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.~ .. Famously the second section, the War As part of the centenary commemorations of Independence 1919-21 was ushered for the 1916 Easter Rising, Tipperary in by the opening of the First Dail in County Council Library Service published Dublin and the Soloheadbeg Ambush County Tipperary in 1916- a history in 40 in Tipperary. Much of the activity of this documents. Edited by Denis G. Marnane period is summed up in such trigger and Mary Guinan Darmody, this booklet words and phrases as 'ambush', 'reprisal', was welcomed and made available 'spy', 'Black & Tan', 'flying column' and free of charge across the county. This 'on the run'. Tipperary along with a present publication continues the story handful of other counties, such as Cork of how the following four and a half and Limerick, was very much at the heart years impacted on Tipperary. This is not of the struggle during these two and half a history of these years, rather a series years to the Truce in July 1921. The story of glimpses of people and events - a of the Truce and the tragic Civil War as sequence of slides rather than a movie. experienced in Tipperary will be covered More detailed information can be had in in a final booklet to be published in 2020. Sean Hogan's, The Black and Tans in North Tipperary (2013) and D.G. Marnane's, The Third Brigade (2018). Our thanks to Noel Ahern, Dimphne Brennan, Adrian Corcoran, Dan Finnan, The events of this four and a half year Eamonn Gaynor, Breda Hanly, Sean period fall into two sections. Firstly the Hogan, Joe Kenny, Seamus Leahy, Noel time of re-organisation after the release Mcinerney, Michael O'Connor, Mick of prisoners at the end of 1916. This O'Dea, Jerry Ring, Neil Sharkey, Brendan period 1917-1918 was the phoenix time, Treacy and R6isin O'Grady; also Dublin when out of the ashes of defeat new City Library & Archive, Kilmainham Jail, structures and new leaders emerged. In Military Archives, National Library of Tipperary three brigades were created Ireland, Tipperary County Museum, and and leaders like Jim Leahy and Sean Tipperary County Archives. Treacy emerged to put the county at the centre of the war when it came. ·-la
Front Cover image: Wedding of Dan Breen and Brighid Malone by Mick O'Dea
nu pai111i11g is baud 011 a phorogmph rakm by Sed11 Sharkey i11 j1111e 1921 t11 rhe weddi11go/Da11 Bru1110 Brighid Malo11e a11d i11cl11des Sed11 Hogan as bm ma11 a11d Aine Malone. bridesmaid.
~~. ~ ,..~~ ·· ~ r~~~r,;~ -.~ ~ ~~l.5fe;;::)h;.:~~~~.M'td"'.~~~.5c~&.'li\'i'JiiR'ISllils.1Si",.-t;;;~ . · 1. Released from 2. On 10 May 1917, the victory of prison in England Joe McGuinness, the SF candidate in at the end of 1916, the South Longford by-election was Eamon 6 Duibhir, a announced. Fr Michael Maher, the key personality in the Archbishop's secretary, described the Tipperary republican reaction in Thurles as hundreds marched movement, got through the town. things moving again. He was responsible I was watching the whole proceedings for bringing Ulster's from a front window in the Presbytery Seamus Robinson, a and was very keen on observing how 1916 Rising veteran, the crowd would behave passing the to Tipperary. The Irish Palace, because the Archbishop had Enmon 0 Duibhir teacher mentioned refused to allow an anniversary Mass to below took part in the be celebrated in the Cathedral for the Soloheadbeg Ambush. victims of the rising and that refusal had been given only a few days before. Robinson arrived some day in January Although I was watching closely through 1917, in the midst of a snow storm, and the open window I did not observe he had with him a small black travelling anything in the attitude of the crowd bag that we got to know very well and to different from what it had been at the associate with him. As a farm worker, he other points of the route, where I was made up for his lack of knowledge by his able to observe them. honesty. hustle and zeal...... That outburst in Thur/es and similar In Kilshenane the local meetings of the ones on all sides was the first indication organisations and meetings of a wider of the rapid strides Sinn Fein had made circle were held, and later the Brigade within the past twelve months. I may Council meetings were held there for add that the Archbishop allowed the a considerable time. I had become a Mass on second application only under parishioner of Fr Matt Ryan in Knockavilla condition that there was to be no public and he was a frequent visitor to the place, procession to or from the church nor any and of course, as president of the local demonstration in the neighbourhood of branch of Sinn Fein he was interested in the Cathedral on the occasion. The Mass the work of that organisation, plus the was celebrated, I being the celebrant, work of the Gaelic League which was his greatest love, as it was probably the greatest love of most of us. We had a hall in Ballagh and at this time Padraig McCormaic was teaching Irish in it, and to this hall, on the class nights, we used to travel from Kilshenane, gathering like a moving snowball a crowd as we went, and we often arrived in Ballagh thirty or forty strong. The Volunteers met in this hall also. (Bureau of Military History, Eamon 6 Duibhir, WS 1474, pp. 2-4)
Seamus Leahy, Clonmel 8111111tr ofBoherl11h1111 Si1111 Fii11C111111111111917 Words of command were used by different men: Daniel Breen, Michael Looby Jr, Maurice Crowe, John Treacy, and Timothy Crowe. The drilling was principally marching in fours and Treacy was not drilling all the time owing to looking after the voting (for officers). (Constable P.J. Murtagh's report, 10 Dec 1917. (CO 904/122, NU) ~ ~ 7. At the close of 1917 Fr Michael Maher ·~ in Thurles reflected on the cost of living. 3 We had the usual Christmas festivities at the Palace in spite of the shortage of History Ireland food and drink. Everything is very dear; 11/egnl Drilli11g meat is 116 a pound, butter 216, eggs from party a short distance, said 'Hold left 216 to 31- per doz. Potatoes 9d. a stone. turn' and then told off two batches of Tea is plentiful, sugar scarce; whiskey sixteen, giving Michael Looby Jr aged 11- per glass etc. Cattle are twice the pre 23, Newtown, this sub-district, charge of war prices, and boots and clothes are one batch and Daniel Breen, Milesman, similarly expensive; coal about £2-10-0 Grange, Tipperary sub-district, charge of per ton, and working horses fetch up to the other batch. £60. We have experienced no shortage of food here up to the present, but the Treacy took charge of 23 men himself and operations of the U boats are threatening Timothy Crowe, farmer's son, Ardloman, us with that spectre every day. The bread this sub-district, took charge of 22 boys is getting very black owing to foreign ranging in age from eight years to fifteen mixtures being put in the flour, there is years, a few of the latter having joined no such thing as white flour now or white the ranks after Treacy giving 'Halt'...... bread. Bacon is at a prohibitive price and it is no wonder when pigs cost 105 shillings per cwt. live weight. Motor cars are nearly as rarely seen as they were a
;\l,\:'tOID I ,\~P ' llXl)lrll rRJ('t'S IL\H-: ll t:t:.~ n~ro ..·01 .1 n•11JX"• dozen years ago owing to the shortage I L~ 0.\1'$ CH.OWN JX l~li . ~ r~ ~ " of petrol. l )l .\~l ~ l" >t 11.. - . Nau k-,t>• tis(') ,,,. 1~ r .....1 t·. .,. 1~,,i1.. ,. • •·I ~ rnt •~ · :!:s!°:.1:~,;;''rl~?.i'r~: '~~.t·t,~~i;;i,~n'!'l~~H ~ (Journal of Fr Michael Maher, Thurles vol vi, ) l1'>('<"IUI •1th thr toJ!u•n•:: h l•h '""i lli l'llol
Hla lorchblp Bon Rn. Dr. POC~. Lord lllohop ~Y . _J-'NUARY . ·a;· 1918 ot Klllaloe, !l.. addN&Md &be follow ln• leU.• to &Jt• Bnal• ataa f'~ Clu.b:- ! 1 Tngic ~ccurrcnce. , lotd ..Mlin Sh~ N~ar Nen~h.
Henagh Guattllan, 5 January 1918 success of the Sinn Fein cause in the Robinson as the brigade commandant. coming elections, handicapped though I did not know Robinson personally at that cause is by the unjust imprisonment the time - he was then serving a term of its leaders...... of imprisonment in Belfast prison, but (Bureau of Military History, Mon M. Curran, I was aware that, prior to his arrest he secretary to Archbishop Walsh of Dublin, had spent a lot of time organising the ws 687 (i). p. 322) Volunteers in south County Tipperary. Personally, I was of the opinion that Sean Treacy himself was the best man One of the most important events 10. for the post but when I expressed this of 1918 was the establishment of the view to him, he went all out in his 3rd Tipperary Brigade in October. There praise of Seamus, and was very definite appears to be no record of the exact in recommending him as our brigade date. The house in Tipperary Town where DIC. At that time, we all looked up to the meeting took place was later burned Treacy for guidance in such matters and down by the Black & Tans and is at the as none of us would like to oppose his corner of Main and Church Streets. wishes, it followed that Seamus Robinson Fittingly, the site now has a number of was unanimously elected as brigade memorials. commandant. The other brigade officers In October 1918, Michael Ladrigan, the elected before the meeting adjourned (6th) battalion vice commandant and were: - Brigade Vice Commandant - Sean myself represented the battalion at a Treacy. Brigade Adjutant - Maurice Crowe. meeting of battalion officers which was Brigade Quartermaster - Dan Breen. ,.. J held on a weekday in a room over There was no other business transacted at P. J. Moloney's chemist shop in Tipperary this meeting. town. This was the meeting at which the (Bureau of Military History, Ned McGrath, 3rd Tipperary brigade was founded and ws 1393, p. 5) it was presided over by Dick Mulcahy, then chief-of-staff of the Volunteers. It was my first time to meet him. Before the meeting Sean Treacy had a chat with us and he said that we should elect Seamus
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8 Siu ofMo/011 cy! Ho11Je i11 Tipperary tow11
~... ~'.2 ..1 •.....:..1 .U'..-.i ...™ ·JC$ ~'.iti"rf4-.•Ua::aw *' .w Y i 11. The end of 1918 was dominated 12. Pierse McCan, a gentleman farmer by the general election. In Thurles the from Ballyowen near Cashel, was selected Archbishop, whose support was sought to contest the 1918 general election by.b?th sides: tried to stay above the fray. as SF candidate for the East Tipperary This 1s how his secretary Fr Michael Maher constituency which took in the south-east saw things: of the county and included Cashel. Of The leaders of Sinn Fein are sti/I in gaol the four County Tipperary constituencies but they have a powerful organisation all only the two in the south were contested: over the land and young and energetic McCan against Clonmel's Tom Condon workers everywhere. Rival candidates MP since 1885 and P.J. Moloney again~t were named for each constituency and as Bansha's John Cullinan, MP for Tipperary the days progressed it was more apparent South since 1900. that the Irish Party has Jost extensive ground for the past three years. The party In Clonmel, eighteen year old John candidate for Mid-Tipperary called on Sharkey, an enthusiastic supporter of the Archbishop to ask for his support, a SF, collected and kept McCan's election request-which the Archbishop refused. He handbills, the kind of ephemera that informed him that he would take no part usually does not survive. Sinn Fein made in the election except to give his vote and much of the support of Bishop Thomas that he would leave the priests free to O'Dwyer of limerick, who died the do as they like. Mr Hackett was evidently previous year, and Mccan was pleased to disappointed and conveyed to the use a quotation from the bishop on his handbill. Archbishop that the lack of his support would mean the Joss of the constituency to the Irish Party. The Archbishop \ remained inflexible. \ (Journal of Fr Michael Maher, Thurles vol viii, p. 130, Tipperary Studies, The Source, What is the True Thurles) \ Principle ol Irish Nationality ? ) \
I VOTE FOR " McCANN. SINN FEIN sTANDS FOlt THE TRUB PRltfCIPLB OP IR~H NATIONALITY·
]oh11 Hnckm (MP 1910-1918) Sharkey Colledion, ripperary ShJdies, The Sourte. Thurles did 1101 defend his sent. McCa11's election hn11dbi/l 13. During the local leaders of Sinn Fein, but none of the General Election Presbytery priests saw him nor did he call 1918, pressure at the Presbytery, though he paid a visit was put on the to the Ursuline Nuns... .. archbishop by Some young men went from Thur/es to key Sinn Fein give assistance in canvassing on the Sinn personalities, Fein side in East and South Tipperary. including the most We were certainly very fortunate to prominent cleric have escaped a contest here. The same is associated with that true of North Tipperary, where the Sinn party Fr Michael Fein candidate, Joseph MacDonagh, was O'Flanagan from the returned unopposed. West of Ireland, a Fr Matt R)'fm trial to his colleagues (1844- 1937); Like many older voters, Fr Maher was and superiors who born Pallasgrwn; Pl' uncertain about Sinn Fein: were somewhat less K11ockauilla 1897-1937 I have looked in vain for any policy from radical. the Sinn Fein Party. They have not said Fr Matt Ryan PP. Knockavilla called at the what they are going to do after their Palace with Father O'Flanagan, the acting return for the constituency except to President of the Sinn Fein organisation, appeal to the Peace Conference and to to see the Archbishop, but he did not abstain from Parliament, apart from these succeed as the Archbishop was in bed two intentions they have sketched no with the influenza that day...... Father modus operandi. O'Flanagan stayed a few days in Thur/es (Journal of Fr Michael Maher, Thurles vol viii, with a Mr C. Culhane, who is one of the pp. 129-35, Tipperary Studies, The Source, Thurles)
14. The grave of John Cullinan MP, St Michael's Cemetery Tipperary. Bansha native and part of the early history of the GAA, John Cullinan was MP for Tipperary South 1900-1918 and witnessed the euphoria when in 1912, Home Rule appeared to be on the horizon. Initially suspicious of the Volunteers, he supported that movement when the Home Rule party under John Redmond got control of it. He encouraged recruitment to the British army during the Great War and unlike many of his colleagues he decided to fight the election in 1918. At sixty years of age he found himself campaigning for his seat for the first time. Standing on his record and supported by most of the senior clergy, he did not actually ask people to vote for him, thinking that his record would be enough. It wasn't and he Stool~-- ', • • u i....ri.,""_.t SI, Du0/10 . lost by some 6,000 votes to P.J . Moloney. "h\~or~ (In Tipperary in the two constituencies ·· ~~ ·~•Cf. in the north of the county, Joseph MacDonagh and Seamus Burke were a Fr Michael O'Fumagan returned unopposed.) 0
--~~~~"¥-' · - '"'- ~ - - -- · . .t ;:¥."•_-,;: ,.._..;-,:~)f,Jjii,~M~4\AlG&Jlfl~- ~'h - - 15. The great flu epidemic of 1918-1919 demanded more than was available in terms of response and facilities. The medical officer of Tipperary PLU tried to explain this to the board of guardians. He explained that he had fifty patients and just four vacant beds. The best known Tipperary casualty of the epidemic was Pierse Mccan who died at Gloucester Jail on 6 March 1919.
