The Irish Volunteers in North Co. Dublin, 1913-17
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Title The Irish Volunteers in north Co. Dublin, 1913-17 By Peter Francis Whearity SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MA IN LOCAL HISTORY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTH Supervisor of research: Dr Terence A. Dooley December 2011 Contents Page Illustrations iii Abbreviations iv Acknowledgment v Map 1 specifically made for this study vi Map 2 Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Townland Index, for County Dublin vii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 The formation of the Irish Volunteer movement 10 Chapter 2 The National Volunteer movement 28 Chapter 3 The Redmondite-split and its aftermath 47 Chapter 4 The 1916 Rising in north County Dublin 68 Chapter 5 The aftermath of the Rising 88 Conclusion 111 Appendix 121 Bibliography 134 List of Tables Table 1 Irish Volunteer companies formed in north County Dublin up to 11 June 1914 27 Table 2 Irish national Volunteer companies formed after 11 June 1914 45 Table 3 National Volunteer companies at the time of the Redmondite-split 58 Table 4 County Dublin Volunteer membership figures for the period beginning July 1914, until Apr. 1916 67 Table 5 Places in north County Dublin from where arrested men came from after the Rising 90 i Table 6 Age profiles of north County Dublin men arrested after the Rising 92 Table 7 Marital status of north County Dublin men arrested after the 1916 Rising 93 Table 8 Occupational profiles of north County Dublin men arrested after the Rising 94 Table 9 Category A prisoners from north County Dublin after the Rising 96 Table 10 Category B prisoners from north County Dublin after the Rising 97 Table 11 Category C prisoners from north County Dublin after the Rising 98 Table 12 Classification of arrested north County Dublin men on R.I.C. and D.M.P. lists 1916 99 Table 13 No. north County Dublin men released up to 7 June 1916 100 Table 14 North County Dublin men released from Frongoch 1916 101 Other material in the Appendix Words of Knutsford song 124 Data-set of details for the 114 men arrested in north County Dublin after the 1916 Rising 127 ii Illustrations List of Charts Chart 1 Distribution of rifles from the Howth gun-running, 26 July 1914 39 Chart 2 National Volunteer companies in north County Dublin, for which membership details are available at end August 1914 46 Chart 3 Places of detention in Britain for north County Dublin men after the 1916 Rising 90 List of Plates Plate 1 National Volunteers parading at the Square, Skerries, 1914 121 Plate 2 Holmpatrick Monument, Street Street, Skerries 121 Plate 3 Round Towers Lusk hurlers, circa. 1906 122 Plate 4 Black Raven piper’s band, circa. 1912 123 Plate 5 Memorial erected at Knocksedan Bridge, Swords, In 1991 124 Plate 6 (Three townsmen who died for Ireland) 125 Plate 7 The burial of Thomas Ashe at Glasnevin cemetery 126 iii Abbreviations A.O.H. Ancient Order of Hibernians C.C. Catholic curate C.I. County Inspector, R.I.C. CM Commuted (sentence) C.O. Colonial Office Col. Colonel Const. Constable (police) C.S. Chief Secretary C.S.O. Chief Secretary’s Office, Dublin Castle C.S.O.R.P Chief Secretary’s Office Registered Papers D.I., Dist. Inspr. District Inspector, R.I.C. D.L. Deputy Lieutenant D.M.P. Dublin Metropolitan Police Fr. Father (Catholic priest) G.A.A. Gaelic Athletic Association Gen. General GOC. General officer Commanding G.P.O. General Post Office H.C. Head Constable HQ. Headquarters IMP. Imprisonment I.R.B. Irish Rep ublican Brotherhood ITGWU. Irish Transport & General Workers Union J.P. Justice of the peace K.C. Kings Counsel Lieut.-Col. Lieutenant-Colonel M.P. Member of Parliament P.P. Parish priest OC. Officer Commanding R.C. Roman Catholic R.I.C. Royal Irish Constabulary U.I.L. United Irish League U.V.F. Ulster Volunteer Force S.H.S. Skerries Historical Society iv Acknowledgements Thanks are due to the following people. The M.A. in Local History course director, Prof. Raymond Gillespie. Thesis supervisor, Dr Terence A. Dooley, for his infinite patience and expert guidance in the preparation and completion of this MA Thesis. Thanks are also due to the other tutors on the MA course, Rob Goodbody and Denis Cronin, et al. Thanks are due to Conor Dineen, Skerries, for producing (in discussion with this author), an excellent Map of north County Dublin, as it was during the period of interest here. Dr Maighréad Ní Mhurchadha, Skerries, for her enduring encouragement of my work from the certificate stage right through to this MA. Maree Baker (hon. Librarian), and Joe Murray (hon. Archivist), of the Skerries Historical Society. Margaret McCann-Moore (hon. Chairperson-secretary), Loughshinny and Rush Historical Society. Colm