We Go Into Action Today at Noon ...

First-hand Accounts from Ireland's Revolutionary Years, 1913–22

Eamonn Duggan

• Publisher: The O'Brien Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781788493123
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: European History
• Index: History

Nearly 2, 000 people gave detailed statements to the Bureau of Military History between 1947 and 1957 about their role in Ireland's fight for freedom. The statements are the recollections of many of those who participated in the 1916 Easter Rising and the War of Independence, 1919-1921. Recently released to scholars and researchers, they allow a much broader view of what actually happened in the fateful decade that led to independence from the British Empire.They offer a remarkable window into a tumultuous era in Ireland's modern history when men and women rose up against British rule and demanded independence.

The statements examined in the book reflect the views of republican men and women from all facets of society. They were urban and rural dwellers middle and working-class individuals, farmers, labourers and professionals, all of whom, came together in the pursuit of one common goal. Their statements confirm the commitment they gave to the independence cause and are testaments to the courage and determination they displayed in their efforts to achieve a free and independent Ireland.

Eamonn Duggan explores the individual contributions of these remarkable people, and what they add to the history we thought we knew. A fascinating view of a vital period in Irish history, from 1913 to Independence.

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Chapter 1

The Witness Statements Archive

In 1947, the then-Minister for Defence, Oscar Traynor, did the Irish nation a wonderful service when he initiated the Witness Statement programme in conjunction with the Bureau of Military History. The Bureau’s official brief was ‘to assemble and co-ordinate material to form the basis for the compilation of the history of the movement for Independence from the formation of the Irish Volunteers on 25 November 1913, to the 11 July 1921’. Between 1947 and 1957, some 1,773 witness statements, 334 sets of contemporary documents, forty-two sets of photographs and thirteen voice recordings were collected. When the work was completed, it was locked away in the Department of the Taoiseach for forty-five years.

In 2001, the archive was transferred to the Military Archives. Here, a team of archivists and support staff under the watchful eyes of Commandant Victor Laing prepared the collection for its public launch in 2003.The staff involved in creating the archive included army officers and civil servants, as well as a number of interviewing officers who travelled across the country to conduct the interviews. The Bureau also had the assistance of some notable historians of the time, including Robert Dudley-Edwards and TW Moody. Interviewing officers were sent to sit down with any individual who volunteered to provide a statement, a huge undertaking in itself.

The result of all of this painstaking work is a comprehensive account of all that took place during Ireland’s revolutionary years, an era defined by the determination of so many people to release Ireland from the chains of British subjugation and to 18make a reality of the long-cherished ideal of independence. This hugely valuable primary source is not only detailed in its content, but enthralling as a stand-alone story of bravery and determination.

Unfortunately from the historian’s point of view, many who refused to accept the validity of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, and the consequent setting up of the Irish Free State, did not cooperate with the programme. Those individuals viewed the Witness Statement project as a ‘Free State’ exercise and refused to have anything to do with it. This leaves a void that can never be filled, as the archive lacks the contributions of some very prominent individuals, who played integral roles in the Easter Rising and the War of Independence.

It should also be pointed out that there was some reluctance on the part of the State to pursue statements from surviving anti-Treaty people, as the legacy of the Civil War was still casting a dark cloud over the politics of the country.

While we embrace the Witness Statements, we should be aware that the majority of the contributions came from Catholic nationalists who devoted a major part of their lives to the pursuit of an independent Ireland. Of course, Irish society of the time had another important strand to it, namely, the traditional unionist and Protestant community, which, in the main, was not at all anxious to see the status quo disturbed. This community was largely very sceptical of the nationalist ideal and all that it entailed. Many of that persuasion were not convinced that a new, independent Ireland could emerge after the ending of the Great War, full of self-confidence and vibrancy and ready to take its place among the international community of nations.

There was, of course, a range of views within the Protestant community. Individuals such as Constance Markievicz, WB Yeats, Douglas Hyde and Ernest Blythe readily come to mind. They did see a future for a nationalist Ireland, but, importantly, an Ireland that embraced both denominations and traditions. While the archive is predominantly the views of Catholic and nationalist revolutionary Ireland, we must remember that a significant section of the country during that extraordinary time were far from convinced that the outcome of the conflict would be to Ireland’s benefit. 19

Now that we have reached the centenary of the most momentous era in Ireland’s history, we can be grateful for Oscar Traynor’s great initiative because we have, at our fingertips, a myriad of fascinating and invaluable recollections. What is obvious from reading the statements is the commitment and passion displayed by those involved in the republican movement during that tumultuous time. From the foundation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913, to the calling of the truce in July 1921 that brought an end to the War of Independence, only one thought occupied the minds of so many men and women: that of removing British involvement in Ireland.

While we are all familiar with the major historical events such as the Easter Rising and the War of Independence, the statements provide fascinating and detailed accounts of what went on in the background. Here you will find the stories of many unsung heroes, stories of tragedy and raw courage, incredible inventiveness and resourcefulness, and an unbending commitment to fair play and justice. There are riveting tales of how guns and ammunition were acquired, and how they were transported from place to place; accounts of the establishment of bomb-making factories and intelligence units. The reader will be awestruck at the sheer audacity of the individuals involved. The much-lauded Irish sense of humour can also be detected, from a time when tensions were running high all across the country.