DGM Grnvc of jolm C11/linn11 MP. Sr Michnel's Cemerrry Tippernry In the south, Pierse Mccan (then in an English Jail) defeated Thomas Condon, 7,487 votes to 4,794. During the following months, in increasing bad health, John Cullinan served on local boards dealing with army pensions. He died in Dublin on 17 Murphy Photos December 1920 and was buried in St PimeMcCn11 Michael's Cemetery, Tipperary, a very short distance from the Republican Plot. 16. Edward A. Hackett from Laois was 17. The Soloheadbeg Ambush. the Tipperary SR County Engineer from Tadhg Crowe, a farmer's son from 1889 to his resignation in May 1920. His Solohead, was born in 1898 and in 1917 report to his employers on the episode was brought into the Volunteers by Sean at Soloheadbeg was dated 28 January Treacy. In June 1918 he was arrested 1919. With his responsibility for roads, the and given three months in Belfast Jail theft of explosives for quarrying stones for illegal drilling. He was not released impacted road maintenance. until early October, after which he
~ ; • • • 'I ftl l · i. "'< t :. lj remained in the area but not sleeping - I/ // ,, . ; l t ~.,. /rfr; ~ - .._I' (/ •• ,/ ,• , /•/(ti 'Y ~'"': ...( at home. Around the second week of ,, . 't• I', I I r"r ,,• 1' ,.J I.,, t • ,/_ January 1919 he was told by Treacy 1; . -~ . ' /'I. fl ti. ,? .( about the plan 'to seize' the explosives 1;; I,, · J' brought to Soloheadbeg Quarry at a 11 r~.,;, ,• . ". .1 1 11 . date then unknown. Over the next days ' .( • ' ,.; ·' :- le J. • ·-· ~· : 1 '• ••••J ' • • 1 ) .. , ' I he and others waited for news of the ... • 1 c. •• . • ••. •
Within a couple of hundred yards of the Breen, My Fight, 1924 ed. quarry, they were attacked by a party of armed men. The two policemen were There were eight in our party that day, shot dead and the explosives were stolen. viz; Sean Treacy, Seamus Robinson, Dan I have been informed by the police Breen, Paddy O'Dwyer, Michael Ryan, authorities that no further permits for the Sean Hogan, Patrick McCormack and use of explosives will be granted. myself. Some of us were armed with revolvers, and Sean Treacy had a small As a result of this lamentable outrage automatic rifle. I had my .45 revolver nearly all my preparations for the repair ~<-· and my position was about 12 or 15 ~_..::: of the roads west of Tipperary which yards on the right of the main party. My were urgently needed and on the point instructions were to prevent the escort of bearing good fruit will be nullified. and the Co. Council men from running (Hackett report to Tipperary RDC, 28 Jan 1919, Tipperary Studies, The Source Thurles) back along the road when the order to G halt was given. ~~Wli:i9.ilu~~-~- ...... -m - colleagues, while on his way to South Africa, was identified and killed. The odium attached to 'informing' was very much part of Irish popular culture .
APROCLAMAilOI • DGM By the Lords Jialic:a-Oencra1 and General .... My recollection is that the two RIC GoYemon of Ireland. men armed with carbines were walking behind the horse and cart when it came into the ambush position. There were several shouts of "Hands up!" I myself shouted that command at least two or three times. I saw one of the policemen (O'Connell) move up to the cart and crouch down beside it. From the position he took up and the manner in which he was handling his carbine, I was satisfied that he was going to offer resistance. We had instructions not to fire without orders from Sean Treacy or Seamus Robinson, but as far as I could judge, the cart and the boxes of gelignite on it were shielding this policeman from their view. I fired three shots at him; one was ineffective, and the other two hit him in the arm and back. About the same time, either one or two shots were fired That £1000 ojfufar i11fon11a1io11 011 SoMuadbcg is from the gate where Sean Treacy was ruorrh at least €80,000 today. positioned, and the other constable fell, shot through the temple. We got 19. What happened the day after the out on to the road. The two constables Ambush was perhaps more consequential. were dead and Flynn and Godfrey were By taking advantage of the wartime unscathed, but badly frightened. provisions of the Defence of the Realm (Bureau of Military History, Tadhg Crowe, Act (DORA), introduced at the start of ws 1658, pp. 8-9) the Great War, the government made South Tipperary a 'Special Military Area'. Special powers allowed when 18. The traditional way used by the the threat from Germany was very real authorities to solve serious crime and was sledgehammer and peanut stuff obtain convictions was not forensic police in the context of what happened at work but by tempting one or other of Soloheadbeg. The resulting disruption those involved to inform and claim both to life and business did nothing to help the reward and as promised in this poster, the government in the battle for hearts the protection of removal to some other and minds. The social and economic part of the empire. Following the Phoenix dislocation in Mid-West Tipperary was Park murders by the lnvincibles in 1882, severe. one of their numbers, who betrayed his Defence of the Realm County Tippera1·y (South Riding) Special Military Area Notice is hereby given that, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by the Defence of the Realm Regulations, Regulation 29B, the Army Council, with the concurrence of the Chief Secretary, have by order dated the 22nd day of January 1919, declared that on and after 22nd Jan 1919, the ru·ea specified below shall be a Special Military Area for the purpose of the said regulations - that is to say, the County Tipperary (South Riding). Given under my hand, this 22nd day of January 1919. (signed) F. Shaw, Lieutenant-Gen., General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Ireland
Nations/isl, 25 January 1919 20. Over the next months, Treacy, Breen party of RIC men approaching the house. and Hogan, later joined by Robinson, kept She roused Hogan and told him. He left ,, on the move across counties Tipperary, the house and ran in a southerly direction i~~ :1 Limerick and Cork, through a field. Unfortunately for him, during which period, the police were approaching the house Robinson and Treacy from the south side and as he cleared the went to Dublin to meet fence at the end of the field he jumped Volunteer leaders. Dan straight into the arms of s1"x RIC men Breen remembered who were extending out to surround the that period with some house. Had he taken any other direction bitterness: he was safe. (Bureau of Military History, Thomas F. We had to tramp from ('" 'I>--~- ."l Meagher, WS 1541, pp. 4-5) parish to parish without Shar1teyP001os a penny in our pockets. Dnn Brun Our clothes and boots 21. Like many supporters of Sinn Fein, were almost worn Michael C. O'Shaughnessy, a Kilfinane out and we had no shopkeeper and father of Daniel, was replacements. Many in shocked by Soloheadbeg and wrote whom we thought that to Sinn Fein headquarters to express we could trust would this feeling. The reply, given here, not let us sleep even in understandably did not address any their cattle-byres. specific issues about the ambush but went {D. Breen, My Fight for on the attack referring to 'two armed Irish Freedom (1964 ed), English policemen' and implied that they Tipperary People Publications p. 48) were fair game. Sed11 Treacy •. After weeks on the run after the ·L ·~ ~ Soloheadbeg Ambush, the fugitives '":·~:::.~;.:!~=~ found themselves in the Dundrum· Clonoulty area and on the evening of 10 May 1919, they went to a dance at Ballagh organised by Mick Davern to raise some money to pay for a revolver. After the dance, Sean Hogan spent the night at Meaghers of Annfield. Tom Meagher takes up the story: ~··; A few hours later and while Hogan was . resting on a sofa, my sister noticed a ; 0 ' ! L...~ ·~--~ ~™.WWW t .w.wwwrnoewww • .,....,.....,... Sinn ~em :.!. ~ ' • • "Well, isn't it the usual thing to do ,, . - -:_! .~_:_- after?" "We don't want to go to the o ·;"' "' rc.e.....:,...,.. States or anywhere else". "Well", said ,\r (11.-,• Mick "a great many people seem to think it is the only thing to do". I began to be afraid that GHQ had begun to give way Sinn Fein pacifism and with a little i n le T•Ol f t C' f l~rt r h tt•r ti t tt.. tc:a lut. S1 to h la. !!• rr • 11.~ .. rt1) • to pr••.. 1 H. u acerbity I said: "Look here, to kill a couple , .J • S• • ho of Uae hi •:-a•t :oJ :e... .. '" 1"" h ' . tM·r :•~:t .tutr t~r U-.!1 &-~! 11~ ;ohr••M 1ai c:o. of policemen for the country's sake and
. ir:•r• t:t · ~.6 lc 11 :. ::... 2: ll•o. ! l ll ld U h •:1 •ttrnNh•'7 leave it at that by running away would be
~ ll1 r.!' f 'f r ••3 :"'• ~Ot" 1l bh f O#l:i ~ :o h 1Tl•t• thh C•t"1'1hello• lo so wanton as to approximate too closely ' ' "'C°• • .: CJai '-•Ul too 111l\•a. •• ri.ve ~ Ill•• •11 t o •tl>J •Nol• M to murder. " "Then what do you propose ~:>r.;i•:.r .. .a. :!(' : .. r •• •• oa r1 Js.1d• a t &to• "'c•:it' U.• pofltha to do?" " Fight it out of course". c t ' '°I JI C IUl'rJ h r1•,11a.a, lllf;j •r.~ 11".. O! 't.. r•l>f'h 1tl It &l'e I Mick Collins, without having shown r-"'fl:• n t tir •r.! ~ 1117 =.., tC• :or--::. c t ho r;;rdt.Jt ftrrhoa. Al • the slightest emotion during this short • 11 n•rta. ':t:.• ~•ul r.•r-~ uouu1 !C~ '"' lo•s of lit• •• i interview, now suddenly closed his ::·~: ::r:~:.::s:~:: ::;:;:u::·:,::.:•:):~:k t;•r::: :: II notebook with a snap saying as he strode t~ •mtt1 ~!ltit t: rc lta-.110 o• l".ot ••r'7 io.s..s .,.. t\'' 1t• off with the faintest of faint smiles on ult• or : reient:-6 11 t•. his lips but with a big laugh in his eyes: " That's all right with me" .... ""· f. ! 1,, • ., ,.. (Bureau of Military History, Seamus Robinson, WS 1721, pp. 29-30) Xr l:'.I .. f. •:i..o;c~u1, 1ocll•• ' ti•• lllr•1•r, U lnr~• · ·-• I &reau ofM il~ary Hisrory. Daniel F. O'Shaughnessy; Kilfinane, ws 1435,p.18
