" Eighty-six years ago, in December 1922, the Curragh Camp was the scene of a terrible tragedy; it was the execution, by firing squad, of seven young men in the Military Detention Barracks, now the Curragh Prison. The full story of the events of the week from 13 December 1922, when the men were arrested, to 19 December 1922, when they were executed, is not now known. All of the people involved are dead, and with them their stories. It appears that all official records of the executions have been lost or destroyed....."
(From here)

FOR THE RECORD.....

Between 17 November 1922 and 2 May 1923 , seventy-seven Republican prisoners were removed from their prison cells and shot dead by order of the Free State administration . In this post we name those 77 men and list where each man was executed and the date of same : we do so in the hope that , after the search engines have archived this information it will be retrieved by those who , like us , are of the opinion that these men should not be forgotten.

1922 :
James Fisher , Dublin , November 17.
Peter Cassidy , Dublin , November 17.
Richard Twohig , Dublin , November 17.
John Gaffney , Dublin , November 17.
Erskine Childers , Dublin , November 24.
Joseph Spooner , Dublin , November 30.
Patrick Farrelly , Dublin , November 30.
John Murphy , Dublin , November 30.
Rory O Connor , Dublin , December 8.
Liam Mellows , Dublin , December 8.
Joseph McKelvey , Dublin , December 8.
Richard Barrett , Dublin , December 8.
Stephen White , Dublin , December 19.
Joseph Johnston , Dublin , December19.
Patrick Mangan , Dublin , December 19.
Patrick Nolan , Dublin , December 19.
Brian Moore , Dublin , December 19.
James O' Connor , Dublin , December 19.
Patrick Bagnel , Dublin , December 19.
John Phelan , Kilkenny , December 29.
John Murphy , Kilkenny , December 29.

1923:
Leo Dowling , Dublin , January 8.
Sylvester Heaney , Dublin , January 8.
Laurence Sheeky , Dublin , January 8.
Anthony O' Reilly , Dublin , January 8.
Terence Brady , Dublin , January 8.
Thomas McKeown , Louth , January 13.
John McNulty , Louth , January 13.
Thomas Murray , Louth , January 13.
Frederick Burke , Tipperary , January 15.
Patrick Russell , Tipperary , January 15.
Martin O' Shea , Tipperary , January 15.
Patrick McNamara , Tipperary , January 15.
James Lillis , Carlow , January 15.
James Daly , Kerry , January 20.
John Clifford , Kerry , January 20.
Michael Brosnan , Kerry , January 20.
James Hanlon , Kerry , January 20.
Cornelius McMahon , Limerick , January 20.
Patrick Hennesy , Limerick , January 20.
Thomas Hughes , Westmeath , January 20.
Michael Walsh , Westmeath , January 20.
Herbert Collins , Westmeath , January 20.
Stephen Joyce , Westmeath , January 20.
Martin Bourke , Westmeath , January 20.
James Melia , Louth , January 22.
Thomas Lennon , Louth , January 22.
Joseph Ferguson , Louth , January 22.
Michael Fitzgerald , Waterford , January 25.
Patrick O' Reilly , Offaly , January 26.
Patrick Cunningham , Offaly , January 26.
Willie Conroy , Offaly , January 26.
Colum Kelly , Offaly , January 26.
Patrick Geraghty , Laoise , January 27.
Joseph Byrne , Laoise , January 27.
Thomas Gibson , Laoise , February 26.
James O' Rourke , Dublin , March 13.
William Healy , Cork , March 13.
James Parle , Wexford , March 13.
Patrick Hogan , Wexford , March 13.
John Creane , Wexford , March 13.
Séan Larkin , Donegal , March 14.
Tim O' Sullivan , Donegal , March 14.
Daniel Enright , Donegal , March 14.
Charles Daly , Donegal , March 14.
James O' Malley , Galway , April 11.
Francis Cunnane , Galway , April 11.
Michael Monaghan , Galway , April 11.
John Newell , Galway , April 11.
John McGuire , Galway , April 11.
Martin Moylan , Galway , April 11.
Richard Hatheway , Kerry , April 25.
James McEnery , Kerry , April 25.
Edward Greaney , Kerry , April 25.
Patrick Mahoney , Clare , April 26.
Christopher Quinn , Clare , May 02.
William Shaughnessy , Clare , May 02.