One could spend many hundreds of hours trawling through the Witness Statements archive. The detail of many of the statements is extraordinary, and the archive provides a very vivid and comprehensive picture of what took place during the momentous week of the 1916 Rising, as well as the years before and after. Those who participated in the rebellion were deeply committed to the ideal of an Irish republic and displayed an inordinate amount of courage as they fought against all the odds in an often-chaotic struggle against the power of the British Crown.

The statements come from all areas of the country, both rural and urban, clearly showing that the republican ideal was a national one. These individuals who contributed to the archive all gave their voices freely in making their statements, and this book is intended to share some of those voices, in the hope that 20future generations will remember the sacrifices made by so many Irish men and woman in the cause of Ireland’s independence.

The statements I have chosen to highlight in this book are just a small sample of what is to be found in the archive. I chose them on the basis that those concerned had interesting and important stories to tell and, taken together, they offer up a fine portrait of what took place across the country during the revolutionary era. There are, of course, many hundreds of other statements that could have been included in this book. The statements, which have been locked away for so long, all deserve to be brought into the public domain, and the extraordinary deeds of so many courageous individuals should be celebrated and acknowledged – our modern populace owes its freedom and independence to those who dedicated their lives to the noble cause of a sovereign Ireland.

I owe my thanks to the Bureau of Military History for making it possible to publicise the thousands of pages of the archive. The tremendous work carried out by the interviewing officers and civil servants between 1947 and 1957 has left this country with a wealth of primary source material, which must always be preserved and treasured.

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Chapter 2

The Truth About the Rising

Sometime in 1915, I was appointed Dublin Brigade Quartermaster. I obtained rifles from The O’Rahilly, from members of the IRB, revolvers and shotguns, from Henshaws, where I was employed, shotguns and ammunition from Keegan’s and Garnett’s, gunsmiths. In addition, I obtained rifles from Peadar Breslin and Jack Shaw, who got them from British soldiers by purchase. My brother Humphrey, who was employed on the Liner Baltic used to bring from America about twenty revolvers on each trip to Liverpool. These he passed on to Neil Kerr and P. Cahill who sent them over to me.

(Michael Staines)

One of the more extraordinary statements in the archive is that of Michael Staines, Quartermaster of the Irish Volunteers from 1913 to 1916 and Quartermaster General in the GPO during the Easter Rising. He not only provides a fascinating insight into the Rising, but also into activities and thinking in republican circles in the months leading up to the conflict.

Michael Staines was born in Newport, County Mayo, in 1885, the son of a serving RIC officer. Though a member of the Gaelic League, he was not involved in any militant republican movement until he joined the Irish Volunteers at its first meeting in November 1913. He was almost immediately appointed Quartermaster for three of the organisation’s Dublin companies. He was later appointed Quartermaster for the Irish Volunteers Dublin Brigade and 22set about building up republican firepower in the city. He made contact with The O’Rahilly, who helped him purchase arms, and began collecting money from every Volunteer in order to purchase rifles and revolvers:

I collected one shilling a week from every Volunteer who wanted a Martini rifle and two shillings from every man who wanted a Lee Enfield rifle. Having the money, I was very successful in getting the arms from The O’Rahilly as he wanted the money to purchase more arms. Every man in the three companies had a rifle.

Staines also obtained guns from other sources, such as from IRB men; from Henshaws, where he worked; and from various gunsmiths around the city. He even had guns purchased from serving British soldiers. His brother, Humphrey, worked on a transatlantic liner and brought twenty revolvers with him on every trip into Liverpool, from where they were sent on to Michael in Dublin.

In September 1915, Staines was appointed to Pearse’s staff and was instructed by him to resign from the Gaelic League and devote all his time to the Volunteers. At a meeting presided over by Eamon de Valera, he was elected as the first representative of the Dublin Brigade to the General Council of the Volunteers. In his statement, he recalled the thrust of the General Council meetings and the consensus that some protest over British rule in Ireland should be made before the Great War ended, though he does say that not everyone was confident they could defeat the British militarily.

Staines recalled how he and other selected Volunteer officers attended lectures given by James Connolly on how to carry out street-to-street fighting. In early March 1916, he was instructed by Éamonn Ceannt to give up his employment at Henshaws and take up full-time duty as Quartermaster General. He would replace The O’Rahilly, who by that stage was opposed to a Rising. According to Staines, ‘The O’Rahilly readily handed over the reins without protest.’ Staines’s duties included distributing munitions to Volunteers units across the country from various locations in Dublin. He recalled how he also had to buy picks, shovels and crowbars for the Rising:

I bought one hundred and twenty of each of these implements, and, in order to divert attention, I told Henshaws, from whom I purchased them, that they were being used by Mr Batt O’Connor, a builder, for the purpose of a large building estate. I also 23purchased wire cutters and sandbags and incandescent paraffin lamps in case the ordinary lights should fail.

