lines, he used his position as a priest to shelter rebels, carry messages, and provide spiritual and moral support.

British authorities viewed priests like Flanagan with particular concern. Their involvement gave the nationalist movement legitimacy among ordinary people and challenged claims that the Rising lacked moral authority.

Today, Father Paddy Flanagan is rarely mentioned in mainstream histories, yet his actions show how deeply the revolutionary movement had taken root years before 1916.

This video is part of Irish Rebel Stories, a series uncovering the overlooked people and hidden foundations of Ireland’s fight for independence.

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