Denis Allen (politician)

Irish Fianna Fáil politician (1896–1961)

Denis Allen (2 January 1896 – 29 March 1961) was an Irish revolutionary and politician.

During the Irish War of Independence (1919 1921), Allen was Company Captain of D Company (Kilanerin), 3 Battalion, North Wexford Brigade, IRA. In the Truce period, he claimed in his military service pension file that he was promoted to Battalion Intelligence Officer at the time of the IRA split in March 1922 and Battalion Quartermaster from May 1922. Taking the anti Treaty side in the Irish Civil War (1922 1923), Allen claims that he took part in several armed operations against National Army troops. Allen was arrested by the Free State on 4 August 1922; escaped from the Newbridge Camp, County Kildare on 15 October 1922; was re arrested by the authorities on 20 October 1922 and escaped again on 19 November 1922 from Wexford. He was captured again in December 1923 and finally released in June 1924. In 1926 Allen was the Officer Commanding the North Wexford Battalion of the Irish Republican Army. Allen applied to the Irish government for a service pension under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 and was awarded 4 and 7/12 years service in 1943 at Grade D for service with the IRA between 1 April 1920 and 30 September 1923.

Allen was an unsuccessful candidate at the June 1927 general election, but later that year at the September 1927 general election he was elected to Dáil Éireann as Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency. He was re elected at the 1932 general election, but lost his seat at the 1933 general election. He returned to the 8th Dáil at a by election on 17 August 1936, following the death of the Fine Gael TD Osmond Esmonde, and returned at each successive election until his death in office in 1961. No by election was held for his seat.