Custom House Burning - Part 1 / John Wilson

[seanod]

Thanks for that link! I'll try it and see what I can turn up. 

[Gary Deering]

Thanks for that Sean, I will try & get my hands on the book, I was looking at something on youtube this morning & it showed those pictures! all I need is a scan & my Mother & Aunts may be able to pick Johnny out of it. I also emailed J O`Connell the Autor of the rebellion book,to ask him where he got his refs to Johnny & he said he was mentioned in Joe Leonards statements. I am also trying to get in touch with someone who may have the newspaper article that shows that picture & may also have a picture of Johnny in Freestate uniform.

Oh the thing on youtube was Irelands most hated hero Dev! it had a few moments on the Custom House Burning.

[seanod]

Thanks for that, Gary. I'll check out the youtube thing. As for the Joe Leonard witness statement, I spent a day in the archives looking up some of the witness statements but I didn't get to that one. In a few weeks time, all being well, I will go to Dublin and spend another day there, and I'll certainly look at that one. By the way, did you try contacting the Irish Photographic Archive in Temple Bar? They may have some idea where the picture came from. 

[seanod]

I checked the Youtube thing and it's very interesting but the pictures given there aren't the same as the one that's in that book. The bias in the documentary is very strongly against De Valera and for Collins. Personally I don't have a major bias towards either of them but I think the myth that Collins was a Cassandra who warned of the folly of the Custom House attack while Dev pressed for it is a bit simplistic. There's no real evidence that Collins tried to oppose it - he was involved in the planning - and according to some of the witness statements, his major contribution was to oppose outlying pickets and barricades, which would have given the Dublin Brigade the chance to escape, on the grounds that this was "too much like a general insurrection". In other words, De Valera certainly pushed for a grand gesture, but the military failure of that grand gesture was probably down to Collins.

[Gary Deering]

Hi Sean I have not contacted them yet about the photo, I may look into it in the next weeks.I have to pick up that book too.

I am glad you enjoyed the youtube thing. The whole Custom House burning is such a strange action for the time, I could not see Collins being in favour of it, but he would have helped plan it thru loyalty to Dev.

[seanod]

Certainly a big operation like that wasn't Collins' style at all. But I don't think there's any real evidence that he opposed it. The scene from the film where Collins and Dev have a major argument because Dev is ordering the burning of the Custom House is pure fantasy. Good luck with finding that photograph!

[Gary Deering]

A bit like Vinnie Byrne being the leader of the Squad !

[Ms. Smokestoomuch]

Seanod.
Came across another name. A sure one.
Daniel Mc Aleese. My partner spotted an abstract of a withness statement.
He's not on my list of withness statements of Dubliners so he must have been living elsewhere. The census seems to have all Mc Aleeses in the 6 counties.

You's are so right about the film. I don't mind the accuracies so much. That happens with big hollywood films. But the faith people put in the film being gospel.
And it comes up so often. I suppose maybe there was a ton of people found it good and thought they'd read a book or two about it all.
But there's a lot of lazy thinking out there too.
My daughters teacher depended on the film to teach the class about it all.
Nothing else, just the film.

Anyhow hope Daniel is  a new addition to the list of names.

[Gary Deering]

Harry Boland dying in the river lol thats another one they got wrong !