McQuinn (Archivist), Fingal Local Studies Library and archive, Swords. Mrs Lillie Derham, Skerries. Mrs Teresa McCann, Skerries. My mother Mary, wife Valerie, daughter Helen, son Colin and granddaughter Emily, for their forbearance in listening to my constant talk about study work along the way. Last, but not least, thanks are also due to my fellow students on the MA course in Local History, who I shared my ups and downs with during the period of the course. v vi Map 2 Extract from the Ordnance Survey Townland Index Map of County Dublin (showing Skerries and its environs). To the sheets and plans on the scale of 6 inches to 1 mile (1: 10,560), and 25.344 inches to 1 mile (1: 2500). vii Summary The objective behind this M.A. Thesis was to chart the establishment and subsequent development of the Irish Volunteer movement under Eoin MacNeill, in north County Dublin, in the period 1913 to 1917. Within that primary aim it was envisaged that the development of the Skerries Irish Volunteer company would become apparent, but within its proper context in the wider movement in north County Dublin and beyond. As a means to achieve these objectives recourse was made to both primary and secondary sources. The former was looked to for new information while the latter was expected to show what is already known on the subject in hand. While the Volunteers were attached to companies, it was proposed to see them as people within a ‘community of association’ i.e. as a group of like-minded individuals (in this case men), all engaged in the pursuit of a defined set of goals. During the period of examination, a great varity of events occurred, in which the Volunteers of the north county and Skerries participated. It began with the formation of the Volunteer movement itself and then its subsequent transformation into the National Volunteers under John Redmond which was an important change. The Volunteers of the study area took part in the Howth Gun- running in July 1914. At the time of the Redmondite-split, Volunteers either reverted to MacNeill or remained with Redmond. The north county Volunteers participated in the 1916 Rising, with the Fifth Battalion under the command of Thomas Ashe and Richard Mulcahy and also with Dublin City garrisons such as at the General Post Office and the Mendicity Institute to name just two. They collectively fought hard and are now remembered in the 1916 Rolls of Honour housed at the National Museum of Ireland. Those who died are remembered by memorials such as that at Rath Cross, Ashbourne, County, Meath. Introduction The objective of this study is to look at the establishment, development, and evolution of the Irish Volunteer movement in north County Dublin during the period from 1913 to 1917. The study will at all times keep its focus mainly on the Skerries Irish Volunteer company. The Irish Volunteer movement, having been established on 25 November 1913 at the Rotunda Hall, Sackville (O’Connell) Street, Dublin, was organised by a Provisional Committee under Professor Eoin MacNeill. The movement subsequently went through a series of changes and these will be examined with particular emphasis on the impacts on the local level. The first change was the take over of the movement by John Redmond’s Irish Parliamentary Party, thereby turning it into the Irish National Volunteers. Then there were the efforts to arm the Volunteers by bringing in guns at Howth and Kilcoole. After a number of months the movement divided into the National and the Irish Volunteers and it was the latter force which participated in the 1916 Rising. The repercussions as they applied to north County Dublin, such as those who lost their lives, who suffered arrests and internment and their later releases, will all be examined here. The forces which propelled the Volunteer movement in whatever guise as well as those which hampered its development will also be looked at. It was these forces which shaped the political and economic landscape both nationally and locally in north County Dublin. In addition, while the study will be mainly focused on the Skerries Volunteer company it will be important that this company can be seen in its wider geographical context of both north County Dublin and the still wider hinterland of northeast Leinster. When looking at the Volunteers, use will be made of what Professor Raymond Gillespie terms an ‘interpretative tool’ which allows for the study of groups of people by seeing them as a ‘community of interest’.1 Thus, groups of like-minded individuals such as the Irish Volunteers can be categorised into manageable units as a pragmatic approach to their study within their own community. Another important aspect of the study will be that both qualitative and quantitative analysis will be adopted where ever possible.