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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Dublin => Topic started by: kristof on Tuesday 29 December 09 11:52 GMT (UK)
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I'm hoping that someone can tell me a little more about either the 3rd Battalion, Fingal Brigade or the Leixlip Flying Column ; they are both mentioned in the obituary of my wife's grandfather, Francis Brennan, as he was a member of both. He was a resident of Finglas.
Can any one tell me when either of these units were active, where they were active and what, if any actions are attributed to them? Also, has anyone come across any other members of either unit?
We are waiting on his pension records but that may be some time away. We are sure that he didn't give a witness statement.
Finally, being in australia, we're unable to actually visit the relevant archives or libraries and have been relying upon what is available online.
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Just a reminder and a plea to the experts on war of independence and civil war; can anyone tell me about those two units?
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greetings kristof
i am also trying to find out info on the fingal brigade my great uncle was from swords and was an active member throughout the easter uprising and the tan war.however info is quite scarce.there is a web site called
www.fingaloldira.org
but it seems to be still under construction as i have not been able to contact anyone as yet
another good source is an article at
www.irishmilitaryonline.com
look for an article entitled
1916 contempary account of some events in fingal
hope this helps
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Hello,
Thanks for that; i have lost count of the number of times that i have tried to contact the Fingal Old IRA group; quite frustrating.
The article was very interesting but it related to 1916 and as far as i'm aware the Fingal Brigade and the Liexlip Flying column were operating during the War of Independence and Civil War respectively.
But, keep the ideas coming and maybe also we can come up with a way to contact the Fingal Old IRA in the meantime.
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Hi Kristof
Im presenting a paper on the Fingal Battalion at a History conference so I might have some useful info. Unfortunately theres very little if any useful archival material relevant to the battalion online. There's several good books on 1916 that deals with the battalion's actions including most famously the Battle at Ashbourne. The best and most recent is Charles Townshend's 'Easter 1916 The Irish Rebellion'. There is also a paper entitled 'Alexander “Baby” Gray (1858-1916) and the Battle at Ashbourne' by Terence Dooley which is free to download if you google it. In terms of primary source material there is a substantial amount of witness statements relating to the battalion in the National Archives of Ireland. Heres a list of their reference numbers if you ever get a chance of visiting Ireland. BMH WS 97 (Richard Hayes)--BMH WS 142 (James O’Connor)--BMH WS 147 (Bernard McAllister)--BMH WS 148 (James Crenegan)--BMH WS 149 (Charles Weston)--BMH WS 177 (Jerry Golden)--BMH WS278 (Francis Daly)--BMH WS 467 (Eugene Bratton)--BMH WS 521 (Jerry Golden)--BMH WS 645 (Nora Aghas)--BMH WS 904 (John Austin)--BMH WS 1043 (Joseph V. Lawless)--BMH WS 1399 Thomas Peppard)--BMH WS 1494 (Mick McAllister). If you want I could email you transcripts and info in my possesion, just remember to set up a spare email account so your own email doesnt get spammed.
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greetings friend i am allso researching the fingal battalion and would be greatful if i could have a copy of any information you have, particularily the battle of ashbourne that my great uncle ned stafford participated
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Hello ourmorris,
I'll send you any and all information I have including some transcripts, news clippings as soon as I figure out how to. I'm a bit of a luddite where computers are concerned.
Kristof, sorry I only have a small amount on the 3rd battalion. Apparently 3 members escaped the British breakthrough at Phibsboro and literally stumbled upon the Ashbourne battle. With regards your Grandfather, Francis Brennan, if you dont already know the 1911 census is online and there is one listed for Finglas, aged 11. Would that be him? In addition to usual census info it shows the building and is a very interesting resource.
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thanks magudhir i have sent you a private message with my email address .can i ask when and where you will be presenting this paper i am a frequent visitor to dublin and would be interested in hearing it if possible
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My Grandfather was D company 3rd Battalion Old IRA but it was based in the Ringend Area.
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Hello Kristof,
I am new to rootschat and I have seen quite a few of your posts. I am afraid that I cannot help you with your enquiries. However, I think we might be distantly related - we certainly have ancestors in common.
I think Francis Brennan you mentioned must have been "Terry" Brennan who was married to my Aunt "Nan". She was really my mother's Aunt and lived on McKee Avenue in Finglas. I remember her from my childhood days. She died when I was still very young.
Maybe you can help me though. I am looking for information on James "Jimmy" O'Brien who married the daughter of Francis' brother Patrick. I looked at the census of 1911 and there are both O'Briens and Brennans from Finglas East recorded there but I am not sure if they are relatives. Would you have any knowledge of O'Briens from that area or from "Dubber".
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Hi johannis
Welcome to rootchat, it's is a really useful site.
