Old IRA Dublin Brigade

[Ms. Smokestoomuch]

Hi Corisande,
My grandfather is Michael Smith of E company. The only information I have is one line in his pension.  "Took part in Operation Sunday Nov 21st"
So that is listed among other activities during  that period while he was under the command of Capt. William Byrne.

It was a bit of a surprise to find it on his pension.  He certainly doesn't seem to be a squad type.
I'm wondering was he involved in one of the hits that failed. Very little written about the failures. I'm watching closely what you've been uncovering out on your Cairo Gang tread.

[corisande]

I am putting together the names of the men that made up each group. As you say nobody wants to own up to the "empty nests" nor to the "mistakes".

It is further complicated by the fact that Dublin Brigade IRA added to Collins original list

This is presumably not your grandfather

"Sean Smith’s appointment with four officers at the Standard Hotel in Harcourt Street was called off, never kept. There was no longer anyone there to kill"

[seanod]

Hola, Corisande, Que tal estas? My great-uncle was Edward Dorins - I have put details onto Wikipedia. As I said above, the connection with Bloody Sunday is only speculative and is based on two things - his well-documented abduction and near-drowning by Auxiliaries at the beginning of February 1921 and his status as NCO. These lead me to think that he must have been involved in some kind of action earlier than his abduction, and Mount Street is the most likely event because so many of E Company were in it. However, there were other actions around the same time and earlier, so unless I find something in the witness statements it would be safer to assume that he didn't take part. 

[corisande]

Hola, bien gracias, hace calor aqui 

Certainly Lower Mount St operation was E Company plus 2 men from head office

22 Lower Mount St was not a salubrious place in 1920, when General Crozier went into the house after the shootings he remarked "the dingy, dirty house resembled a bad billet in France, shot up by French mutineers"

At the moment my feeling is that 11 IRA men went there, the 2 squad men plus 9 from E Coy. I know who 5 of those 9 were, and he is not one of the ones who were definitely involved.

[seanod]

Que vida esta!  I think there are a number of individuals mentioned by T. Ryle Dwyer, probably the names you have. Teeling was captured, of course, and a man called Lean was shot in the hand. (I think Dwyer calls him McLean). He was later involved in a murder in Scartaglin in Kerry in 1924. He stood trial but the sentence of death was commuted because the main protagonist (Jeremiah Gaffney) took full responsibility. His being injured with Teeling is mentioned in one of the newspaper reports, so it is definitely the same man. If my memory serves me right, Slattery was in charge of the picket and Slattery killed the two Auxiliaries. Hope that helps.

[corisande]

If my memory serves me right, Slattery was in charge of the picket and Slattery killed the two Auxiliaries.

Yes Slattery was in charge, along with Tom Keogh.

The 2 Auxiliaries were shot by the covering IRA force, I think, rather than Slattery himself. I think Slattery was still in or near the house when the Auxiliaries were shot near Mount St Bridge

[margnip2]

Hi all

As I have said in the Custom House thread my granddad was in E Company 2nd Battalion.  I don't know wether he was involved in the Bloody Sunday attacks, but my Uncle has told me he had shot a few people on different occasions.  It would be interesting to know if he was involved.

[corisande]

my granddad was in E Company 2nd Battalion

Who was he?

[margnip2]

Hi corisande

His name was Philip Flynn or Phil Flynn.  He may even have been called by his middle name Christopher.