Emmet Dalton

James Emmet Dalton, MC (4 March 1898 – 4 March 1978) was an Irish army officer and film producer. He served in the British Army in the First World War, reaching the rank of captain. On his return to Ireland he became a senior figure in the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Republican Army fighting against British rule in Ireland.

A close associate of Michael Collins he was military liaison officer for the treaty talks. During the Irish Civil War, he was a major general in the pro-Treaty National Army but resigned his command following the death of Collins. Dalton later founded a film production company in London and founded Ardmore Studios in Wicklow together with Louis Elliman in 1958, producing a number of notable pictures in the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life Dalton was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Irish-American parents James F. and Katharine L. Dalton (née Riley). The family moved back to Ireland when he was two. He grew up in a middle-class Catholic background in Drumcondra in North Dublin and lived at No. 8 Upper St. Columba's Road. He was educated by the Christian Brothers at O'Connell School in North Richmond Street. He joined the nationalist militia, the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and the following year, though only fifteen, was involved in the smuggling of arms into Ireland.

Military career First World War Along with over 20,000 National Volunteers who heeded the call of Nationalist leader John Redmond, he joined the British Army in 1915, much to his father's disapproval. Dalton initially joined the 7th Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (RDF) as a temporary 2nd Lieutenant. By 1916, he was attached to the 9th Battalion, RDF, 16th (Irish) Division under Major-General William Hickie, which contained many Irish nationalist recruits. Afterwards he was transferred to the 6th Battalion, Leinster Regiment, and sent to Salonika then Palestine, where he commanded a company and then supervised a sniper school in El Arish. In 1918 Dalton was re-deployed again to France, and in July promoted to captain, serving as an instructor.

Film industry Dalton married Alice Shannon on 9 October 1922 in Cork's Imperial Hotel.

Death

Emmet Dalton died in his daughter Nuala's house in Dublin in 1978 on his 80th birthday, never having seen the film that Cathal O'Shannon of RTÉ had made on his life. During the making of the film they visited the battlefields in France (including Ginchy and Guillemont on the Somme), Kilworth Camp in Cork, Béal Na Bláth, and other places that Dalton had not visited since his earlier years. He wished to be buried as near as possible to his friend Michael Collins in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, and was buried there in March 1978 after a military funeral. None of the ruling Fianna Fáil government ministers or TDs attended.