Civil War in North Kildare, June–July 1922

Published in the Liffey Champion, 25th of June 2022

The Civil War in Ireland which began 100 years ago affected every locality of the country outside Northern Ireland and North Kildare was no exception with armed militancy erupting in the early stages of the conflict.

It arose over divisions regarding the terms of the Treaty signed on the 6th of December 1921. The general population of the eastern region of the country, was strongly pro-treaty. This was clearly reflected in an election held on the 16th of June 1922, which was largely seen as a referendum on the treaty, when the constituency of Kildare – Wicklow voted 81 percent in favour of pro-treaty candidates.

By this time the IRA had already split over the treaty which resulted in two separate armies emerging in every district of the new Irish Free State.

The leadership of the Eastern Division of the IRA under the command of Sean Boylan which included Meath and North Kildare, were firmly pro-treaty. In many cases the general membership of the IRA company or battalion followed the opinion taken by their commanding officer and this was largely the outcome among the two IRA battalions in the northern area of Kildare. One was based in Leixlip and the other based in Kilcock and they took opposite sides in the divide. Mick Flynn, O/C in Kilcock took the pro-Treaty side while Paddy Mullaney O/C in Leixlip was resolutely anti-Treaty. However, many individual IRA members within the two battalions defied their company or battalion leadership by choosing the opposite side.

The divide among the IRA in North Kildare was not evenly matched. The pro-treaty side which was aligned to the National army was far superior both numerically and in terms of arms. This superiority was evident with well-defended barracks in Kilcock and also Lucan close to the Kildare county boundary. Nonetheless, well-organised anti-Treaty units had emerged and were particularly well-organised in Maynooth where they operated from a barracks in the centre of the main street.

Militancy on the part of the anti-treaty IRA pre-dated the outbreak of conflict. Prior to the split in the movement, due to an IRA agreement, Paddy Mullaney and his associates in the Leixlip Battalion handed over their weapons to divisional headquarters believing they were for use in Northern Ireland, but they had not been given any weaponry in exchange. Unease followed and on the early morning of the 8th of April, a daring raid organised and carried out by Mullaney and Andrew Cooney on the Eastern Divisional Headquarters in Dunboyne led to the capture of a large quantity of arms and stores. It was a well-planned operation with reports indicating that up to fifty men took part with guards posted on all approaching roads to the village. Six men in the headquarters were subdued but there were no injuries. As a result of this episode Mullaney was regarded as a ‘marked man’ by the pro-treaty side.

Arrest of Anti-Treaty IRA Leaders

The Civil War began with the attack on the Four Courts in Dublin on the 28th of June 1922. Almost simultaneously the National army and pro-treaty IRA set about rounding up prominent activists associated with the anti-treaty movement with checkpoints set up on all the leading roads.

The first reported incident in North Kildare was the commandeering of a car by armed men at Jacob’s yard, Leixlip on the 28th of June. The following day Paddy Mullaney received instructions from his superiors to proceed to the headquarters of the anti-treaty IRA Eastern Division at Millmount, Drogheda where a substantial military camp had been formed. Mullaney left Vice-Commandant Thomas Mangan in charge and was accompanied on the journey by his adjutant Michael O’Neill from Weston and also veteran republican politician Donal Buckley. A political role for Buckley may have been planned, he was a former Sinn Féin TD for North Kildare and was highly regarded and respected due to his involvement in Easter Week.

In order to avoid Dunboyne a pro-treaty stronghold the group made a detour which would involve traveling by Kilcock and Summerhill. However, they were stopped at a National army checkpoint on the approach to Kilcock and taken into custody. The car they were driving was the vehicle commandeered in Leixlip the previous day.

The arrests in Kilcock illustrates how previous loyalties had been severed by the Civil War. Mick Flynn, who was in charge of the checkpoint at Kilcock, had served under Mullaney and alongside the other two during the War of Independence. The prisoners were confined in the local Ulster Bank which had been commandeered as a barrack.

