Any stories/info from 1916 -1922

[Gary Deering]

The only one I heard of using uniforms was the Failed Mountjoy escape, It was lead by Emmet Dalton (who was a British officer in WWI) & Joe Leonard. It failed because Mc Eoin was not in the Goveners office when they got there as planned.  I would guess the uniforms where for Volunteers as Daltom wore his own uniform & Leonard wore Daltons spare which fitted him like a glove, Dalton rode into the joy sitting on the side of the armoured car as British officers did in those days.As far as I can remember they had to shot there way out, the armoured car over heated & was stripped of its guns & ammo & burned in marino.

[dc51]

Thanks Gary,
This does help to clarify the story. My mother heard this story (and others) as a child in her grandparents house, Her aunts, who fixed up the uniforms, used to laugh about it (even though it was far from funny at the time) because when they went looking for Fallon that day, he was'nt there!! so they had to figure out the uniforms themselves. After the men had left on their operation someone realized    that the stripes had been fixed on the wrong side!!
DC

[Ms. Smokestoomuch]

 
Ok I just put that icon in to drive everyone mad.

I think everyone is thinking about the same escape.
The account in "Curious Journey" says they took over a house in the area to study the comings and goings of the armoured vehicle in the run up to the escape.

Just a thought. But some of those names that were involved have given Witness Statements.
Patrick McCrea witness statement is WS413
Joe Leonard is WS 547

It could turn up in one of their statements.

The statements would be held at Cathal Burgha Barracks Rathmines. 

[Gary Deering]

Was the house they took over not a house of a  family who had sympathy with the goings on at the time,I think I may be wrong with this that they tied the family up to make it look like the where held againest there will. OK next story DC ! BTW this one is covered in Fighting story's of Dublin.

[dc51]

This story is well documented, because 3 of the volunteers were shot dead in the attack, 6 more were arrested and later executed in mountjoy prison.
It's said, that as the British army unit was approaching the bridge over the river Talka in Drumcondra, they were warned by a man by the name Pike from talka cottages.
This is probably him   http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Dublin/Drumcondra/Tolka_Cottages/28303/
I don't know how many volunteers escaped that raid, but I do know that Christy Healy Jr did. while most of the men gave themselves away when they ran, Christy doubled back into the gathering crowd.
Some time (weeks or months?) later Mr Pike was found dead, ?leaving a widow and several children.

[dc51]

Christopher Healy (snr) was in the munitions division. supplying, organizing weapons and ammunition and repairing weapons. That meant having to smuggle them around the city undetected!
There was one occasion when he and Charlie Egan were pushing a hand cart with weapons or ammo hidden in it. They suddenly found themselves facing a security check point. they could'nt turn back for fear of bringing attention on themselves. Charlie was dressed like a tramp, so he said to Christy, "go on ahead" while he preceded to tear the arse out of his trousers. As he approached the soldiers they saw the state he was in and had a great laugh at the old tramp as they kicked his bare arse and sent him on his way.
 

[dc51]

My fathers family had no hand act or part in the troubles of that time, yet he was able to tell me about  the man (possibly Robert Pike) who was executed near tolka bridge after the failed attack.
My point is, there is lots of small bits of information out there. Talk to elderly parents and relatives. It may not always be that accurate, but record it anyway,  before it's too late.

[seanod]

Great thread, DC. In many of the contemporary accounts in newspapers the attempt to spring McEoin is simply referred to as the Abbatoir because, as Ms Smoketoomuch said, they hijacked the vehicle sent to collect meat for the soldiers. I came across it first in a couple of obituaries where it said things like "saw action at the Custom House and the Abbatoir." At first I had no idea what this meant but then I found the account of the incident in Dublin's Fighting Story. 

[shanew147]

just wondering if anyone with stories about 1916 has come across any mention of a Richard Stokes ?

He was a draper, and lived in the Drumcondra area in 1911. The only details I know at the moment is that he was sent to Frongoch internment camp, but dont know for certain if he was actually involved in the rising in anyway or was just rounded up as a suspect ..

thanks,


Shane