The above-listed 77 men did not take up arms in the belief that they were fighting for the establishment of a morally-corrupt so-called 'half-way-house' institution , nor did they do so to assist the British in the 'governance' of one of their 'part' colonies : that which those men and many others fought for remains to be achieved . You can help present-day Irish Republicans to achieve that aim.......
Sharon.

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Ernie O'Malley, pictured during his arrest in Dublin Castle in 1921 . He was using the alias 'Bernard Stewart' .

ERNIE O'MALLEY : SOLDIER OF OGLAIGH na hEIREANN .......
Following the recent publication of O'Malley's third book 'Raids And Rallies', on the Tan War years 1920-1921 , Frances-Mary Blake , who edited the book and his earlier works , writes an appreciation of the man who wrote 'On Another Man's Wound' and 'The Singing Flame'.
From 'IRIS' magazine , July 1983.

Ernie O' Malley's two books are best read together : it is in 'The Singing Flame' that the British faces fade and are replaced by Irish counterparts and the high noon of summer darkens to the Mulcahy/Cosgrave years . Of course 'The Singing Flame' is partisan ; one intended by its author as support for the republican tradition - with the 'cult' of 1916 transformed into the 'cult' of 1922 , where the Four Courts of Dublin stands in place of the GPO. It is also an exciting story , full of incidents and answering some questions that had been posed for half a century ; relating his Civil War days as Assistant Chief of Staff in Dublin where he commanded future Fianna Fail ministers like Sean Lemass and Tom Derrig, while leading a hunted existence in a city resembling Belfast of the 1970's .

The second of the books also has clear lessons for today , containing many parallels and the same abuse and falsified arguments used against the republicans then as now . In the early days of the Civil War , Ernie O' Malley and his IRA Company heard a priest at Mass denounce them as looters and murderers : " The Hand of God was against us .. " , according to the priest , he said . His officers wanted to walk out , but he motioned them to remain . " If we were going to be insulted when we could not hit back , we might as well be dignified . It was good to get out in the fresh air again . "

He could have accepted power and privilege under the Free State but he remained faithful to the Republic and rejected both the 1921 Treaty and de Valera's alternative Document No. 2. He told a Free State general , J.J. 'Ginger' O' Connell, at the time of the Treaty debates - " You'll have to fight in our area if you are false to your oath . That's where you'll meet with immediate and terrible war. " The irony was pointed : Lloyd George had threatened an "immediate and terrible war" if the Treaty was not accepted.......
(MORE LATER).



AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE RUC . RUC brutality , torture , murder and lies were brushed aside as the unionist establishment congratulated itself for the continuing existence of a paramilitary force which had maintained and safe-guarded its rule in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland.......
From 'IRIS' magazine , July/August 1982.

Most of the few Nationalists who joined the UDR, in an initial belief in the reality of the 'reform' (about 12% of the UDR in all) resigned when it soon became clear that the UDR was no more than a 'Special Constabulary' in khaki uniform . As a further concession to the 'pride' of the 'B' Specials , former members were allowed to keep their weapons !

One other Hunt Report 'recommendation' was that the RUC be disarmed : this was implemented initially but , under loyalist pressure , the RUC soon resumed its traditional role as the armed paramilitary wing of loyalism . In fact , to suppress the militant nationalist population , the British administration actually strengthened the RUC in numbers and weaponry . In the history of nationalist and republican resistance to the Orange state , this better-armed , better-trained and numerically stronger RUC paramilitary force played a central and conscious role in the attempted repression of that struggle .

Their 'contribution' in particular to the post-internment H-Block/Armagh 'conveyor belt' , through the use of RUC-trained interrogators in Castlereagh and other torture centres across the North was a major factor in the torture , by physical or psychological methods , of the estimated 20,000 nationalists who have passed through these centres since the ending of political status in 1976 . Over 80% of those subsequently convicted by non-jury Diplock courts were jailed solely on the basis of 'confessions' obtained while under interrogation in those centres . The RUC's immunity from criticism in employing these methods is well illustrated by the Rafferty Case.......
(MORE LATER).



