Tom Barry (60 page)

On 4 July, without the presence of a firing party, without the pomp or ceremony usually accorded to great men, one of Ireland's most famous sons was quietly laid to rest in St Finbarr's Cemetery, Cork.

Notes

Under the Command of Tom Barry, there were thirty-six riflemen, three scouts, two dispatch scouts and four after-ambush helpers involved in the ambush on 28 November 1920.

Tom Barry – Commander, 1898–1980

Jack Aherne , 1901–1973

Sonny Carey, 1902–1951

Nelius Cotter, 1891–1952

Batty Coughlan, 1895–1951

Denis Cronin , 1897–1966

Sonny Dave Crowley, 1894–1971

Timothy Crowley, 1889–1955

Pat Deasy, 1904–1920

Seán Falvey, 1898–1971

Johnny Hegarty, 1895–1973

Jack Hennessy, 1899–1970

Michael Herlihy, 1897–1949

Dan Hourihane, 1900–1974

Jack Hourihane, 1899–1922

John Kelly, Kilmichael, 1890–1959

John Lordan, 1892–1930

Jack McCarthy, Drimoleague, 1892–1971

Michael McCarthy, 1895–1920

Paddy McCarthy ‘Kilmallock', 1900–1922

Timothy ‘Casey' McCarthy, 1885–1965

Jim ‘Spud' Murphy, 1900–1976

John ‘Flyer' Nyhan, 1892–1934

Denis O'Brien, 1899–1953

Paddy O'Brien, 1896–1979

Tim O'Connell, 1898–1983

John O'Donovan, 1887–1973

Michael O'Donovan, Ross, 1899–1965

Michael O'Donovan, Leap, 1896–1958

Patrick ‘Pat' O'Donovan, 1899–1981

Patrick O'Donovan, 1895–1974

Dan O'Driscoll, 1898–1967

Michael Con O'Driscoll, 1898–1969

Michael O'Driscoll, 1899–1976

Jerome O'Hea, , 1892–1961

James O'Mahony, 1897–1979

Jermiah O'Mahony, 1891–1921

Denis O'Neill, 1897–1978

Stephen O'Neill, 1889–1966

Denis O'Sullivan, 1894–1969

Jack O'Sullivan, 1899–1986

Jim O'Sullivan, 1894–1920

John D. O'Sullivan, , 1897–1958

Tim O'Sullivan, 1880–1965

Jack Roche, 1902–1973

Ned Young, 1892–1989

• Three Volunteers were killed during the Kilmichael ambush: Pat Deasy, Michael McCarthy, Jim O'Sullivan.
  
• One Volunteers was killed during the War of Independence: Jeremiah O'Mahony, (gun accident).
  
• Two Vounteers were killed during the Civil War: Jack Hourihane (pro-Treaty), Paddy McCarthy ‘Kilmallock', (anti-Treaty).
  
• Eighteen men emigrated either after the War of Independence or after hostilities ceased. Some returned and settled in Ireland, some visited but made their homes abroad. Tim Crowley summed up the feelings of the men, who went to the US, when they first left – ‘Our bodies are in the US, but our hearts are in Ireland'.
  

• Went to the US:
  Sonny Carey, Batty Coughlan, Sonny Dave Crowley, Timothy Crowley, Seán Falvey, Michael Herlihy, Jack McCarthy, John O'Donovan, Patrick ‘Pat' O'Donovan, James O'Mahony, Denis O'Neill, Jack O'Sullivan.
  
• Went to Bermuda:
  Tim O'Connell.
  
• Went to Scotland:
  John ‘Flyer' Nyhan.
  
• Went to Wales:
  Patrick O'Donovan, Dan O'Driscoll.
  
• Went to Switzerland:
  Michael O'Driscoll.
  
• Went to Liverpool:
  Jack Roche.
  

British forces, converging on Kilmichael, carried out largescale reprisals around the ambush area. Shops and homes, haybarns and outhouses were destroyed at Kilmichael, Johnstown and Inchageela. Proclamations were posted up in public places and printed in the daily press:

New Police order in Macroom

December 1, 1920

Whereas foul murders of servants of the crown have been carried out by disaffected persons, and whereas such persons immediately before the murders appeared to be peaceful and loyal people, but have produced pistols from their pockets, therefore it is ordered that all male inhabitants of Macroom and all males passing through Macroom shall not appear in public with their hands in their pockets. Any male infringing this order is liable to be shot at sight.