22. Shortly after the incident at Soloheadbeg, Robinson and Treacy as the brigade numbers one and two were called to Dublin to answer to Volunteer HQ. {That the encounter reads like a screenplay and that Treacy has no speaking role may be noted.) Sean and I set off on bicycles for the city, leaving Dan Breen and Sean Hogan behind. On arrival in Dublin word was sent to GHQ and almost immediately we had a despatch telling us where we were to meet Michael Collins. But Michael was waiting for us on the street with his note book out. This meeting which was in the street instead of in an office ...... Mick seemed to be keeping his eyes peeled watching everyone in the street without moving his head. His glance would come back to us. He greeted us with: "Well, Robinson famUy everything is fixed-up; be ready to go in a Sra11111s Robinson 111edding photogmph day or two". " To go where?" I asked'. " To the States" he said. "Why?" 23. Getting Arms. .. One side evening at 7.30. They Getting arms was a constant pre broke in the door of occupation of Volunteers. Bill O'Donnell a the back yard and I company o/c in the 2nd (Cashel) Battalion was in my room and I of the 3rd Brigade explained: never heard a sound of anything the evening It was during this year of 1919 that was so stormy until I we commenced to raid private houses heard a (noise at the for arms. With four or five others, I kitchen door and I remember raiding four houses, those went to see what was &Jm1111d Murphy of Colonel Murphy (an ex British Army it and when I opened officer) at Ballinamona, Jerry Murphy. Hill my door I was covered with about 10 House. Cashel. Dr Cusack's, Cashel, and revolvers ...... ) Paul Cusack's of Mount Judkin, Cashel. At (TUF/88/16/28, Murphy Papers, Tipperary Colonel Murphy's we got two shotguns, Studies, The Source, Thurles) a blunderbuss and two swords, and we got a shotgun at each of the other three 24. Following the death of Robert houses. Byrnes in early April 1919 during an (Bureau of Military History, William effort to rescue him from Limerick Union O'Donnell, WS 1304, p. 3) Workhouse hospital. where he had been ... And the other removed from prison because he was on With reference to the raid on Murphys of hunger strike, the authorities proclaimed Ballinamona, the illustration is from the Limerick as a 'special military area'. f irst page of a note from (John) Carty the This as the illustration shows restricted butler to the family who were away. free movement but also in this instance severely damaged labour relations. Ballinamona, Cashel. Sir; I sent a wire this morning to let you ---···-·l,,!M,~t9.!!; ...... Sl'F.llTAI. )111.TJ'ARY, A<~ know the house was raided Sunday a·... ·30537 <" . ,. ,,.,~ .. ~ _ ~...... ~ ~..---,..,..,....~~--~.1 ~ /. M U•. ~~.. ,,:::.~-~ ~ ~-po0,.•.t...• ~.·.. - • -.,1 '_, I .... (_~~ I.1 • '' LIMEltlCk I -. •.-· /·' .• 13~ -"\: -4- -..\: ·' //J,,,/...._./..._;. ~-;; :... :., ~ ..,.r---., 7, ' f &>t P'5lt\,, ...... ~ • '"'• ,.,. .., ., - _,. ! ." t !igdf'r..· •. '
TUF/88/16/24 Murphy Papers. Tipperary Sludies, The Sourte. Thu~es Specinl Militnry Aren Limerick Pass.fro m British militnry. to E. \\7, Murphy. 8 Mny 1919
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11.JF/88/16128 Murphy Papers, Tipperary Studies, The Sourte, Thu~es Bnlli11nmo11t1 Ho11Jt, Cnslul G The pass was issued to Edmund Murphy boarded the train when of Ballinamona, Cashel; Roman Catholic it stopped at Knocklong but loyal. His brother Alfred, a Lt-Col. in County Limerick. in the Leinster Regiment was killed in Hogan was guarded Flanders in November 1917. by Sergeant Wallace ~i• ·· and three constables, 25. In this letter of 1938 Sean Hogan Ring, O'Reilly and touches on his status and that of his Enright. The first and John Joe O'Brien colleagues after Soloheadbeg and, quite last of these four were naturally, makes as much as he can about killed. John Joe O'Brien describes what their time in Dublin. happened: .- 70< One of the RIC escort, Sergeant Wallace, > was a huge man, about 18-stone weight c (';, and I remember he had Ned O'Brien 30 , ··~r'th ?:-'l'dcr!eJc !treot, 7 Vto:\'!Un. on the carriage seat with his fingers on Ned's throat. I jammed my little automatic against Wallace's throat and =eer•t U7, ""orut:=ent or De(e;!CO, pulled the trigger. There was no report rt~t.J:, . and I concluded that it was jammed. I ran my finger through the trigger guard and making a kind of club of the gun, I broke it on Wallace's forehead. I think it was Lynch who hit him also in the same spot, for Lynch was spattered with blood. Sergeant Wallace also received I , gunshot wounds from which he died, but I am not certain at what stage of the fight he received those wounds. Apparently. Hogan got out through the window or the door. He was, as I have said, handcuffed, somebody shouted to him to get out and he did so. One of nibJ..t:J co ~,:"~: ;1~~ :;;~ei!!~~ · ~ · ~~~~;r: Ja the policemen, Constable Ring, jumped l'o t ali on Jn .o , ccel:nt , •S t!'ft r cn ·~ S"':-Vc-4 wtth hero =~~~:!:;:: •i:r.d r ~=~ ~r. : ~~i~C:.~i~ ~! !;'~11~!cc~ u an through a window. Scanlon and Lynch, t t.• •TU'd ht • cr:.te:-!l'.!n "' !l c uMse. r'"TA<':-«!. ' who were unarmed, were engaged with 1 cnlr t ho n J1>:- ~~&,""~e!:! !;.'~ !~..,.~1 ~~~!'"~ ~!~ ~~ ! ~~ve the fourth policeman, • o.; ~'~ cU r ttC'\ll t t o " lTo o.11 , And ot th t~0 t- J1 dSd r.ot. t..'\!.n!t Jt ""=7 nece"r-"!'1" to ro !r to d11l RU . Constable O'Reilly. He had a carbine between tht o~ r 01\o""l.r .!!1!~ tY:~~!~!' ,~c~o:!:ti~~~~~iI~{:' !:~~:!J ~~~:=-: ~c:":r ci~f~cneo o!' !l:e t1!:Lt t.l'At his legs and they said to him: "Give us the In tr.c o of t! c •2-o'lt> : l'w:l"'o .. w ll'U l '"l•o "1 o:"; A Crushing Burden Enormous Police Claims Lodged in Tipperary At Tipperary No. 1 Rural District Council notice was received or criminal injury claims amounting to £23,522. These included claims for compensation for the shooting of police - District Inspector r; Hunt, at Thurles, £12,000; Constables McDonnell and O'Connell, shot at Soloheadbeg, £5,000 and £2,500 respectively; Sergeant Wallace, shot at Knocklong, £3,000; Constables O'Brien and Reynolds, injured at Galbally, £200 and £100 respectively. Several members said that if these claims were granted, it would mean a crushing burden. ~ The Council gave directions to oppose all the claims. ~'· Freeman~ Joumal. 15 September 1919 G l. I ~~i.!Aii.f~hi7&i ~ ' ' was located should pay for it. had hurried An argument was that the people who home. The police ' ;'.: perpetrated these attacks were not went around necessarily from the administrative areas that evening and where the attacks took place; Knocklong caused the public being an obvious case in point, the attack houses to be taking place where the train happened to closed. A young make a stop. priest happened to be in the Square and somebody ran 29. As with many events in Thurles and brought him during this period, our guide is Fr Michael to the dying man. Maher who was on hand during the It was said that killing of District Inspector Michael Hunt the people jeered on Monday 23 June 1919. During the actual shooting, Maher was at the railway when they knew RIC b11m1cks 111111/ plnqut what happened, station. but Dr Barry rushed out of his house I went to the races and during the course which is only a few yards away in order to of the day saw Mr Hunt several times. He give assistance and another man ran for was dressed in uniform and had a platoon the priest, who was near hand. of soldiers as well as several police under his command on the course. He was in the Mr Hunt was a native of the West of company of Captain Smith who happened Ireland, a Catholic, who had risen from to be in charge of the soldiers in Thur/es the ranks and was about 46 years of age. He was a thin, tall man, with white hair at the time. He came to the grand stand and very pale face. He leaves two sons for each race. Captain Smith preceded and two daughters as well as a widow him. He was lithe and active and seemed after him. He had been in Thur/es about delighted with everything...... four years. A daughter of his died here It seems Mr Hunt left the course about two years ago and was buried in St accompanied by the military and police Mary's cemetery. Another daughter has a after the race goers had dispersed. When tubercular foot and is unable to walk. he came to the Fever Hospital, Captain The crime was looked on as political. He Smith and the soldiers turned into their had made himself very active against Sinn quarters, the police continued their Fein ever since the escape of Leahy and march followed at some distance by Mr did not allow a week to pass without Hunt, alone in the crowd, making their sending soldiers to stop meetings and way to the town. When he got into the search houses. In that way he became Square just at Dr Barry's corner, some very unpopular and the majority of the crackers were exploded and then shots people had turned against him. I had to were fired and Mr Hunt fell. go to him often in connection with the "A baton charge" was cried out and Archbishop's motor car and I found him the crowd ran in all directions. It would very courteous and agreeable. All the appear that his assailants followed clergy had to say the same about him. He him at close quarters and fired at him did not seem to mind the danger he was with a revolver from a few feet behind. in, although it is said that he was warned It is thought the shot was fired from beforehand. the pocket of a coat or in some way (Journal of Fr Michael Maher, Thurles vol x, manipulated through the pocket. pp. 160-61, Tipperary Studies, The Source, The work was done so well that the Thurles) perpetrators escaped in the general confusion without being detected. I came into the town about an hour later and the place was almost empty. Everybody G 30. The Government and II Tipperary. ORGANISATIONS- SUPPRESSED. A Doblla correapoodent. wlrsoc on flfond11y olght, aald :-Tbe D11f>tln Gau/It_JO olgbt :I coaw.a• the (ollo'lttng- " Pf LOrd Lieutenant and Privy Conoc1l 10 Dtny CoJll~ treland.-Pttnch •• Wberw, by our aptc11l proclamauoa, Country Houses ofIreland, M. Bence • Jones dated the 3rd clay o( July, 1918, In pur~uance and hy ...Utae or the I Cr1m1ul La.. and Pro· ced11re 1lrelaud1 Act, 1SS;.' we declare from the 17 Aug A threatening notice - the police date I.hereof cu1aia 8"Qt1aUoa1 In Ireland found a notice posted in front kllOWD by tbe 11amu or the SanD Pein Or R&n1satlon, Sinn Pelo Clube, the lrl•b VolWI• of Derrycastle threatening any teert, the comaon na mBJU1. and the Gaehc person who works or assists Mr Letgue to be daniterons : and, whereu. uld Hodgins. (Local farmers are trying assoc11.t1on• no" r1:1at lo the couoty of T1r perary, North Ridl.Dg, now we, the: Lord to get Mr Hodgins to surrender i..1eutcoaat·Ocacrotl anJ. General Gover.nor of the property.) Ireland. by aoil 1'llh the advice of lhc: Pnvy Co11ac1l 10 Jrcbnll, and by v1rtu" of tbc: 18 Aug A threatening letter-John • Cnm1ual Law and Procedure 1lrcland) Act, t687,1 and of enry power 8.lld 11uthomy sn tbas McGrath publican, Thur/es, beball, do hereby l>y thtl our onltr r·oh1b1l received a letter threatening him and 1uppress ... stbia the amid coaD'] o Tappe that he could not carry or use a rary, 1'ortb Rld1ag, tbe aasoc1auoae.oamcd and deac:nbtd la the calll aptclol proclam1t1oa ae gun. That if he did not give it up the Srnn Pe\n Organlsa\\on, Sluu Pt1u Clubs, on demand he would risk his life. the Insh Votnnteer1, lhe Lomann 1111 mBan, and the Gaelic League. Tb11 order aholl be (McGrath was friendly with the promulJtaled by the aeme bC1ag published 10 police.) tbe JJubfrn Gattllt. "C1v~11 at the Co11nol Chamber, Dublin 26 Aug Twenty masked men raided the Castle, the 4th day of Joly1 1919 house of John Hogan. Clash, ••JOH~ ROSS. .. lt. i:,BAW.•• Toomevara and took away a Siaular proclomatloos are lssuetl la re· double-barrel shotgun. lercnce to T1ppe.rary South Riding. (From monthly crime report Tipperary NR Chlof Bocrotnry'o Momorandum, August 1919 and cited in Hogan, Black & Tans, p. 135) Nenagh News, 12 July 1919 31. The RIC functioned as an information j1 Afir!.£D ·MEL :~;.· DER~YC~STLE. network which the IRA degraded. It : 'bi1 ·"roon~ ·n · ~· bero( ormed men· was however still functioning in 1919. nttiicked llic~el M rath, dll'etalier ·of Reporting on North Tipperary to Dublin Dcrcycostle es tc, ~ Wlgli,·:uid bent h,iin. He wns ·tOld· t len t>c lthC plnc.