1880-1965. President Executive Council 1925-1932. He was born at James Street, Dublin on 5 June. He was educated at Francis Street Christian Brothers School and the O’Brien Institute. He attended the first Sinn Féin convention in the Rotunda in Dublin in 1905 and was elected to Dublin Corporation in 1909. He joined the Irish Volunteers on their formation in 1913 and fought in the1916 Rising. He was interned at Frongoch in Wales until January 1917. He was elected Sinn Fein MP for Kilkenny North at a by-election in August 1917, and was re-elected in the 1918 general election. Councillor Dublin Corporation 1909. Went on Pilgrimage to Rome in October 1925 and was there with his sons Liam (subsequently also a Pian knight) and Michael during the Irish Scout Pilgrimage in 1934 during which he had a private audience with the Pope, wearing his papal decorations. Founder Fine Gael 1933. On the day of his death, he had served mass that morning for a visiting US priest at Mount Argus in Kimmage, where he often went to hear Mass. He received a State funeral. His son Liam is quoted in “Frank Duff – a life story” Finola Kennedy Continuum 2011, “The last letter WT (Cosgrave) wrote was to him (Duff) the actual day he got his final attack: 15 November 1965. He died on the 16th”. See also Frank Duff, KC*SG. Buried in Goldenbridge Cemetery. (Reference : “Judging W T Cosgrave” by Michael Laffan, Royal Irish Academy, 2014 & “The Eucharistic Congress 1932, helping students to assess historical significance” 2012 Cultural and Environmental Education, Professional Development Service for Teachers).