By Order
AUXILIARY DIVISION, R.I.C.
Macroom Castle

NOTICE

December 2, 1920

The General Officer Commanding the 17th Infantry Brigade, Cork, requests that all business premises and shops be closed between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Thursday, December 2, 1920, as a mark of respect for the officers, Cadets and Constable of the Auxiliary division, RIC, killed in ambush near Kilmichael, 28, November, 1920, and whose Funeral Procession will be passing through the City on December 2nd.

F. R. EASTWOOD, MAJOR

BRIGADE MAJOR, 17th INF. BDE.

British dead at Kilmichael

(Regimental Museum of the Royal Corps of Transport, Bullen Barracks, Aldershot, Hampshire)

Captain F. W. Craik, MC, late Bedford Regiment.

Captain P. N. Graham, late Northumberland Fusiliers.

Major F. Hugo, OBE, MC, late Indian army.

Captain W. Pallester, late Royal Air Force.

Captain W. Wainwright, late Dublin Fusiliers.

Cadet W. T. Barnes, DFC, late Royal Air Force.

Cadet L. D. Bradshaw, late Royal Air Force.

Cadet J. C. Gleave, late Royal Air Force.

Cadet A. G. Jones, late Suffolk Regiment.

Cadet W. Hooper-Jones, late Northumberland Fusiliers.

Cadet E. W. H. Lucas, late Royal Sussex Regiment.

Cadet H. O. Pearson, late Green Howards Regiment.

Cadet F. Taylor, late Royal Air Force.

Cadet B. Webster, late Black Watch.

Cadet C. D. W. Bayley, late Royal Air Force.

Temporary Constable A. F. Poole, late West Kent Regiment.

Cadet H. F. Forde, MC, late Royal Air Force.

Cadet C. J. Guthrie, late Royal Air Force.

Proclamation by General Neville Macready,

Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Ireland, December 10, 1920

Extracts:

NOTE WELL:

That a state of armed insurrection exists. The forces of the crown in Ireland are hereby declared on active service.

Any unauthorised person found in possession of arms, ammunition or explosives will be liable on conviction by a Military Court to suffer Death.

Harbouring any person who has taken part ... is guilty of levying war against His Majesty the King, and is liable on conviction by a Military Court to suffer Death.

No person may stand or loiter in the streets except in pursuit of his lawful occupation.

All meetings of assemblies in public places are forbidden and for the purpose of this Order six adults will be considered a meeting.

All occupiers of houses must keep affixed to the inner side of the outer door a list of the occupants setting forth their names, sex, age and occupation.

The Decree of his Lordship, Most Reverend Dr Daniel Coholan, Bishop of Cork.

Published in a letter to the
Cork Examiner
:

Dear Sir – Kindly give me space to publish and thus promulgate the following decree:

Beside the guilt involved in these acts by reason of their opposition to the law of God, anyone who shall within these spaces of Cork, organise or take part in an ambush or kidnapping or otherwise be guilty of murder or attempted murder shall incur by the very fact the censure of excommunication.

(Signed)

Daniel Coholan, Bishop of Cork.

(Witness)

Patrick Canon Sexton, Farranferris, Cork.

18 December 1920

British mistakes at Crossbarry

No action has ever been won in any war except for mistakes or omissions by the losing side –
General Tom Barry.

1. The OC of the Essex made the stupid error of having his lorries travel in advance of his ground forces, thus allowing three or four lorries to be attacked by the IRA. Had his ground forces met O'Connell's flankers before the lorries were attacked, a very serious situation would have arisen; several hundred British could have been deployed on our right flank to attack while the Kinsale, Cork and Ballincollig troops, close by, were closing in from the south, east and north-east.

2. Whoever was in charge of the Essex cannot have made any attempt to rally or control his troops. I, and many others, saw them race away from at least seven or eight lorries beyond those attacked and outside our range of fire, and make off cross-country to the south. The Essex were no problem after the first five minutes; perhaps, too, they had memories of a few hammerings and of our contempt for them as fighters.

