Old IRA Dublin Brigade

[sandlotball]

The list is printed on thick, sturdy paper, about the size of a large post card - as if it were something handed out at an event or occasion.
The markings were done by my father - The name with the box around it, John Mansfield, is my grandfather. He died in 1932 so obviously the list dates from after that. The other marked names appear to be men my father knew were friends with or close with his father.
I've learned since the original thread post that Noel Lemass was a nieghbor of John Mansfield's father - my grandfather grew up in that home actually, Jack McGowan is most likely a relative - there were many inter-mariages between the 2 families & his wife was a McGowan,  Frank Jackson seems to  have lived on the same block in Sandymount with my grandfather.
If anyone has any information on John Mansfield I would be greatfull. I have a heck of a hard time researching him only on the internet. Thanks !

[Private 1st class]

Hi, This is like somrthing that was handed out at the Annual Mass for deceased members of the unit.

[sandlotball]

Thanks private - I've wondered what type of event this would have been handed out at. Were the masses held yearly ?
To date, it remains the only list I've found his name on. I know a bit about the things he did and his long imprisonment. I know also my grandmother remained close with de Valera till they passed (she died in 1980 age 98). But despite this, I can't seem to find any information regarding him.

[Private 1st class]

Hi Yes most if not all units held an annual mass. As they got older and fewer the masses died out. The Company mass became the battalion mass. Then Brigade mass, Also there were annual masses for individuals. The McKee Clancy, Clune annual mass was a big occasion. There were two military parades in Dublin. The Easter parade for 1916, and the McKee, Clancy, Clune parade. The salute was taken at City Hall. A wreath laid at the door where the men were killed. and mass in the  church in the castle. There were a set number of Church's used for these masses. The evening Herald printed the old I R A notes each week, A look at them will give you an idea of what was going on. The evening Press were not as good at printing them.The Dublin Brigade Council went to Dail Eireann to lobby Dev and have him include the notes. They would appear for a while and die out again. The Herald was never a problem. sometimes when they were young enough they would march to a location they had fought in and lay a wreath. This was the case of the group that burned the custom house. Mass in the Castle and march to the Custom House, The G P O Garrison done it as did Bolands Mills.

[watchman1]

Dear gkenny
Attached are a couple of extracts from Military Archive Witness Statement WS907 by Larry Nugent which may be of interest if Sean and John McCloskey are the one.
dtc

Harry (Henry) McEntee is reputed to be the last person to die in the Dublin area in the aftermath of the civil war.  He lived in Gloucester Street and his wife had been harassed constantly by the CID from Oriel House, saying that they would 'riddle' him when found.  His body was found with gunshot wounds at the junction of the Jamestown and Dubber Roads, Finglas.  A National Graves Association memorial was placed there c.1932 and was maintained by the Fianna Sluagh in Finglas during the 1950's and 60's.

[gkenny]

Dear gkenny
Attached are a couple of extracts from Military Archive Witness Statement WS907 by Larry Nugent which may be of interest if Sean and John McCloskey are the one.
dtc

That is very interesting. Thanks very much for posting those, I was not aware of them till now.  I am definitely making a visit to the archives.

One of them includes :

Thos.J.Cullen and Cpt. John McCluskey, who was taken on special service by Mick Collins as one of his most trusted men. When Captain Thos. Cullen was transferred to the Battalion Staff, Harry O’Farrell, another man who had gone through all the original training, was elected Captain of K. Company.

On the morning of Mick Collins’s escape in Mespil Road John McCluskey had his children waiting at points in case Mick came
along. These children knew him well.

My Grandmother said stories that would tie in with the above, I dismissed them as the usual urban legend kind of thing. I doubt there was a John McCluskey and a Sean McCluskey in K Company, 3rd Battalion so I believe this is the same man & the above ties in with what my Grandmother used to tell us about her activity as a child and about her father Sean McCluskey. I am blown away by that link, thanks so much for posting that.