-o in n i\·eek· ~~:: Castle for August 1919, county inspector or he would be shot/ ' ,-llll·y· r: .:in con11L.Ctio1L with £\le ·m11uli. ·. -, . . . :. . · · • -::•• • disaffection against the police.) 1 ·~ :. / # • T-,[1"':. •.~f,.._ 1.,·• ..,. _.~ •.!-, :_ , Tipperary Slsr, 13 September 1919 G r~< ~~· --J ~.On2Sopt•m=~=:~ambushed near Lorrha in North Tipperary he raid it for money!=-- So during the last '~ and a policeman was killed. Five days six months the brigand has been abroad ::::t later a soldier was killed in Fermoy plundering peoples' homes and holding and the town badly damaged. On 12 them up on the roadside and robbing September the Dail was declared illegal. them at the point of the revolver. The As ever, Fr Michael Maher was observing police are useless, they cannot go out at matters from Thurles. night lest they may be shot, the soldiers Martial law came into force in Tipperary spend their nights in the barracks, and from Saturday the 20th Sept. There were so the people are left quite unprotected. no other instructions except the stopping The government of the country never of fa irs and markets and public assemblies cost so much and yet there is no safety of all kinds. People were allowed to self for the individual. Bank managers are pigs and cattle at their homes and to robbed on their way to outlying offices. deliver them to the buyer. They were also Farmsteads are burned, police are allowed to deliver farm produce in the shot, and nobody is brought to justice. town provided it was sold beforehand. Everybody is exasperated because many The prevention of the fairs and markets men are outlawed, others are taken away was a big blow to Thur/es, but people are and kept in gaol without trial, political making such profit in shops that it does prisoners are treated as criminals and law not seem to press heavily on them. The abiding citizens have to pay for all the police carry carbines when patrolling the damage done. (Journal of Fr Michael Maher, Thurles vol xi, streets and country roads and soldiers p. 174, Tipperary Studies, Thurles) go out to the approaches of the town every market day to prevent persons from coming into the streets with anything for 33. The Tipperary fugitives from the the market. Other than these restrictions, Soloheadbeg Ambush occasionally made everything goes on normally. themselves useful during their t ime in Dublin 1919-21. On 19 December 1919 yet The country is in a very disturbed state at another attempt was made to assassinate present. Masked men have been raiding the Viceroy, Lord French (unusually in houses in every province for arms during that top position, an Irishman). The unit the last two years ..... The success of the comprised men from Collins' hit squad, masked men raiding for arms gave a the four Tipperary men and thanks to headline to the criminal. ff masked men accidentally meeting Sean Hogan, a Dublin Volunteer named Martin Savage who was killed. This is Dubliner Michael McDonnell's version of events. I hurriedly organised the squad and got to Kelly's public house at Ashtown Cross shortly before 1 p.m. I was in charge of that ambush. As everyone was working I found it very hard to make up a sufficient number. Sean Treacy, Dan Breen, Seamus Robinson and J.J. Hogan were up here from County Tipperary "on the run" and Treacy had informed me before this that if they could be of any help to me at any time to call on them. This I did at this time with these four, Paddy Daly, Martin Savage, my half-brother Tom Keogh, Jim Slattery, Vincent Byrne, Joe Leonard, Ben Tlppeflly Siar, 13 September 1919 Barrett and myself...... Hogan-Wilson Collec1ion. NLI Poiming to where n bu/lee struck one ofthe c11rr in the Viceroyi co11VOJ'. We got into Kelly's public house and The result was the first car of French's some of the boys ordered minerals. I went party which was preceded by a detective out the back to look at Ashtown Station on a motor-bicycle, flew by before we to see what I could see. While out in the got the cart to the corner. Grenades were yard I saw a large farm-cart standing on thrown from our party inside the hedge its heels. I told Breen to get it in readiness which stopped the second car as we to push it through the gate, body first, had told them to do, but unfortunately on to the road with the object of running French had already passed in the first car. round the corner to block French's convoy A sniper opened fire from French's car of four cars which at this time had gone on those of us who were on the road, down to the station. .... killing Martin Savage instantly. The other French's party took less time than we had two cars came from behind the second expected to get into the cars and came one and also escaped, but we captured from the station. I gave the signal for the the driver of the second one, and to our cart to be brought out and I put Paddy amazement discovered there was nothing Daly and four others inside the hedge in it but luggage. Dan Breen was also with hand-grenades. After telling them to wounded on the road but his own men concentrate on the second car and some succeeded in getting him back to Dublin. other details, I turned to the cart again (Bureau of Military History, Michael and found they were bringing it through McDonnell, WS 225, pp. 3-5) the gate with the shafts first instead of the way I had told them ..... G ;-:..·1~ ~~&t'h~?'::~~~i';~..:.-~•:&iH'AO•~r.;,g~msz;;a •ot•M#•wH 34. Life in Dublin for the fugitives 35. The first police fatality of 1920 was difficult. Annie Farrington was was Luke Finnegan, an RIC constable manageress of an hotel in Dublin city in Thurles. He was a twenty-nine year centre and was helpful to the 'boys'. old native of Tuam in Galway and was married with two children. Making Dan Breen stayed in the Crown several himself busy investigating IRA activity, times. He had various people with him including aspects of the Knocklong from time to time, Sean Treacy, Sean Rescue, as Jim Leahy, do of the 2nd Hogan and others whose names I did not (Mid Tipperary) Brigade explained, they know. On one occasion about 6 or 7 of determined to be rid of him. With a them came and they were in a dreadful large dash of hyperbole, the consequent condition. They had been sleeping inside unofficial reaction of Finnegan's the walls surrounding some church for colleagues is known as the 'sack of several nights and had a few days growth Thurles'. of beard. Dan begged me to give them some sort of a shakedown. The hotel was Constable Finnegan, called on me at full of guests and I went and took some O'Connell's (the pub where Leahy of the mattresses from the beds and worked) and told me that they knew placed them on the drawing-room floor. in the barracks which of the Thur/es leaving the guests with only the box Volunteers were out that night and that springs. They only stayed one night. I fed these men would be rounded up in a everyone that came in like that. few days. Th is Constable Finnegan knew (Bureau of Military History, Miss A. everyone in Thur/es well as he was the Farrington, WS 749, p. 2) policeman who dealt with the sugar 9m6am Xortl, Saelcf?ill~ Strut, g)ublin. ll I Dublin City Library and Archive Cro11J11 Hou/, I 811 Sttckville Strut Upper. one house 11/IJllJ.from Gresham Hou/ ll ration cards during the Great War. For in the Mall. He was returning from the some time previous to his visit to me he barracks at about 10 o'clock and was had shown himself to be very hostile to about ten yards from his house when the republican movement and was known we fired at him. He was badly wounded to us to have been busy making inquiries and died the following morning. Later I concerning the activities of members of that night the RIC and military ran amok the IRA in the town. in the town. They fired shots at random and went through the streets discharging After Finnegan's conversation with shots through the doors and windows of me, I had a chat with another of his the houses and business places of Sinn colleagues, Sergeant Hurley. who was Fein supporters. friendly towards the IRA and from time (Bureau of Military History, James Leahy, WS to time gave valuable information to 1454, pp. 26 -7) us. The sergeant told me that Finnegan was compiling a list of men whom be suspected of being involved in the recent 36. Jim Leahy's account of the killing of attacks on the RIC barracks. I decided it Constable Luke Finnegan was written was time to put Constable Finnegan out in 1956. Fr Michael Maher had a more of action. On the night of 20 January immediate reaction. 1920, Jerry Ryan, Mick Small and John Jan 20th 1920. Tonight at about 10.20 McCarthy (Coorty) and myself, all armed Constable Finnegan was fired at and with revolvers, watched for Constable wounded on the Mall between the Finnegan in the vicinity of his own home \ "'~-~...... ~~ ...~ .. ·'.·:~. - ~·~~~ '~'·" ·-- ~r:-z~ .. '~~~ ~~-~ Written, Jan 20th 1920, 12.10, after ., __ .,• . - .. - 1.. -=- . midnight. \ THUR.LES . .);OR'fH WARD-(Elootcd)-Thomne P Jan 22nd 1920. The shooting was done Stnpleton, corn exporter . and gcne:r:i\ by the police who broke loose after the merchant (independent ticke~) 1 topped attack on their comrade and smashed the the list of primary \"otes obt:umn~ more than the ncccssars quota, l: ...rems .lJ.o[. windows of many leading Sinn Feiners in nn sc·condn ..._. te.'lchor (Labour), ' g.. • · "' hr d Income the town. They fired into several houses Jereminh Dwyer, pu :;ndn a:n_dcnt), 3 ; and invaded a few but there was nobody Tnx Recovery n.gent ,~n ep 'S F) · iLe l ocer's mnnn2el' \' · · ' injured. The explosions I heard near the Jnmes n1y, gr ...drivc~ . (l':'lbour), 5; -1; Jnmes Rynn, v~n S .F:) 6. Presbytery were at the time when they John Honlilin11, vic~~~tl~:v· (Labour), were firing into Mr Morgan's house, J{nocked out - • 1 f (Ind~n- which is the last house in Cathedral St Bolton (lndepe(nLdebnt?ll'• J)o .~s~~ce (S.F.). next the river and opposite the Ursuline dent), Byron n °• ' Convent. This seems to be the first time the police have retaliated for an attack SOU'l"H WA.RD: -Elcct.ed-Willinm Butler, nrql'i:1ion nnd genernl merchant, on one of the force. The soldiers did (lndepon'!rcnt), topt>e.d list of nrimary it last year in Fermoy. Evidently their 1·otes, Q'bt.·.inmp; more tlu\n the' neccssnr\" intention was to punish the leaders quotn, 1; Ohnl'les Culhnn 39. Martin Begley, RIC sergeant in Toomevara took his work seriously and l was good at it. One solution from an IRA perspective was to be rid of him, without being caught up in the administrative snares between brigade and GHQ. Two of Begley's colleagues were killed coming from evening devotions on 16 March 1920. This episode was not the end of efforts to kill Begley. Se~ Hogan 0 .. ~.-"11~~!1'~ . F. 34.... +c§• ..,_ ,,Jl.\l'.&..:l<·~-~\ilt'.?... tV!\t."'Oil.....