3. The efforts of the British from the south, east and north-east appeared to have been completely unco-ordinated. Their north-eastern units, estimated at 200, made an attempt to narrowly encircle Kelleher and Spud, which was quickly countered. Instead of this, any OC worthy of the rank would have sent half his troops northward, direct from their positions, for a quarter of a mile, with instructions to turn west there, and extend westward to cut off any escape to the north.

4. All the British seemed to have been mesmerised by the IRA going over to the offensive, thus destroying the plans they had for a complete encirclement of the Brigade Flying Column and its destruction when one of our lines was smashed.

Mistakes of the Flying Column at Crossbarry

1. The man who exposed our presence lost us at least three more lorries.

2. Our hardest-hit section commanded by Denis Lordan was in a bad position. The cover was bad, but when I first saw it at daybreak, it was too late to seek another to command the road from Crossbarry Cross, as the British from the west were already on us.

1. The far superior qualities of our troops as fighting men and the excellence of the officers and their section commanders who could out-think and out-fight any of the enemy commanders. I did not see one man over-excited during the day.

2. Our sections were properly deployed to counter encirclement, as events proved.

3. Our luck in getting in the first half dozen blows.

4. When the IRA commenced its retirement in column of sections in extended order, they moved as if on a parade ground.

The following order reproduced by courtesy of the Cork Public Museum, is typical of the written communications which were circulated by headquarters of Cork No. 3 Brigade to its battalions:

ÓGLAIGH NA hÉIREANN

HEADQUARTERS

CORK NO. 3 BRIGADE

15/6/21

Dept. of Intelligence

Divisional Intelligence Memo No. 2.

To:

OC …………..

Cases have occurred recently of spies, generally of the ex-soldier type, moving freely round the country on the pretence of looking for work but in reality getting information for the enemy. It is clear that many Volunteers have lost their lives as the result of the activities of these persons.

All officers must take steps to ensure that a strict watch is kept for strangers in every Company area, that unknown persons coming into any district will be arrested and detained pending inquiries if the local officer is not satisfied as to their identity and business, and all Volunteers must be constantly on the alert regarding strangers and report the presence of such to their superior officers.

The meeting to end the Civil War continued through 24, 25, and 26 March. Being interrupted by hostile raiding forces on 25 March the members were obliged to move into the Nire Valley, where the session was continued and concluded at John Wall's of Glenanore. No minutes of these meetings are available. The written record came from captured documents published in the Irish Independent of 9 April, 1923.

Three points of view emerged in the long conferences:

1. Liam Lynch's view, which was simply to fight on, notwithstanding any losses or disasters, until their opponents were forced to negotiate. He believed they were still quite capable of offering serious resistance to the imposition of the Treaty and that they were in duty bound to do so. There was little unqualified support for that view.

2. The point of view which believed that a continuation of the armed struggle was no longer the best means of advancing the cause of the Republic, and that by negotiation the Free State authorities could be got to agree to certain principles in the sphere of government which would leave the Irish people uncommitted to the Treaty and Republicans free to advocate and advance their cause without restriction. Specifically, this meant finding some way of making it possible for Republicans to participate in the political and parliamentary life of the nation without taking an oath of allegiance to a foreign monarch.

3. The point of view which recognised that the Free State authorities were not willing to negotiate at all, that the maximum military effort had been made and had failed, and that the war should be ended, because further sacrifices of life would not advance the cause of the Republic. From this point of view a dumping of arms was the most acceptable way of ending armed resistance.

Three significant aspects of the situation were considered in relation to these points of view. First, the heavy losses by death or capture of officers and men; second, the policy of executions which had been suspended by the Free State authorities in February, but resumed again in March; and third, the lack of weapons which would enable attacks on posts to be made successfully.

The total strength of the army was then about 8,000 all ranks. Jails and internment camps held an estimated 13,000 prisoners. Against the 8,000 still in the field the Free State government could muster 38,000 combat troops. There was no effective answer to the executions' policy short of retaliation equally lawless and cruel, and Liam had forbidden any such action. Michael Cremin was negotiating the purchase of mountain artillery on the Continent, but there was no indication that he would be successful.

Two resolutions were considered. Frank Aiken proposed and Seán MacSwiney seconded:

That Government be empowered to enter into negotiations roughly on the basis of principles 1, 2 and 3 of President's memo. Dated 9/2/23. Report to be laid before executive at next meeting.