OPERATIONAL COMMENTS OF A BRITISH ARMY OFFICER.......
British Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Dewar of the Royal Green Jackets has served in Cyprus , Borneo and Malaya , as well as in the Occupied Six Irish Counties . He has written three previous books - 'Internal Security Weapons And Equipment Of The World' and 'Brushfire Wars' . The extracts reproduced here are from 'The British Army In Northern Ireland' , which was published by 'Arms and Armour Press' in 1985 . The underlined comments in this article are ours . This article reflects the operational thinking of a British military commander , more so than his political or ideological outlook.
From 'IRIS' magazine , October 1987.

The British Army Land Rover which was under fire was carrying Rifleman Daniel Holland , Rifleman Mark Mullen , a corporal from the Coldstream Guards (who were taking over from 2 RGJ) and an RAF sergeant . The driver , Corporal Lindfield , realising that his vehicle had been hit , accelerated out of the killing zone as fast as he could . He drove across the Springfield Road , into a side-street , where he stopped .

British Army Rifleman Daniel Holland had received gunshot wounds in the head and was unconscious : the RAF sergeant had also been shot in the head and was bleeding badly , although he was still conscious . The Coldstream Guards corporal had been hit in the head by a ricochet but was able to look after the other wounded men . The driver , Corporal Lindfield , rushed back across the Springfield Road with Rifleman Mark Mullen to where the other British Army Land Rover was standing in the killing zone . The driver of that other vehicle , Lieutenant Corporal Darral Harwood , having seen the other Land Rover hit , had endeavoured to get himself and his crew out of the vehicle before they reached the killing zone .

Harwood had managed to fall out of the driver's door , dropping his rifle in the process , but his companions were unable to get out so quickly . Rifleman Anthony Rapley was hit in the back of the head and died instantly ; Rifleman Malakos received gunshot wounds in the stomach , neck and jaw . Another Guardsman , who was unscathed , was in a state of shock as , by now , was Rifleman Mark Mullen who had attempted to assist Rifleman Anthony Rapley only to find that he was dead . Lieutenant Corporal Darral Harwood dragged Rapley's body behind a car , leaving Corporal Lindfield to run under fire to the door of the house whence the shooting was coming from . By now , British Army reinforcements had arrived from the nearby Springfield Road RUC Barracks - they had heard the firing and they were able to prevent Corporal Lindfield from going any further . In the incident , Rifleman Anthony Rapley was killed
instantly , Rifleman Malakos died on the way to hospital and Rifleman Daniel Holland died on the operating-table . The RAF Sergeant recovered from his wounds.......
(MORE LATER).

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The annual CABHAIR Testimonial Dinner was held last night (Saturday May 17th 2008) in 'The Royal Dublin Hotel' in O' Connell Street , Dublin , and was a fantastic success : every seat (over 100 of them!) was taken and , indeed , several late-comers would have had to stand for the night were it not for the organisational skills of the hotel management and staff , who went out of their way to accommodate this over-subscribed event .
The CABHAIR organisation is a charitable group solely dependant on public subscriptions and its aim is to help alleviate some of the suffering of the families of Irish republican prisoners . The organisation supports republican prisoners who do not receive assistance from any other body , and can be contacted at 223 Parnell Street , Dublin 1 , 'phone 01-8729747 / fax 01-8729757 and e-mail: saoirse@iol.ie .
This year , as usual , five life-long Irish Republicans were honoured for the service they have given to the Cause of Irish Freedom : Seamus Murphy , Leinster / Paddy White , Ulster / Micheál Ó Ceallaigh , Connacht / Liam Heaphy , Munster and Thomas Coyne Hosie , USA . These are the people who give us our past - veteran Republicans that we pay tribute to : the people that , like those that went before them , carry the torch of resistance and who have courageously maintained our Irish Republican tradition . Their experiences , their sacrifices and their example inspires us to follow their path . Éire Saor agus Gaelach - Tiocfaidh Ar La !
We publish with this post a few photographs from the event last night - other photographs and a proper report will be carried in the June 2008 issue of 'Saoirse' :

CABHAIR Testimonial brochure and Dinner ticket.

A section of the crowd .

CABHAIR Testimonial 'shop' .

The five CABHAIR Honouree plaques.

CABHAIR decorative tapestries .

CABHAIR Testimonial flag display.

Continuity not compromise!

Some of the CABHAIR raffle prizes.

POW craft .

A close-up view of one of the five CABHAIR Testimonial Plaques.

As stated : a proper report and more photographs will be carried in the June 2008 issue of 'SAOIRSE' , the monthly newspaper of the Republican Movement.
Thanks!
Sharon.

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