Does anyone have any ideas if this could be the same man who gave a witness statement but is recorded as 'Official Dail Eireann' ?

http://www.militaryarchives.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/The_Bureau_of_Military_History_1913-1921_Index_to_Contributors.pdf

McCluskey. Sean. Official Dail Eireann, 1919. (WS) 512

[mmckenna]

I am trying to trace a distant relative of mine, Robert "Bobbie" Bonfield (occasionally misspelt as Bondfield) who joined the IRA from Na Fianna in 1918 at the age of about 15.

Bobbie took the anti-Treaty side in the Civil War and was killed by Free State forces in March 1923.

I can find information about his death, but nothing about his activities in Na Fianna or afterwards in the IRA - would your researches have thrown up his name at all?

Bobbie lived at the family home at 103 Moyne Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 if that helps you narrow things down. He was a classmate of CS "Todd" Andrews (in either St. Enda's or Synge Street CBS) and may have joined the Volunteers with him as Andrews joined at the same age.

Bobbie took the anti-Treaty side in the Civil War and was killed by Free State forces on 29/03/1923, at the time of his death I believe he was Acting O/C of the 4th. Battalion IRA when he would have been a 20 year old dental student in the third year of his studies at UCD.

It is alleged that he assassinated former TD and leader of the Citizens Defense Force Seamus Dwyer in December 1922 and that he himself was killed by the bodyguard of President WT Cosgrave who were based in Oriel House on Holy Thursday 29/03/1923.

Anyone come across references to Bobbie in your researches? Any scraps of information that you can give me would be most appreciated.

[capel street man]

Hello mmckenna and welcome to the site, if you go back to pages 30,31,32 of this post, you will see watchman has done some stirling work and research on the Citizen Defence Force and Oriel House, contact him , he may be able to give you more information, I have not come across your relative in my research, good luck and keep trying.

CSM

[mmckenna]

Thanks to the help of some members of this forum and others, I have been able to discover quite a bit about Robert "Bobbie" Bonfield, at the time of his death on 29/03/1923 he was the O/C of G Company, 4th Battalion, 1st Dublin Brigade.

I am looking for information on the activities of G Company both during the War of Independence and later in the Civil War. Did the formations stay much the same after the 'Split'? Would he have been in G Company prior to the Civil War or was there much reorganisation of the units?

In particular I am looking for descriptions of any actions that G Company were involved in.

Bonfield was arrested  on 07th March 1923 by a Lieut. Bolger after his house at 103 Moyne Road, Ranelagh was raided and a veritable arsenal (including a Lewis Gun and three revolvers) were siezed. He was taken to Portobello Barracks from where he subsequently escaped a couple of nights later.

He went to the house of schoolmates of his, Brendan and Kevin Mangan, at Albany Terrace, Ranelagh and had a wash and some food before going on the run. A 'servant girl' who had helped give him the meal probably reported him to the authorities. The following night the Mangan's house was raided by " a group of men in plain clothes accompanied by a man in the uniform of an Army Lieutenant" who were looking for Bonfield.

Brendan Mangan was taken to the back garden and interrogated. His parents attempted to intervene and when his mother asked why he was not arrested and charged in the 'proper way', the chilling reply was "We are out to execute, not make arrests".

Mangan's excuses were believed and the group left, which was rather lucky as Bonfield had hidden arms under the floor of the Mangans henhouse and Brendan was aware of this. The Mangans kept the guns hidden for many years and later when the family moved house Brendan transferred the guns to the henhouse at their new address. It was only years later when there was an amnesty that his brother Kevin handed in the guns.

On the 29th of March 1923, about 2 weeks later, Bonfield was lifted by Cosgraves bodyguard which included Joe McGrath, John O'Reilly (who was either a Col., a Cmmdt., or a Superintendent) and an unnamed guard. Two of these men took him to Clondalkin and shot him.

I would like to identify Lieut. Bolger who was probably based in Portobello Barracks and also Col/Cmmdt/Supt O'Reilly. Any help would be most appreciated.