There is some burial records for O'Briens in the area here.
http://www.interment.net/data/ireland/dublin/canice/index.htm
and
http://www.interment.net/data/ireland/dublin/stmarg/index.htm
These lists are, for definite, not complete, but maybe you'll get lucky.
And also many people from that area could be buried in Glasnevin.
Just in case you didn't catch this tread about the Brennans, there is details from a grave in Finglas that might shed some light on who'd be on the census. (I might be confused there about generations)
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,426002.0.html
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Hello Kristof,
Maybe you can help me though. I am looking for information on James "Jimmy" O'Brien who married the daughter of Francis' brother Patrick. I looked at the census of 1911 and there are both O'Briens and Brennans from Finglas East recorded there but I am not sure if they are relatives. Would you have any knowledge of O'Briens from that area or from "Dubber".
Jimmy was married to an Eileen Brennan, Patrick’s (Mossy) daughter. They lived on the North Road in Finglas. Jimmy passed away in the late 60’s. Eileen is still alive and well but not in Finglas now. I think Jimmy may have been originally from the St Margarets area.
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Hi All,
Looking for info on a man called Seamus (Seamie) Wilson. He fought for the Old Brigade Fingal Battalion.
He is buried out in Colmcilles graveyeard on it says on his gravestone whom he fought for.
He was born in 1871 and lived in Santry.
Does anyone out there have any info on him?
Thanks,
Keith
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My Grandfather was D company 3rd Battalion Old IRA but it was based in the Ringend Area.
Hi Aussie Trekkie. My Grandad, Matthew Byrne was in the same D company. He was on the 1911 census at the age of 17. My father was born in '46 when my grandad was 52 and he died 6 years later so my father was too young to get any information, being the youngest of 8 my father still only managed to get very limited information from my aunts and uncles. All they know really is that he was stationed in the now demolished Distillery just down from Bolands on Barrow Street (I believe). Apparently he was posted with two others, one was killed and not sure of the other, would be mad if your grandfather was the other. Doubt we'll ever really know I suppose....
None of the family knows what happened after the Rising or whether he fought in the Civil War afterwards.
Regards,
Matt
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The D company were still catching up in 1979. My grandfather and a few of the old soldiers used to march to the church with an honour guard from the Irish army one Sunday every year. I can remember in 1979 my Grandfather approached the then parish priest at Ringsend Fr Farrell ,I think ,to say a Perpetual Mass every year as they (D company survivors) had made a collection as there were only a few left . Seemly the PP said the 50 pounds was only enough for 5 years and my Grandfather gave him a mouthful about the church,money and the abandonment of the volunteers back in 1916.
The following Sunday I was at Mass with GF and the PP was giving a sermon about young people not respecting Mass. My GF yelled up at the PP that "it was no wonder when the likes for him would not honour the dead of 1916 without a large payment". I was mortified but understood later why my GF was so angry. After all they had fought to gives us freedom and the PP at Ringsend wouldn't even say a Mass to honour them when they were all gone and could not organise it for themselves.
There was an old photo in the local D4 paper last year of D Company following one of these Sunday Masses.
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That's impressive stuff, I'm glad that he survived into his 80s and had the balls the tell the priest like it was! We need more people like that nowadays. I was talking to my Da this morning and he mentioned those parades, and how after my Grandfather died his mother would still drag them along to the masses, he spoke of the pride he could see in his mother during these marches just to have been married to a Volunteer.
I'm 29 and I've been aware since as long as I can remember of his involvement, I remember being in my oldest aunts house in her kitchen feeling and examining the casings from the shells fired at his funeral, I've been trying to get my hands on just one of them, maybe now that I'm an 'adult' she just might....
Do you know where would be the best place to start looking for more info on my Grandfather? Google isn't throwing up anything. It kind of saddens me that no-one in my family recorded any of this when he was alive, maybe he didn't want to talk about it, I'm sure I'll never know.
Thanks again for your story, it's great!
Matt
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Hi Kristof
Im presenting a paper on the Fingal Battalion at a History conference ... there is a substantial amount of witness statements relating to the battalion in the National Archives of Ireland. Heres a list of their reference numbers if you ever get a chance of visiting Ireland. BMH WS 97 (Richard Hayes)--BMH WS 142 (James O’Connor)--BMH WS 147 (Bernard McAllister)--BMH WS 148 (James Crenegan)--BMH WS 149 (Charles Weston)--BMH WS 177 (Jerry Golden)--BMH WS278 (Francis Daly)--BMH WS 467 (Eugene Bratton)--BMH WS 521 (Jerry Golden)--BMH WS 645 (Nora Aghas)--BMH WS 904 (John Austin)--BMH WS 1043 (Joseph V. Lawless)--BMH WS 1399 Thomas Peppard)--BMH WS 1494 (Mick McAllister). If you want I could email you transcripts and info in my possesion, just remember to set up a spare email account so your own email doesnt get spammed.
