3rd Battalion, Fingal Brigade & Leixlip Flying Column

[kristof]

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.

[kristof]

Just a reminder and a plea to the experts on war of independence and civil war; can anyone tell me about those two units?

[ourmorris]

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

[kristof]

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.

[maguidhir]

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.

[ourmorris]

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

[maguidhir]

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.

[ourmorris]

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

[Aussie_trekkie]

My Grandfather was D company 3rd Battalion Old IRA but it was based in the Ringend Area.