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Pen Portrait of a Patriot . Tom Mitchell.

Tom Mitchell was born in Fairview , Dublin, in 1931, aged 18 he joined the IRA in 1949.
He was arrested as were seven other IRA men in October 1954 following an unsuccessful arms raid on Omagh British Military Barracks and was sentenced to 10 years.
Following massive support for the prisoners Sinn Fein launched five of them as Sinn Fein candidates in the May 1955 Westminster Elections, Tom Mitchell for Mid-Ulster, (29,737 votes), Phil Clarke for Fermanagh/South Tyrone, Liam Mulcahy for East Belfast, Paddy Kearney South Belfast, Eamonn Boyce West Belfast (8447 Votes).
Mitchell was re-elected for Mid-Ulster in August 1955 on an increased vote (30,393)
Mitchell became O/C of the Prison unit in 1957 and asserted his leadership role within the prison in August 1959 when he stopped some fellow prisoners from making tea for the Prison warders claiming it was nothing short of fraternizing with them , this successfully split the republican prisoners and the warders, later the prisoners then held an election to appoint an O/C , Mitchell won , he was released in July 1961.
See picture on Home page of site.