~-~w"'~~·-""" Jc:m:www .. " and about half a dozen members of the fight by recognised rules. By 1920 the Toomevara company, including myself. It police unofficially adopted similar tactics. was decided between us that sanction to shoot the policemen involved in Harty's assault should be sought from brigade headquarters. Whelehan went in person to a meeting of the brigade council but sanction was refused. This happened in October; 1919 ...... (Whelehan was advised to ignore this) ...... For months afterwards, Whelehan, myself and a couple of other men lay in wait on different roads around the village on an average of two nights per week, thinking we might get a chance to attack the police, but eventually gave up trying when we noticed that they had ceased to leave the barracks at night. However; we had by no means abandoned our project, and our chance came when it was observed that policemen were attending This is Fr Michael Maher's account of the the evening devotions during Lent in the police murder of James McCarthy, following spring. member of a very activist Republican On the evening of 16 March 1920, family. Whelehan and myself, armed with two Everything was going on normally in .45 revolvers and in disguised attire, Thurfes and the people were pursuing waited outside the church gates in their avocations in peace until the early Toomevara until devotions were over. morning on Sat 27 March, when a young It was about half past seven when the man named James McCarthy who lived congregation came out, two RIC men with his mother; brothers and sisters in a among them. As the police passed the cottage on the Mall was shot dead at his church gates, Whelehan and myself got in own door by disguised men. It seems the behind them. We had followed them for family was in bed, when a loud knocking about forty yards, and then each of us was heard about 1.30 a.m. The young taking a man, opened fire and shot them man came down to open the door. He was dead. asked his name, gave it and fell pierced with bullets. The assassins then departed. The crowd coming from the church A brother of his who is a member of gathered round and in order to scatter the Urban Council, elected lately on the them to prevent ourselves from being Labour ticket, got some threatening recognised, we fired a few shots in the letters previously, which he attributed air. After that, we made our way through to the police. This urban councillor is an Looby's gateway into the fields and to active young fellow and has been asking our own homes, hiding our revolvers on for an investigation into the damage that the way. was done to the town on the night of (Bureau of Military History, John Hackett, the 20th Jan. The people believe that the WS 13BB, pp. 6-9) deed was done by police and that it was the councillor they wanted. 40. This cartoon is from a pro-British (Journal of Fr Michael Maher, Thurles vol source and showed the IRA as unmanly xi, p. 187, Tipperary Studies, The Source, lurkers, unwilling to 'play the game' and Thurles) Hollyfard RIC Bnrrncks 41. A feature of the early months 42. This page from a notebook kept of 1920 was attacks on RIC barracks, by Sean Treacy probably relates to 1920 a large number of which, in light of and is by way of an aide-memoir and is a the government's policy of saturation reminder of his schedule; for example the policing, were spread across the country. note that constant attention had to be centred on the movement and number of Ernie O'Malley from Volunteer GHQ was enemy forces within a given district and on hand for some of these attacks, such the obvious need of weapons training for as that at Hollyford on May. In this 12 what he called 'raiding parties'. account he and Seamus Robinson are on ...... the roof of the barracks. We each had a two-gallon petrol tin tied on our backs, and five or six sods of turf which had been well soaked in paraffin. ..• We carried two revolvers each, a pouch of ammunition and a strong hammer tied to our left wrists. We crawled across the roof,· then as we smashed hard with our hammers on the slates, we heard the riflemen open up below. I threw a hand grenade through a gap and I heard the crash of Seamus's missile almost at the :..~· same time. Petrol was poured in through ':it the rough-edged holes. Lighted matches were held against our sods of turf which ~ ~.; flamed up noisily and quickly caught the ~ dripping petrol in a roar of leaping light. .,,.,,..1 With a sudden blast, fire thrust back and ",;":, "".1 forward on the roof in a growing wind. ":j (E. O'Malley, Raids and Rallies (Anvil, 1982), ~ · p. 19) , -~ ~ ~ ~ I lipperary Studies. The Sourte, Thurles ~ ' ~ 0 -~ 1 :,;.~ ~z~~'j.~Y~M~~T.;~'%v~~~&e~z:.z;~~ 43. With the spotlight on the political 44. On Thursday and public aspects of individual lives 3 June 1920 county during a period of momentous change, council elections it is very easy to forget that between the were held. Unlike shouts and the shots, there were private the earlier local and personal moments. A few months elections (for before he was killed, on 24 May 1920 urban authorities) Sean Treacy acknowledged a wedding the previous gift from a Gaelic league branch. December, this time Sinn Fein was more prepared Louis j. D'Alto11, and one way of Elected Chair1111111 ensuring victory 1920to 1924 was to discourage alternative candidates. In the five electoral areas of South Tipperary, SF now controlled all twenty-three seats. The new council met for the first time on Monday 21 June, in Clonmel. Louis Dalton from Tipperary town was elected chairman. The chairman in proposing the now familiar resolution adopted at all local boards, pledging allegiance to Dail Eireann as the authorised government of the country; said it was the most important resolution to come before the council. Ireland merely demanded the self-determination that had been granted to other countries..... lt was unanimously decided to send all minutes of the Council to Dail Eireann...... The chairman said the resolution meant Private Collection that the rates which were going to be levied on the people would be for the A Cara Oil good of the people. ... If England wished Please excuse my delay in acknowledging to keep a military garrison of any sort in your gift. Tis partly my fault and partly this country; she would have to pay for it the fault of circumstances. Thanks also herself.. .. for good wishes. Ta sibh r6 {fhlaithiuil?} (Minutes Tipperary SR County Council, (much too kind) ar fad /inn and much too 3 June 1920, Tipperary County Archives, flattering also - if there were many more Carrigeen, Clonmel) like that our heads would be swelled in no time. 45. In order to cope with IRA attacks I can't agree with your opinion that on barracks, a special position was marrying amounts to becoming a passive created, that of Defence of Barracks resister. History past & present disproves Sergeant, responsible for improving that theory. So don't let your members and maintaining defence. On 12 July off work just because they're married. 1920, men from Tipperary and Limerick Is there anything I can do for 'ye'. brigades launched an attack on Rearcross Mise RIC Barracks. The man responsible for Do chara sa chuis (your friend in the cause) that barrack's defence was Sergeant Sean 6 Treasaigh John Stokes, just twenty-one and from -c.. County Down. His defensive features included the back ,~ =·:..; L~~~~- 3 wall being modified and netting wire i .... , <,!. aw·~,.. across the back "..-J. yard as well as steel plates to protect windows. Previously in the army, Stokes I 11 had only recently joined the RIC as Defence of Barracks • Sergeant and was ~"· the first such killed ,, by the IRA. This is Ernie • e • • ...--· • '• • • .~ I • • • ,• -·c.:.~~~ •· • • • • O'Malley's account A ...... '? ••• of his death. I I Ulj Sometime just Special defensive measures in RIC barracks I about dawn a I sergeant wearing Military Hospital 'I a soft hat came out the front door of Tipperary the barracks with a rifle and looking July 31st 1920 up at the roof. evidently trying to find the riflemen whose bullets, when they Dear Mrs Parker, penetrated through the slates and the Your son lance Corporal Parker met his top floor, had been a source of danger. ... end like a brave gallant British Soldier, Rifles cracked by the haggard and (the you will be very proud of him. For him sergeant) stumbled back against the door. now all is happiness - care and sorrows It was a brave and hopeless gesture... . are no more - All is well - Our hearts he bore no bad name among the local grieve for you in your sad loss - our deep people. sympathy is yours. Your boy was brought (E. O'Malley, Raids and Rallies (Anvil, 1982), in here yesterday with another of his p. 61) comrades, who met his fate at the same time and it has cast a deep gloom on all around. 46. The hospital May God comfort you in your grief. in Tipperary town Yours Truly attached to the DMC Michele (Matron) military barracks (https:J/www.cairogang.com/soldiers-killed/ ~ I serviced the injured Lucas-ambush/parker/parker.html) and dying for a wide ~ "! region. Victims of In Oct, Parker's mother was awarded £240 IRA ambushes were compensation for her son's death. brought there. On 30 July 1920, two soldiers II of the Ox and Bucks regiment were killed lnnu Corporal Parker during an ambush at Oola. The hospital matron had a deal of ~ · practice writing such letters. G ~~;~~~~tx!«U~...... ~"-~"-u.R::~ 47. Unlike the other two IRA brigades in Tipperary, the 1st or North Tipperary unit had leadership issues. The Brigade OIC. Frank McGrath, owing to certain newly formed partnerships in business with a bitter enemy of Sinn Fein and the l.R.A. - a man called Frank R. Moloney Nenagh - had incurred a good deal of unpopularity among his own men and Sinn Fein supporters generally. The manner in which he handled the Borrisokane barrack attack brought matters to a crisis. His decision to retreat prematurely and his desertion of the wounded men were regarded as inexcusable. Besides, it was the general opinion that his association in prison with men who did not approve of physical force caused him to become so moderate in his view as to be unfit to lead the brigade at this critical j uncture. I sent my resignation as Brigade Adjutant Brendan Treacy to GHQ explaining that I could not see Frank McGrath my way to hold the post any during the summer months of 1920, and longer while Frank I found myself reluctantly compelled McGrath remained to resign from the post of Brigade OIC. as Brigade GHQ then appointed Sean Gaynor to Commandant. take my place. From September 1920 In this action I until the Truce in July 1921, I was on the run to avoid being again arrested. was supported During that time my work with the by practically brigade consisted of activities such as all the younger organising the brigade flying column, officers in the organising the brigade IRA police force brigade. Instead and the establishing of Sinn Fein Courts of accepting in the area of North Tipperary. I my resignation, Co. generally travelled on a bicycle and GHQ sent down Gaynor family I took advantage of my visits to the a representative, Sed11 Gaynor battalion areas to inspect arms dumps Peadar Bracken, and to instruct the quartermasters in the with instructions to remove Frank care of arms and in the preparation of McGrath and to appoint myself in his returns. Another item which required place. my attention was the distribution on (Bureau of Military History, Sean Gaynor, a more equal basis of the available ws 1389, pp 23-24) arms and ammunition amongst the battalions. Checks revealed that some Reminding us of the partiality of the quartermasters were holding ammunition evidence, Frank McGrath recalled the for which their units had no suitable guns matter differently. whilst other battalions might have the Due to my prolonged periods of guns but lacked the ammunition. imprisonment and to the after effects of (Bureau of Military History, Frank McGrath, the hunger strike, my health deteriorated ws 1558, p. 13) 48. 