PHILIP GREY ; 1827 - 1857 : AN IRISH MILITARY MAN.......
....... Philip Grey , in his early 20's , lived in a time when 2,466,414 Irish people emigrated or died because of 'The Great Hunger' of 1845-1849 .......
Philip Grey wanted justice ; his family had taken an active part in the 1798 Rising and now , he, too, wanted to play his part . He joined the Dublin Branch of 'The Irish Confederation' (which had its Offices in Queen Street , Dublin) and soon became Dublin Secretary for the organisation .
Not apparently inspired by politics (due perhaps to Daniel O'Connell's political failure to convince the British to change , or at least ease , its position re Ireland), Philip Grey studied military tactics and weapons use and , although by now working as a railway clerk in Drogheda , he could be found each night in the Queen Street Office in Dublin training other Rebels in all matters military.
In mid-1848 , while he was in County Meath , Philip Grey heard that 'The Young Ireland' Rising had began ; he tried to gather a fighting-force around him in that county (Meath) , but failed - he left for Tipperary , where he joined-up with William Smith O'Brien and James Stephens and took part in the 'Battle of Ballingarry'.......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
COOLNACAHERA and COOMNACLOHY .......
".......We were outnumbered and outgunned - but we were also lucky. Three British Army soldiers were wounded in the engagement , as was one of our men ......."
" The Dunmanway Auxiliaries arrived at Kilnamartyra , a few miles south of Coolnacahera , early in the forenoon while fighting was in progress . From several hilltops they viewed the scene and listened to the gun-fire ; instead of going straight towards it by a very direct road which would have brought them out at Poul na Bro , just where they were wanted on the western flank of the Column , they continued westward to Renanirree , four miles away . Turning north , they went in the general direction of Ballyvourney , but by the most intricate network of bye roads .
They arrived there , of course in time to be late , but that does not appear to have depressed them unduly . Indeed , at one of their stops in Kilnamartyra , one of them was heard to remark that they would be there quite soon enough ! An unarmed man running away from them would perhaps have roused their enthusiasm ; like their comrades who waited on the Killarney Road , the noise of battle did not appeal to them ! Fifty-two lorries of British Army Regular and Auxiliary soldiers were present at or near the scene of battle at noon . Excepting the Brit troops that entered Coomnaclohy , the others did not show any great desire to follow up our IRA Column .
Instead , they choose a more congenial occupation - they burned the two cottages that had sheltered the Auxiliaries and saved their comrades lives , and burned a neighbouring hayshed and two farmhouses . North of Ballyvourney Village , they shot down an unarmed IRA Volunteer , severely wounding him . But the day was not without its humour ......."
(MORE LATER).
THE CONVICTION OF WILLIAM QUINN .......
' William Quinn was recently jailed for life in Britain having been convicted of the murder of a London policeman on the basis of evidence and an identification which has given rise to considerable controversy . '
BY MICHAEL FARRELL .
(First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , April 1988 , page 18).
Reproduced here in 9 parts.
[9 of 9].
Ironically , the judge who finally ordered William Quinn's extradition in the United States' Ninth Circuit Court , had said - " Clearly the evidence...linking Quinn with the Tibble murder is not overwhelming . If that were all the evidence introduced at a murder trial , Quinn could not be cinvicted . "
That was before the details of the "secret" identification had come to light . Meanwhile , Gareth Peirce is also disturbed at the role played by the Gardai in setting up an identification which she claims denied William Quinn all the safeguards normally insisted on in such cases .
[END of 'THE CONVICTION OF WILLIAM QUINN .......'].
(Tomorrow - 'Breakaway Parties Have Poor Record ...' ; from 1985).