While each Battalion had to make its own arrangements about food, Staines also purchased items such as cheese, tinned meat and Oxo cubes to hold in reserve, while de Valera purchased medical supplies. He mentioned that he purchased two ship’s lamps, which he handed over to two ladies from Tralee, to be used at Fenit Harbour during the planned landing of guns and ammunition from the Aud. He also hired a large marquee, on the instructions of Seán MacDermott, to provide shelter for the men in Fenit, and he sent arms to Liam Mellows in Galway and Terence MacSwiney in Cork.

Near the end of 1915, Staines recalled Seán MacDermott making an arrangement with John Devoy in America to purchase arms and ammunition. He was also aware of Robert Monteith’s trip to Germany and his efforts there, together with Roger Casement and Joseph Plunkett, to procure arms and ammunition and to raise an Irish Brigade made up of Irishmen held in the country as prisoners of war.

Staines was responsible for arranging transport for Easter Sunday. He recalled that he engaged the services of twenty cars for that day, but that they were not available on the Monday, because they were occupied transporting racegoers to Fairyhouse. He had also arranged for some trucks from the haulage company, Thompsons, to turn up if needed.

Shortly before the Rising, he was personally introduced to James Connolly for the first time by Thomas MacDonagh.

It was late on Spy Wednesday or early Holy Thursday morning when Staines got confirmation of the impending Rising. On Good Friday, he learned from Seán MacDermott that the arms from the Aud had been lost. He broke the news to Sean Heuston, who was incandescent with rage.

On Easter Sunday, after attending mass and having breakfast, he went to Liberty Hall, where he saw Connolly, Pearse and MacDonagh in conversation, and recalled the mobilisation being called off just before noon. He was instructed by MacDonagh to bring the news to de Valera, and was accompanied on the journey by Sean Heuston. A sceptical de Valera threatened to take Staines as a prisoner and refused to confirm that he would not take his men out.24

On Easter Sunday evening, Pearse ordered Staines to report to Liberty Hall at 8am the following morning. On arrival, he met James Connolly and was given the job of transferring arms and ammunition by cab from the Hall to the GPO. He amusingly remembered that he paid the cabby some years later, after forgetting to pay him on that Easter Monday.

He also mentioned that The O’Rahilly turned up unexpectedly. Despite the pleadings of his sister Áine, The O’Rahilly offered the use of his motor car, which was readily filled with more arms and ammunition. The men set out for the GPO at noon:

At the head of the procession, I noticed James Connolly, Padraig and Willie Pearse and Sean McGarry. The O Rahilly and I took the rear with the car and the cab. We proceeded up Abbey St and wheeled into O’Connell St towards the pillar. I was seated in the cab surrounded by homemade bombs and ammunition of all sorts. It was a mercy the whole thing did not explode.

Once in the GPO, Staines took the munitions into a sorting office, using the pigeon holes for sorting it all out. The O’Rahilly kept his car in the yard of the GPO during Easter week and it was used a number of times to bring in ammunition. On the Monday, they also commandeered a judge’s car, and his chauffeur stayed in the GPO all week.

Staines wasn’t long in the GPO when The O’Rahilly mentioned the top floor had not been taken over – some people were still up there working. Staines recalled:

I got six men and made a rush for the stairs – the staff were coming down, most of them appeared hostile, but one girl named O’Callaghan said to me ‘That’s the stuff to give them Michael’. When the stairs were free we ran up them. I heard the shout ‘Halt’ and saw six soldiers above us pointing their rifles at us. We rushed up and I shouted to my men fire, which they did. We were armed with revolvers. One man, a sergeant, fell, I ran up with ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Witness Statements Archive
• Chapter 2: The Truth About the Rising
• Chapter 3: Cork Awaits the Call to Arms
• Chapter 4: An Influential Monsignor
• Chapter 5: The Curious Tale of 198 Parnell Street
• Chapter 6: Procuring Arms and Gathering Intelligence
• Chapter 7: Tipperary Republicans Lead the Way
• Chapter 8: Ambushes and Attacks in the Rebel County
• Chapter 9: The Brave Republican Women
• Chapter 10: Father Aloysius: Chaplain to the Republican Heroes
• Chapter 11: Frank Thornton: An Extraordinary Life in Irish Republicanism
• Chapter 12: Vincent Byrne: Committed to the Republic and the Squad
• Chapter 13: Seán Moylan: Committed Republican and Outstanding Military Leader
• Chapter 14: Tadhg Kennedy: A Proud Kerryman and a True Patriot
• Chapter 15: Eamon (Ned) Broy: An Extraordinary Policeman and Courageous Republican
• Chapter 16: Cumann na mBan: The Unsung Heroines of the War of Independence
• Chapter 17: Áine Ceannt: The Quintessential Republican Woman
• Postscript: The Legacy of the Civil War and the Road to Recovery
• References
• About the Author
• Copyright