49. Below is the account by the I O/C 2nd /Mid 1 Templemore Tragedy Tipperary Brigade, D. I. Wilson Shot Dead of the killing of D.I. District Inspector William H. Wilson was Wilson. I shot dead in the Main St, Templemore, on We (Leahy, John Monday at 3 p.m. Fahy, Upperchurch, ·~ I The tragedy occurred within a few yards Jim Stapleton and of the police barracks. Three bullets Paddy Kinane) were struck deceased and death was almost in (Templemore) Jim Sr11plt1011 instantaneous. at 11.30 a.m. and Mr Wilson had been doing office work in the after waiting for three or four hours police barracks during the morning and was around Kelly's in the Crescent, Stapleton on his way home to dinner when assailed. left us to go across the street to Fogarty's pub with a friend he had met. There Although police rushed out of the barracks were a couple of local Volunteers moving on hearing the shots, his assailants had about the town watching for Wilson, One disappeared as mysteriously as they came. of these Volunteers came to me with the Military also appeared on the scene and news that Wilson was coming down the much excitement prevailed as the victim street from his own home and that he was a well-known local figure, ha,ring been was unaccompanied. On hearing this I stationed at Templemore for 8 or 9 years. sent word to Stapleton over in Fogarty's Deceased's Career that the D. I. was walking along that The late 1fr Wilson joined the police force side of the street. As Wilson passed the about 25 years ago as a constable and door of Fogarty's, Stapleton stepped served in Galway, Longford and the Midland into the street behind him and shot him counties. For many years he had acted as through the nape of the neck. That was official shorthand notetaker in Dublin Castle. the only shot fired and it was plain to me About 2 months ago he had a remarkable that Wilson was dead before he hit the escape in Templemore, ground. I ordered the attacking a bullet grazed his party to leave the town at once. head. We got out through an exit at He was aged about 1'1.'. 'l\ the side of Fogarty's, on through ., the Carden Estate and along the 50 years and was appointed District Dunkerrin road for about 300 lnspector in 1910 and yards. We then turned into a promoted to the rank byroad leading to Kil/ea. At this of 2nd class Inspector stage Stapleton collapsed and 2 years later. He took ! "~ . we had to carry him a couple charge of the Thurles . . /AV r:·' ,:: of miles until we reached his police for some time ~:-:-. j:" cousin's place, Tracey's in Kil/ea . after the shooting of / This was a fatiguing job as he ;:.. , ~' ;VJ.''fi Mr M. Hunt D. I. in ·. ' was a big man, over 15 stone ·.. .\3 <•..,> _-:~/ ·-~ June 1919 and he ~ . \ .•• ' ~ti weight. represented the police (Bureau of Military History, James at the inquest on that . ,,,,. . ,,_;\ I\ --:'/.I: Leahy, WS 1454, p. 37) officer. ic~ ::~ ;m ~:,.'.; , ,!~ ~~ . ~-v~~ Jim Stapleton was also Nenagh News, 20August 1920 https 'Jf'MW1.ances1ry.com/boanl~cs . ctime . responsible for shooting D.I. royalirishconstabulary/35.4/mb.ashx Hunt the previous year in \'(ljl/inm Harding \'(Ii/son Thurles. He died in 1940. G •.i.,'''•''' '. ~iS!llt:lf:lll!la."!liW..~~ ~~~~~~-m· ·::-:.e;~:;-::ml:i#~d'Q~·Z.:f.f!#:~~ tl :~ SO. A young man named Jimmy Walsh Tipperary. The IRA unit was not quite startled the town with a story that an ready and one of the British officers apparition of Our Blessed Lady appeared rallied his men, forcing the IRA to to him at a place called Curraheen, two withdraw before reinforcements arrived miles out.side (Templemore) where a from Tipperary. Michael Fitzpatrick was well was said to have suddenly sprung wounded and survived. Three British up on the spot on which the vision had soldiers were killed, one of whom, 17 year manifested itself. Simultaneously statues old Thomas Crummey was from Nenagh. of the Sacred Heart in the house of a Brought up in Nenagh Workhouse, he family called Dwan in the Main St, which moved from one institution to another Walsh had kissed, started to 'bleed'. The and was in the wrong place at the wrong people in the locality at once began to time on 28 October. With no interest flock in hundreds to the scenes of these apparent in claiming his body, he was unusual happenings which in a matter buried in St Michael's Cemetery in of day or two became headlines in the Tipperary town. daily newspapers, not alone of this country, but throughout the whole world. "Miracles" of all kinds were reported and pilgrims started to pour into Templemore from all over Ireland and ultimately from across the water and even America. {Bureau of Military History, James Leahy, WS 1454, pp. 41-2) 51. The first test of Lacy's Flying Column was an ambush on 28 October 1920 of a convoy of Black and Tans based at Golden who travelled the road routinely. However instead of the expected Crossley tender, a caged lorry arrived on the scene bringing soldiers of the Northamptonshire Regiment from Templemore to the rifle range in OGM Priv11u T. Cnm1111ey 52. Part of the narrative about the IRA 54. Late on in the War of Independence relates to Monday 11 their methods of communication such as October 1920, Sean the transmission of dispatches. By both Treacy and Dan circumstance and design. a great deal Breen arrived at of this material did not survive. In this Fernside. a house example the sender is Eamon 6 Duibhir. in Drumcondra. to stay the night. CCU":ll :m . OIU~L A few hours later ?ett. 1 •I',.19• · 1•: 0. the house was ~· CCl'%4t: • • raided by a party Mnjor G.O. Smyth Sie''1Ui ':'tn . N•. l of nine led by ,ta;..n , Major George Smyth, who was killed. uoi =· l ·=.. ~~~~ r ~=~ ::~i~··s-c:o':,:1'1!!!i ';~-c; l • » u ~ fo.r.ar.!• \ f. !trtt;s!:• cM!prtu• b'll\ \\'11 un~ \ Both Tipperary men escaped separately, fth W -.:•t• ol uo;u...... d won• • tl\l t bfl"J ••m. u P T• \..:11 i~t \ t D • 1:.a7 Th k t~ t • •• bMtU.: d \l:.'IJ' bll al\ ra,at.S eR.1li'1t1'lll.;. • • 1-:o:e. o!Mll l tA•• tb.m ott •.!~' to ttl04Sl•01J'• ':he: • I• • 'oa a!' though Breen was wounded. Later that a:ultl.le oUg sltrd.:I• •· tH IDt 1&t1;42' t oft\!\ lt_. '!O a \sl't •Ull J:O ~ 0 ~ye J day. they came together for a last t ime u ttt.• tnl lr• o tter • h_._...., Jo.t • ff ~ tb-t 1M•llt1 •t•U•, •• 1t U t=•ortu t tbt • • &.'1t2U blm •»t •r• t• \• 1:0• f'I. '!~ at1.im.U I# tili •.!.I 0U1•r \eoal\tl"· •• tl.• ' ter • r.:•1ctal ohll\ in a shed near Mountjoy Square. Joe cc! . O::~ C" ·~ tc.tUH •D 'h ::i&Ltt.~tic:• n.• ~}.~ i:atUr •• r41..·s rlt ~ M ento o:rh.al• ta ~-alcl ~ U b• aU.-i Sharkey Papers, 'red phOlo album' Tipperary Studies, The Soutte, Thur1es organised search for Breen must be in progress. Dan in his delirium was all the time grieving over the loss of his best 53. Eamon 6 Duibhir from Ballagh friend and gallant comrade Sean Treacy between Dundrum and Clonoulty and by t his time further administrations was one of the seminal figures in the of brandy were having little or no effect opposition to Home Rule in Tipperary. in keeping him quiet. We had been there He was interned in 1916. By 1920 he had for perhaps half an hour or more when distanced himself from the IRA campaign. sounds outside the door brought us to Nevertheless when reprisals were planned the alert .... and, wonder of wonders, he was deemed a suitable target. his companion was the very man whose To the editor of the Tipperary People Sir - About 1 a.m. on Sept. 30, a detachment of British forces, presumably from Cashel, called to my house. In response to a knock, my sister inquired who was there and the reply was 'The military'. She immediately opened the door and an officer entered with a revolver in each hand. About a dozen soldiers, accompanied by two or three men in civilian dress, followed. The officer inquired if I was at home and on being told that I was not, he secured a lamp and rushed upstairs. At the same time some of the men began firing, though there was no enemy inside and one of them was wounded in the foot by the fire from his own comrades. The womenfolk in the house (6 Duibhir's mother, sister and her two children a11d a friend) were orde.red out. The house was immediately set on fi re at various points and also two large stacks of corn with carts and (farm) implements, the total loss amounting to nearly £4000. I may point out that so far as I can learn neither RIC nor "Black and Tans" were concerned in that outrage - unless the men in civilian dress were Black and Tans.... Eamon 6 Duibhir. Kilshenane, Cashel Tipperary People, 15 October 1920 G ~"""'""""_,,.,.,..,...... ~ ~~~~~~~~~=='--~~~-- ~ ·&..~.. ·,~~~~~~j!f?."~-'W4~~· .:.. ~ ' .;' . .. death Breen was lamenting. Sean Treacy 55. The Death of Sean Treacy, Talbot . indeed, as full of life and mocking Street, Dublin, 14 Oct 1920. I humour as ever, though garbed in ~ somewhat burlesque fashion with a coat several sizes too large for him, the sleeves ")\II I :tSk of you is. th•t whenwu yo mo)• ~. }'Ou wlll n-membcr 111c ot the All,.'; of which were rolled up at the cuffs. The of the Lord." reunion between himself and Breen was ;;g . ;;'; an emotional climax, in which Breen was ::j ~ ~~ shocked back from his nightmare world ;: -~ J ~; of delirium to pleasant reality and Sean • :i:: G. ~ 8 < ~ . .48"£!~ .;-~; . allowed his deep inner feelings to show •;,·. )J'tJ~ "' ,_ Q. for a moment. Treacy gave us a brief ~ ~~~~ ~~; sketch of the happenings at Fernside, and ~~ l. ~ 2~ said that when at his (Treacy's) urging ~~ I 3 ¢ 0 ~u R~i Breen had left by the window, he himself .-.:.