Commandant Patrick Colgan, courtesy John Colgan.

The loss of Mullaney in particular was a severe blow to the anti-treaty side who were unable to make contact with their superiors to obtain instructions. The focus of attention now turned to Maynooth where another example of divided loyalties emerged at this time. Intelligence relating to anti-treaty militancy was passed on to the National army authorities by Patrick Colgan a former local IRA Battalion O/C who spent five days in the family home in Maynooth during the early days of the Civil War.

Colgan, who had been imprisoned in the latter stages of the War of Independence, was a supporter of the treaty. By June 1922, he was employed by the Provisional Government in the Ministry of Economics. Due to the deteriorating situation, Colgan decided to provide intelligence to the Ministry of Defence and join the National army. On the 5th of July, he sent a report on anti-treaty activity in Maynooth to Dermot O’Hegarty, providing names and addresses of twelve local militants which included Thomas Mangan, Tim Tyrrell and Patrick Kirwan who were fellow colleagues during Easter Week in 1916. He also named activists from Celbridge, Cloncurry, Mainham, Leixlip and Kilcock. Many of the activists lived within 50 yards of his home and some had been his school colleagues. Colgan also reported that anti-treaty activists in Maynooth were holding a brother of Mick Flynn as a prisoner in their barrack in the main street in Maynooth.

First Shots Fired in North Kildare

The first shots fired in the Civil War in North Kildare were fired on the 29th of June when a Ford car with National army soldiers from Kilcock barrack arrived in the main street Maynooth. Anti-treaty IRA members who were patrolling in the street opened fire on the car. Fire was returned by the soldiers who had far superior weaponry. As a result, the anti-treaty activists retreated and the prisoner escaped.

Thomas Mangan O/C anti-treaty forces in Maynooth.

Despite this setback the Maynooth anti-treaty activists escalated their activities. Mangan mobilised the following areas where anti-treaty companies existed, Celbridge, Straffan, Leixlip and Kilcock. They arrived in Maynooth that night and took up positions. Wisely, the National army did not return and left Maynooth in the hands of the anti-treaty activists who continued with their activities.

On the night of the 30th of June, the two roads leading into Maynooth on the Kilcock side and on the Leixlip side were blocked, however, National army forces removed the obstacles on the 2nd of July. Telegraph and telephone wires were also cut at Maynooth Railway Station and the repair crew were ordered not to repair them. The railway line was targeted with tracks torn up on two locations on either side of Maynooth. But on this occasion the damage was quickly repaired by the railway companies. Elsewhere in the north of the county wires were also cut at Cloncurry and activity was also reported in the Straffan and Celbridge areas.

On the evening of the 1st of July, the anti-treaty side established a new base in Maynooth when they occupied and barricaded two houses at the corner of the junction of the main street with the Dublin Road.

National Army Capture Maynooth, 6th of July 1922

On the 6th of July, a National army unit under the command of Commandant Seamus Finn from Lucan Barracks advanced to Maynooth in a number of vehicles to quell the resistance and arrest the activists. Finn who was from Athboy knew many of the activists as he operated as IRA trainer for County Kildare during a short period in 1921.

The following is a report by Finn sent to General Richard Mulcahy:

I commanded an attack on Maynooth successfully this morning. The Executive [anti-treaty] Forces were not in the position I thought they would be. They were scattered through the town. We captured 14 men, 2 Mauser Rifles, I Lee Enfield, 3 shotguns. [We] have established [a] post temporary of 15 men at the Railway Station. Our men splendid – encircling movement carried out by them in fine style.

According to Mangan the National army arrived from all sides and began firing indiscriminately. His assertion that ‘about 300 National army troops surrounded the place and kept up firing for two hours’ seems to be somewhat exaggerated.

This block of houses in Main Street, Maynooth was severely damaged during the Civil War.

