Seán McCurtin

{{Short description|Irish politician and army officer (1896–1982)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=February 2022}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Seán McCurtin

| image = Seán McCurtin c.1920 (cropped).jpg

| caption = McCurtin, circa 1920s

| office = Teachta Dála

| term_start = August 1923

| term_end = June 1927

| constituency = Tipperary

| birth_date = {{birth date|1896|6|24|df=y}}

| birth_place = County Tipperary, Ireland

| death_date = {{death date and age|1982|11|12|1896|6|24|df=y}}

| death_place = County Tipperary, Ireland

| nationality = Irish

| party = Cumann na nGaedheal

| spouse =

| children =

| education =

| alma_mater =

}}

Seán Patrick McCurtin (24 June 1896 – 12 November 1982) was an Irish Cumann na nGaedheal politician and National Army officer from County Tipperary.

Active in the Irish War of Independence, McCurtin participated in many ambushes including the one at Modreeny on 3 June 1921.Nenagh News, Page: 3, 25 August 1923. Shortly after the Truce he went north of the border to assist against the B-Specials. He was arrested and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment at Enniskillen assizes on 13 March 1922 for possession of firearms and ammunition, and transferred to Aberdeen prison in 1923.{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1925/mar/05/irish-prisoners|title=Irish Prisoners – vol 181 cc616–20|date=5 March 1925|work=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1923-12-13/2/|title=Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral answers. - Deputy imprisoned in Scotland.|date=13 December 1923|work=Dáil Éireann debates|pages=Vol. 5 No. 23 p.3 c1809|access-date=21 May 2013}} His brother Austin was a commandant in the National Army, killed during the Civil War in County Laois.{{cite book|last=McConville|first=Seán|title=Irish Political Prisoners 1848–1922: Theatres of War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mXPNixxBQrQC&pg=PA768|access-date=21 May 2013|year=2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9780415219914|page=768}}

McCurtin was first elected to Dáil Éireann while in prison, as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary constituency at the 1923 general election.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Se%C3%A1n-Patrick-McCurtin.D.1923-09-19/|title=Seán McCurtin|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=3 January 2009}} The Free State government regarded him as one of a number of political prisoners and demanded their release.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1925-06-09/2/|title=Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Release of political prisoners by Northern Government.|date=9 June 1925|work=Dáil Éireann debates|pages=Vol. 12 No. 5 p.3 c.479|access-date=21 May 2013}} The British government undertook to review their cases, and the Northern Ireland prime minister, Sir James Craig, agreed to accept the review's conclusions. McCurtin was released with 32 others on 25 January 1926, and took his seat in the Dáil on 23 March 1926.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1926-03-23/31/|title=Deputy takes his seat|date=23 March 1926|work=Dáil Éireann debates|pages=Vol. 14 No. 16 p.32 cc.1498–99|access-date=21 May 2013}}

McCurtin did not contest the June 1927 general election.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=1432|title=Seán McCurtin|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=3 January 2009}} He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 1932 and 1933 general elections. His later career was as a solicitor in Nenagh.Irish Press, Page 4, 9 April 1932. An attempt was made in 1934 to kill his clerk Michael Flynn.Irish Examiner, Page 9, 24 January 1934. McCurtin became state solicitor for the Division of Tipperary in September 1948.Munster Express, Page 3, 24 September 1948.