~ O;! kept up a covering fire for a few minutes to enable Breen to get clear and then Sn ~\ler 'l!.Q\•in{l Memoq; .:. . -OP- • left by the same window. He dropped unhurt through the hole Breen had made SEAUN ALL~ i~EACY SoLOUr.A.011cc ., Co. T1rri:R4Jn•,. ' in the roof of the greenhouse and also COMMANDANT 1.k.A,, made his way across the laneway into l\illcd in oction in Talbot Str«t, Dublin, the grounds of St Patrick's College. Sean, On October 13th, 1920, however; had kept his sense of direction, whll Between the Soloheadbeg Ambush and his death, about twenty months, Treacy was mainly in Dublin not in Tipperary. Sean Brunswick was a member of 'G' company, the 1st Battalion, Dublin Brigade and was in the vicinity. When I turned into North Earl St I saw a lorry of soldiers and an armoured car in front of me and tried to get to the shop in front of them but failed. Just as the soldiers were getting out of the lorry Dick McKee walked out of the shop, while Sean Treacy ran from it and was pounced on by the individual whom I had reported to Comdts McKee and Clancy. and whom / later heard was named Christian, and another man named Price or White. Sean Treacy pulled his gun and shot Christian in the stomach. Just then the armoured car opened fire (as did) the soldiers in the Fmuidt house, Dmmco11drn lorry. I was in the line of fire unarmed and ! " took cover. When the firing had ceased I A son of the empire: born in India in 1893 came out and saw three men lying on the to a father in the British army, served in footpath - Christian, Price and huddled the army in the Great War and in India up in the corner was Sean Treacy. I went and was involved in intelligence work over to him and blood was trickling in North Tipperary. Described by Sean down his face. I searched his pockets. Hogan as 'the first and only fatal military His gun was gone but anything I found casualty inflicted on the Crown forces' by in his pockets I transferred to my own, the 1st Tipperary Brigade. ammunition, pens, dispatches and a field The men were all short of cigarettes message book, for which I was thanked and I sent Paddy Starr with a bike into by Comdts McKee and Clancy. I then went Nenagh to get a supply and also gave to the Mater Hospital and after stopping him instructions to make enquiries there for some time I was told to send the about the movements of enemy troops men away. Later that night (crown forces) in and around that town. While on his smashed up the Republican Outfitters. way, Starr met Captain Hambleton, (Bureau of Military History, Sean Brunswick, OIC of the Nenagh military post, going ws 898, p. 6) on a motor-bike to Templemore, then battalion headquarters for the British troops in North Tipperary. Hambleton had been stationed in Nenagh for some time and bore the reputation of being an extremely bad pill. Starr, once the officer had gone out of sight, came back and reported to me what he had observed. I selected Jeremiah Larkin, Hugh Kelly, 19EF -3011 -02 Sdn Treaty's shoe Mick Gaynor and Starr to come with me Kilmalnham to a position one hundred yards on the Nenagh side of Casey's Cross and got 56. Killing of Lt H.J. Hambleton behind a wall at about 2 p.m. to await 4 November 1920. the return of Captain Hambleton. Larkin, Kelly and myself had rifles, Gaynor had a shotgun and Starr, who was required for recognition purposes only, had no gun. At about 4 p.m. Hambleton approached, travelling at a fairly fast pace. When he was fifty yards or so from our position I gave the order to fire. Only Larkin and myself did so. At fifteen yards distance (in) front (of) us he fell off the motor-bike '\ and made for the fence on the far side . of the road. He was then almost opposite I . me and I fired again, hitting him through > the left shoulder. He fell forward across ·"·1 · the fence into the field on the other side, ~ shouting as he did so, "You ..... You've got J: me". In all, three shots were fired, each ~ii of which hit him. The accidental discharge r::1 · of a shot by Mick Gaynor coinciding ~ with the noise of an oncoming motor vehicle which, I thought, might contain enemy troops, caused me to order the ~ https11w.vw.cairogang.com/soldiers-l \ www.bloodysun<1ay.c:o.uk/murdered-menllitzgerald.hlml • • • Fimmi/ ofjolm Fitzgerald. nccompnnied by A11x1'1nrw One of the men killed that morning by the hit squad dispatched by Michael Collins was John Fitzgerald (22) from Cnstlefoga.rty Castle, th<- property ct Cappawhite, where his father was ) ·fojor. General Ily~n, wns humed aoq: dispensary doctor. Having served with the on "e 59. In time of war strange things happen. Robin Hood in Tipperary. Tipperary Star, 22 April 1922 In the hottest part of the pre-Truce fighting, a number of English soldiers soon rounded up the four of them (and) occupied Castle Fogarty near Thur/es. passed them on to the Dual/a Company. (Northamptonshire Regiment) Four of One afternoon about three o'clock (a them deserted at different times. They message was delivered that the four men) held up men on the road and compelled would be delivered to me that night at them to exchange clothes ...... These four Silverfort Cross at about ten o'clock. ... English soldiers lived in the w oods. They We were to keep them one night at came out a little before dinner time Moyglass and feed them well. The and revolver(s) in hand, compelled the following night we were to pass them farmers' wives to give them a dinner. on to the Fethard Company. .. then to The English army scoured the country for the Carrick-on-Suir men and so on to them but fa iled to get them. The Thur/es Waterford where they were deported to IRA then took the matter in hands. They England. ~1 : ~~ ~~ ~~:~·1; ": ! ~ ~ ~ . .,_....- "'>' »·-- .. ·· ,~ ~ & 368 w ..... • • .... · · · . '"'' S· a c.1;1C;j'"" "Ac• 0 1 a~u '1iJ ~ Main St., 17ppemry Town A.< you look at the photograph, the Irish House is the tallest building 011 the right hand side. ~ 0 l. . ~~'li;..~~t":_~tf&~.;\f~~·~~.rJ't&._~~~"·, ~~~-..Oh. _,_ ,J , . ..-~ · ~· ~~~~~¥'~~~·~'-C?~..:.:, A~ F; ....~~~~ - ~ (James Mccaffrey, I. O. 7th Battalion, 3rd sprinkled on the goods and through all Tipperary Brigade, O'Mahony/Fitzpatrick the rooms. Papers, TUA/48B/51, Tipperary Studies, (Tipperary People, 3 December 1920) The Source, Thurles) A court martial was not held, it 61. When the people of Tipperary being thought that the prisoners town woke up on Thursday morning being foreigners, they should get an 9 December 1920, threatening notices, opportunity to return to their homes. of which this is one, were plastered (Freeman's Journal, 17 July 1920) around the town. Not even printed but exercises w ith ink and paper, they were 60. Burning of the Irish House in opportunities for frantic Black & Tans to Tipperary town, 2 December 1920. vent their anger when attacks on them were increasing. The killing of Michael The Irish House, the largest business of Edmonds a few days later showed that its kind in the district, employed up to these notices were not idle threats. fifty people, several of whom were active Volunteers. It occurred some time ago that some of About 2.30 on Thursday morning flames our gallant RIC officers of Tipperary were seen issuing from the Irish House, were cowardly mmdered behind the the well known drapery establishment hedges not far from Tipperary by in the centre of the Main Street, Tipperary...... The ground floor and first Tipperary mttrderers. If the ambushes floor were a mass of flames and though do not cease forthwith, Tipperary and the upper floor was intact, it was seen district will be an ocean of blood and that nothing could be done to save the you may take this as final warning. building ..... The heat from the burning If these cowardly murderers want building was intense, causing the paint a good fight they can come out from on houses on the opposite side of the street to peel off. The glare of the flames behind those hedges where they wait was seen in the sky for miles around.... day and night to shoot down those The Irish House was an imposing innocent men. structure.. . the proprietors Messrs Newell It was in Tipperary town that the Bros the well known drapers of Dublin murder started in 1919 when two and Belfast, who purchased the place 12 innocent men were shot dead like dogs months ago from the former proprietor Mr James O'Neill, spared no expense in and they did not even give them time bringing the establishment up-to-date to say a prayer or prepare to meet in every respect. .... lt is stated that the their God above. But remember that damage caused by the destruction of is not forgotten. the stock and building is about £50,000 Any person pulling this notice down, (about two million euro). does so under a penalty of death and On several occasions within the past destruction and fire will follow. months, the Irish House was the subject Any person with his hands in his of nocturnal attacks.. . For some time past the staff, who had formerly lived in, had pockets will be shot at first sight. ceased to sleep on the premises and on the night of the burning the building was _a_ unoccupied. Anti-Sinn Fein League~ It is thought that entrance was effected by the rear and that petrol was plentifully Tipperary People, 10Oecember1920 'I 11 :1 62. Nenagh native, Edward (Eddie) 63. Proclamation of Martial Law. John Ryan was a member of the Active Service Unit of the 1st Brigade and in Frequently argued about in official mid-December 1920 was in action against circles, martial law was finally imposed police who had reinforced their position on Tipperary, Limerick, Cork and Kerry at Kilcommon. Hearing that a police from 10 December 1920. This all but gave patrol regularly collected their post in control of law and order to the military the village, it was decided to strike. Four and provided legal cover for executions policemen were killed. of IRA suspects such as Sean Allen from Tipperary town, executed in Cork 28 At about ten o'clock in the morning February 1921. the scouts came towards us to report that the police patrol was travelling along the direct road. The patrol #o,3. • consisted of eight RIC men on foot and in extended formation, two abreast and about ten paces between each DIVISIONAL pair. All of them carried rifles...... After a couple of minutes firing broke out, and unfortunately this occurred Gll~MA PRfl•1th c.111'11 tt1otr 11.,,1111 llhlllla, &MTID llllltuy 'N c...... c--. prematurely. .... Some of the police were WHEREAS. IW\W Law h"' - d 0 <~ •=-wm~ 64. A page from a notebook kept by Denis Lacy with information about gelignite. This was found under floor boards when renovations were being done to his place of work in Tipperary town, the business premises ~rt,,,u V,j r.J.1.:. fe of Louis Dalton. (Now ,!,;v · ~ ~u-.v:-J O'Connor Brothers) Denis Lacy 'Gelignite is soft in sticks (yellowish) 1J.'-'J1//) <>.;( . 4- 0 0 freezes at 40 (degrees) dangerous when frozen'. doM..r~ w-1.J--. f--..,)r 65. Drumbane - Then and Now B Company of the Auxiliaries (ADRIC) was based at Templemore Abbey January-May 1921. Dn1111ba11e Noiv a11d 7/Jm -A visit from ADRJC ii :I11 1;i: I Reddinglon/Mclnemey 011 Parrot 66. This photograph is undated but 67. Death and Reprisal possibly 1921 and shows a patrol by On 14 February 1921, Constable John soldiers of the Lincolnshire regiment. The Carroll (34) stationed in County Cork, was houses in the background are Murgasty taken by the IRA while he was on a visit Cottages, Tipperary Town in one of to his home at Ballywilliam near Nenagh which Constable McDonnell, killed at and killed. The local RIC district inspector Soloheadbeg, lived. The wall to the left reported that the body was found at of the patrolling soldiers in still in place. Ballyartella about five miles north of his The children to the left of the viewer father's house. Notices were fixed locally are a reminder that while the soldiers warning people not to attend his funeral were clearly conscious of a risk of being and threatening his father and brothers attacked, what passed for normal life if there were police reprisals. Carroll went on. may have been involved in intelligence work in Cork. His death illustrates that IPolice Conat~{• s.,o\ Dead a century on, the motivation for some i , · n~ar nash,. · . 