[2] He was educated at St Muredach's College and later at St. Enda's School, Rathfarnham, Dublin, run by Patrick Pearse.

He stated that the long sentences "reflected a partisan spirit in keeping with the vendetta by prominent political leaders at the time.

However, it is speculated by some historians that his actual motivation for the resignation was that he morally objected to the execution of IRA members by the Fianna Fáil government.

In February 1933 he had their leader Eoin O'Duffy removed from his position as the Commissioner of the Irish national police force - the Garda Síochána.

Violence ensued with police baton charging marchers with numerous injuries and 13 arrests for Civil Disobedience (including future hunger striker Jack McNeela).