Hi MAGUIDHIR Excellent comments by the way. I am researching about Lawless, McAllisters and Weston families involved in the Ashmore Battle that lately emmigrated to SouthAmerica. In relation to the McAllisters and Lawless, they were the only successful in 1916 (against 80 British or so) and they are originally from Donabate, Swords and Lusk...
Do you have among your conference transcripts information on these families? would you be so kind of sending it to me at (*)?? Thanks in advance.
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An article written by the son of Frank Lawless, the article was in the Irish Army Magazine a Cosantoir sometime in the early 1940s, link below. Also participants in the Battle of Ashbourne.
http://irishmedals.org/gpage55.html
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Hello Kristof,
I am new to rootschat and I have seen quite a few of your posts. I am afraid that I cannot help you with your enquiries. However, I think we might be distantly related - we certainly have ancestors in common.
I think Francis Brennan you mentioned must have been "Terry" Brennan who was married to my Aunt "Nan". She was really my mother's Aunt and lived on McKee Avenue in Finglas. I remember her from my childhood days. She died when I was still very young.
Maybe you can help me though. I am looking for information on James "Jimmy" O'Brien who married the daughter of Francis' brother Patrick. I looked at the census of 1911 and there are both O'Briens and Brennans from Finglas East recorded there but I am not sure if they are relatives. Would you have any knowledge of O'Briens from that area or from "Dubber".
I think i might be able to get something on James O'Brien later when i get home (at work now).
Will be back soon.
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Article on the Collinstown arms raid of March 1919:
http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/32129
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Thanks everyone, i think that i've managed to find most of what i needed.
C
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I'm hoping that someone can tell me a little more about either the 3rd Battalion, Fingal Brigade or the Leixlip Flying Column ; they are both mentioned in the obituary of my wife's grandfather, Francis Brennan, as he was a member of both. He was a resident of Finglas.
Can any one tell me when either of these units were active, where they were active and what, if any actions are attributed to them? Also, has anyone come across any other members of either unit?
We are waiting on his pension records but that may be some time away. We are sure that he didn't give a witness statement.
Finally, being in australia, we're unable to actually visit the relevant archives or libraries and have been relying upon what is available online.
Hi. I have just come to know about this site and I can give you some information on the Leixlip Column. This was a unit of the IRA that operated in three counties-KIldare, Meath and Dublin during our civil war of 1922/23. It was commanded by a Mayo man Paddy Mullaley, who was a teacher in Leixlip.The unit was very active up to December 1922, when they were captured between Leixlip and Maynooth. Five of the captured column were executed in January 1923. I can give you a full account of the units activities, if you would like it.
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Hi,
Since my last post i've managed to find a great deal of information. I've got my hands on a couple of papers written about the column and their activities, including a couple of detailed descriptions of the column's "last stand" at the battle of Pikes Bridge. I was given a full list of the members of the column as well as some other documents. The five who were executed were not original members of the column but joined after the abortive planned attack on Baldonnel, they were free state deserters and as such they were shot as deserters rather than republican's. The rest of the column narrowly escaped a similar fate and instead most of them ended up in Mountjoy and then later some of them were sent to Tintown, many of them involved in the big hunger strike.
Message me and we'll see if we can help each other out; be great to compare notes.
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Hi,
Since my last post i've managed to find a great deal of information. I've got my hands on a couple of papers written about the column and their activities, including a couple of detailed descriptions of the column's "last stand" at the battle of Pikes Bridge. I was given a full list of the members of the column as well as some other documents. The five who were executed were not original members of the column but joined after the abortive planned attack on Baldonnel, they were free state deserters and as such they were shot as deserters rather than republican's. The rest of the column narrowly escaped a similar fate and instead most of them ended up in Mountjoy and then later some of them were sent to Tintown, many of them involved in the big hunger strike.
Message me and we'll see if we can help each other out; be great to compare notes.
Hi Kristof, You appear to have plenty of info on the 'Leixlip Column. Just to change the subject and go to another topic that you have an interest in - Jimmy O'Brien. If we are talking about the same Jimmy,I knew him. Back in the 60's I came into his acquaintance. We swopped many a story and he enlightened me of his generation. He had been interned in the Curragh during WW2. He came to live on the North Road, Finglas and was indeed married to a Brennan woman. He was a very big, handsome man and I think that he may have worked in one of the factories on Jamestown Road. It's a small world indeed. Cheers Watchman1
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Got that Shanew147, I'm new to this, so I'll take care. I'm probably in the wrong forum for my interests, Cheers, Watchman1