1 deaths remain unclear. I After visiting rel~t~ves near Nena,h, Constable John. . Car'[ II, Empress Pohec Constable Carroll had figured in the Barracks. Cork, was f unrt shot dead in a aftermath to the rescue of Sean Hogan lld.1 ...~ !iO.ll)'C" llllllOI, .I , . . . • I at Knocklong station in May 1919. He DEATH OF CONSTABLE JOHN had found some incriminating evidence CARROLL. during the search of the train from - - Carrigatoher~ Nenagh, 18/2/21. which Hogan had been taken by his To the E fteprlaala In 8a11yw1111a.m On Tuesday week a lirtg~ number . of Crown . forces assembled at lially william. and burned. t~ the ground the Lr£.£. Barro1111 llDRIC two-storied re5idence of a popular and respl'Cted fa~er, named. Michael Mc with gunshot wounds. His name was John Uunnell, situate on· the old Carriga Stapleton and he died 26 February, four wgher ro;;td, about three . mile~ fro•"? days after being shot. The finding of the Nenagh, together with a large quan; official inquiry was all you might expect it 'tity of hay, wthouscs, etc. to be. Nenagh Guardian, 5 March 1921 68. 'Shot while trying to escape' After military service in the Great War, twenty-six year old Edwin Barrows joined the auxiliary division of the RIC in August 1920 and along with ten others, who joined up on the same day, was posted to "B" Company, formed two weeks earlier and for a time based at Templemore In his report Barrows describes leading a search party at Rathcardan, south of Borrisoleigh, from where shots had been fired at 'regular' RIC. They arrested a young man who gave his name as 'John Ryan' who tried to escape, was fired on and escaped. However, when searched, Thurles workhouse hospital had a patient Mrrs11www.theauxiliaries.conVINCIOENTS/slapleton·shol/slapleton·shol.hlml CIYil regislralion ol death Brigade. She survived to her 101st year r and died in Cashel in 2003. In the process of applying for a military service pension, various Volunteer officers 1 I i I wrote letters of support, indicating her I,! services to the cause. Below is part of the [, summary evidence given by her on 16 'sl' January 1942. •.-.•~• t .1:ii_.~tnr.;.d "'1!."·•• ot l c.J oo, llti" • Ui•/Cib.tG• SM io.d \he ,. :;:-~~o~. tt• .u • 9Ut ~,:_~i>vs .. ~ c:AP't., or au . th.la awct11. Oi"1 .. lt co\D \h• LMlca c:t u.. "''"' lllue ia , or ~=.;.. .= ~;:_• ,:'~\: ~.~~:,~~s-1 ~ ~ ~mq•d u... ~ "u ud car. '"'~°:',• GhUou •f llJllOl.:L ~~taa. ,...,.,~ :~:.':.:!!." ~.:.~·~.. ~ ~:: ·F•~ .... ,...... : . ..:- ""... . tJa• '\O lltll• l\lt'C•n• ~lt .)lao J0\1\3'lortAJ ~H an. .. .. l)hDlt ,,..... c~-\ .,.lab al..oat s ..u.. _, .-: CllUl • oc.a.w.,, ~:::.·~:.:.~ u...... :...... , ...~.::;r..- ..':'.." . .,,,.::' ~9:4°n~~..!';~6· ~u:~,!!: ~.at baO ,..,.~ rn,. , ...., ,, · •.- !Ntll~{J'-!&l i no ~-:A.~~=-;~l~~\~~-=-J.-:: uw t • U • • r• uaq wen ..ao ~a.:uc .-.. "-• • i'd&ll tt w a-. U • ~'\ TDDlD aDl \ '.ct o\Jl.•r Gt U. :\olo'!• ..-n ot.Mlltrl• '9,.. .,., ...... \OOk nvo.l'lan .Pl • .,p..aJ,U OA ,.,... ~ ...... ,._ .-11111.eio Ul• re-• t or \b•• -.. a\•U• ~·" .u •lfel •.,.... aa'9 Md ....a"11M. • \CIMIO u•...se _.,~ s' • .-c • .,... \M• a.1.c. 18 ~ -...... • ._...... n;~• u ~ t .B ..'-• ar t &a.n· ...... Adrian Corcoran MSP34REF55887/49 Mary O'Dtll)'tr. c. 1920 69. Cumann na mBan. 70. Black & Tans at play. Mary (Breen) O'Dwyer was born A.G. Hewson from a County Limerick near Dualla in 1902, daughter of an family was a professional soldier, who in agricultural labourer. Fourteen at the 1920 found himself assigned to Fethard time of the Easter Rising, she lived close barracks. Dealing with the IRA was one enough to Pierse Mccan to admire him challenge, dealing with the Black & and be moved by his fate. In 1920 she Tans quite another. In this extract from joined Cumann na mBan in Moyglass and his autobiography, he described being became a company captain attached to on night patrol and coming across two the 7th (Drangan) Battalion of the 3rd lorry-loads of Tans from Clonmel who on \l- 1 ~' ~- [i ~t .J ~ e M11/li11aho11t RIC Barrack :-.:.:~ :...-:;-.. . · ~·:)!!f'~~~...... ~ ·;rlJ1W':i.-.\l'.:2P:.. _..:. .j~~~zy~ A AE. Bell CoUection Rnid c. Tl111rles RIC c:i tho aolft\nt"- o: surxSny . lot ;.:a:: , 1921, nt. ubo\lt ~.'t . ,,... remain overnight. When he went out a .a., coodt. seen D"J!fy ,ncco~po..·>ltd bJ t "o or hlo St.!1.! f' Of:"ic1ro, capt . Pad"7 ;.!olo:ioy and Co.pt . Erlf\."1 :n·.. ~ Civil registration of dealh 'Gmuhot 11101111ds to head n11d nbdomm' ~ G '7.>i>W>:'toa:!.;:;;r.:mD1'0Jlli;.Jl.s;:;..ytJ,.!!,,U,™Z'~"""""'"'"" u . -rn,. G Templemore Abbey ~ ·- .. the stairs and directed a small stream of it men killed. His to the door of a room off the hall. I then father was a senior set fire to the stream of petrol and raced officer in the through the room door which Purcell same regiment, closed after me and we both got back out stationed in India into the grounds through a window .... at the time of the place burned to a cinder, for a scout his son's death. reported to me at 7a.m. that he had seen He returned to the roof cave in. The military had then England and thrown a cordon around it and were demanded answers preventing sightseers from approaching about what http://www.ww1photos.org/ the ruins. happened. The photo/158981 (Bureau of Military History, Sean Scott, WS senior officer for Ala nnder Toogood 1486, pp. 10-12) the region, General Strickland, in his report, refused to assign 77. On Sunday evening 19 June 1921, blame, declaring: three junior officers stationed at Fethard The only point open to dispute is the visit went out for a walk and were captured to the Stables. If the dealer had known of by the IRA. The army claimed they were the proposed visit, then it was not safe- in on their way to stables. The IRA said they any case it was indiscreet but subsequent were spying. Ernie O'Malley gave an visits prove that this was not the scene of account of the episode in his On Another the murder. .... / fear that no number of Man's Wound. Leaving the politics troops could have saved them when once aside, this was a human tragedy, for the captured, as the facilities for concealment men and their families. 2nd Lieutenant are so great. Alexander Toogood of the Lincolnshire (https://www.cairogang.com/soldiers-killed/ Regiment (illustrated) was one of the fethard/fethard.html) ·l II Below is the report filed by the 3rd Brigade adjutant, dated 22 June 1921 l At about 4 p.m. on Sunday 1916121, a party of four of our men were on their way to reconnoitre an ambush position on the .....road . Going through the fields they observed three young men in civilian attire standing at a gap in the fence, viewing the country around. They appeared to be strangers. Approaching closer, under cover, our men called on them to halt and put up their hands. (Only one of our men was armed with a rifle and bandolier.) On hearing the command "Halt" the strangers seemed surprised and endeavoured to take cover. Our party then separated to encircle them. Seeing two unarmed men as they thought, closing in on them, the strangers picked up some stones and advanced to meet us. A rifle at the ready was the last thing they expected to see, on sight of which, ~ they turned ta il and fled. An exciting NU. Poole WP 2817 (chase) ensued lasting half an hour, a few Bridget Di/1011 warning shots accelerated the speed of in consequence of intimidation and an the pursued. Taking steady aim, Volunteer armed raid on my house on the 9th July H.... brought one of them to earth w ith a 1921 which resulted in the death of my bullet in the thigh. The others then put up daughter aged 16 years. their hands. First aid was rendered. (Irish Grants Committee, Michael Dillon, 3/9 (Sighle Humphreys Papers. P 106 IEUCD A, (1926) cited in B. Hanly, The IRA a documentary history 1916-2005(Dublin, 2015) p. 24) l~ISH GRANTS COl\IMl'l"f F.E. --c~D l •tf•.• ) ...o I ..._ ,; .,.. tl'T ,~z..".J• ,-.,.. ~'11,-t • ·- · · ,- · · • • ';.t 78. Just before the Truce, the Dillon • ;·.t,.. family in Kilcash, associated with the police and members of the family were ...... 1.,-...1.- .: · ... .. 11 ICHAE L ]) ILL.ON suspected of giving information. In an .... 1"'t attack on the family home, fifteen year ...... ;.- ...... ,.,. . lJ {y f. •..r I. a,., :~, ...c.. r.C! t.d ""• '\."rk." .. r.- old Bridget Dillon was killed by the IRA. ~ :.....r.">'-' • t .."""t"\ ,r ,, "-4 Her brother was later killed. The family fled to England and in this document their father applied for financial help ,~...... ~,·· · ...... "- ..------_:·I from the Irish Grants Committee, a charity '·-:-· o...... , ':"...... ~.. - ·~:-:::.:... ~~: .·.~-:::::::· ...... ~...... i/I ··~ • '~· ·~. ...., .,._. w ~ 'U41~ M · ..r; lb. ..k • ,f. 1 ....~ set up for that purpose. He was awarded J,."l1 1.-.t... ,.. ••~':l &""'" oJ'-' 1•1 ·-:"'/';« c /rJ. ,· "·~• ~- ·· ""' £290. l•:j_ :;!,/>< • •I a (_" ."f.J• ;f ~·•· · •• "';•, ./'•·" '-· ~;i'f --' •r Nenagh Guaniian, 16 July 1921 79. The military hospital in Tipperary 80. From mid-1920 to January 1922, Mark meant that the town had a role to play Sturgis, an English government official in the aftermath of the deaths of crown was a key-player in Dublin Castle. The fact forces throughout the region. Note the that a policeman friend of his, District word 'purporting' with reference to the Inspector Horgan, told him about an message from the UDC. Cummins was a encounter with Sean Hogan, was taken to spy and of course the UDC would not be indicate that the just-minted Truce might urging the closure of shops. hold for a while. Tues 11July1921 Horgan D(istrict) (l)nspector, promoted RIC constable and a great character told me just now that he was greeted in the street this afternoon by his old friend 'John Hogan the murderer who we've been after this two years and he'd not have shown himself to me if they meant to go back to the gun work'! (The Last Days of Dublin Castle: the Mark Sturgis Diaries. M. Hopkinson (ed.), Dublin 1999) Mark Sturgis seated far right · Gnull 11•1 ROINN COSANTA. l•UT, W DUIMCaL V•-ra-_- TaAU.anu. .. _ GEATA NA PAIRCE. BAll.E ATHA. i;:1.1ATll. I DD•UML. g.d ·;.!r;~ /-/. . I 'JJ" ...... ~ 1 .'f ... • ,'\ILITARV SERVICE PENSIONS ACT. I 9J4. 'fhc lliui:o:rPr nmr pt"O~lo ~-:o: . with tl11 • ~uu.:ti on n( tlic :\li1.1i:o.tl'r f111' fimmcc. nnd in nccord:tlll'fi' with tht• tcrrn 10 uf ~t·• · tion .11 o[ the Ac·t. to 21-:i111 ...... ~• ·· · · · · ~~~~ - · ·· · · ·· · " · · ····· · · - · · · · ···· ·· ········· a u~u :'l in'n. the 1le1nils of wl1ich nt·c as follow:> ;- Total st~ r,· irt• for pt.•u:o.iun purpqS(":1 nMJcfim,1 h~· th~ Sccuotl :St·ht•lule uf 1l1e Act. ouil ccniric.1' b,.· th• lt~f•r~c . lir.u.lc of rnnk for pf'n~ion !111r!)ClSes ns d<'tim"'l IJy :'N:tinn 4 (II ~ucl the Firsl !'chc