Born in Belfast in an area with a mix of Protestants and Catholics, at an early age, Traynor saw the dead bodies of three Irish Republican Army (IRA) members, all shot in the head.
[4] Initially known as a bomb maker, alongside Tony D'Arcy, Jack McNeela and Dom Adams, he led agitation for the IRA in the south to lead guerilla raids on the north.
However, after both D'Arcy and McNeela died, it was decided to abandon the protest, Stephen Hayes declaring that they had achieved their aims, although this turned out to be a fiction.
[8] In 1950, long-term Sinn Féin leader Margaret Buckley was replaced, and Traynor was elected as vice president, alongside Tomás Ó Dubhghaill.
[10] He soon became General Secretary of Sinn Féin, serving alongside Maire Nic Gabhann,[11] and he relocated to Dublin,[10] where he ran a shop.