Nevertheless, considerable damage was caused to ten houses in the town. The roofs and external walls of numbers 2, 3 and 4, on the south side of the main street were severely damaged while the roofs on the four houses from numbers 5 to 8 were damaged beyond repair. The total damage which included the cost of re-roofing a number of houses amounted to £4,540.

A more serious encounter occurred in the main street when the Lucan party unsuccessfully attempted to arrest Jim O’Keeffe a leading anti-treaty-IRA battalion staff officer. As the lorry drove through Maynooth with the soldiers arresting suspects, O’Keeffe was spotted and a quick surrender was expected. However, the army unit while familiar with O’Keeffe as a battalion officer were unaware of his reputation and experience as an activist. O’Keeffe’s volunteer activity began eight years previously when he participated in the Howth Gun Running incident of 1914. He also had an involvement the following year at the funeral of O’Donovan Rossa in Glasnevin Cemetery where he was one of the seven members of the firing squad team.

Cool and defiant, O’Keeffe stood his ground, as the National army vehicle approached and as it came within range, he produced a hand grenade and threw it into the lorry, but it failed to explode. The occupants expecting another grenade to be hurled, immediately jumped from the vehicle and took cover which allowed O’Keeffe ample time to make good his escape. Commandant Finn’s report made no mention of the grenade incident.

The anti-Treaty side had no option but to disperse and due to the National army base established in Maynooth Train Station further resistance was limited.

Kilcock Army Barrack

The National army unit next proceeded to Kilcock to search for Jim O’Keeffe in the family public house. While failing to locate him, his younger brother Pat was taken into custody and confined in the local barrack. He was a senior officer in the anti-treaty IRA but was not openly involved in the conflict at this time.

The commandeered Ulster Bank in Kilcock serving as an army barrack and prison was manned mainly by former members of the Kilcock IRA company who were now operating as regular members of the National army. There were four internees in the barrack including O’Keeffe who found himself confined by guards that included fellow townsmen and former lifelong friends.

Ulster Bank, Kilcock.

Conditions in the make-shift jail were deplorable. The men were held in one room and were not allowed exercise. According to O’Keeffe, there was no privacy relating to sanitary conditions the only exercise permitted was

going to an outside dry toilet escorted by an armed guard. We were not allowed to close the door or be let out of sight. No visitors were allowed and no Sunday Mass.

O’Keeffe’s mother Bridget brought parcels with bread and cakes for the prisoners. But the guards were not taking any chances following the grenade incident in Maynooth. Suspecting hidden items that may assist the prisoners in an attempt to escape, the contents were cut up in pieces. Bridget was even ordered to supply a mattress and a blanket for her imprisoned son.

The arrests of leading anti-treaty activists and the establishment of a National army base in Maynooth railway station had temporally quelled anti-treaty resistance in the area with Mangan and four others having to go on the run.

However, within five weeks they were picked up. Patrick Kirwan was arrested on the 14th of July and Jim O’Keeffe was tracked down and arrested in Edenderry. Thomas Mangan was eventually arrested in early August while returning from Dublin where he had been attempting to make contact with superiors to obtain instructions.

While the level of anti-treaty militancy in North Kildare diminished during the late summer activity was to increase throughout the autumn.

Sources

  1. Hegarty to minister for defence detailing a report from Patrick Colgan, 5 July 1922 (UCDA, Mulcahy papers, P7/B/106/157)
  2. Report S. Fionn, Lucan Bks. to GHQ, 6 July 1922, (UCDA, Mulcahy Papers, P/B/60, 219)
  3. LL, 22 July 1922
  4. Paddy Mullaney interview, p. 26 (UCDA, O’Malley notebooks, P17/b/106)
  5. Mick O’Neill interview, p. 47 (UCDA, O’Malley notebooks, P17/b/107)
  6. Patrick O’Keeffe, ‘My Reminiscences of 1914–1923’, Oughterany: Journal of the Donadea Local History Group 1:1 (1993), pp 45–7
  7. Adhamhnán Ó Súilleabháin, Domhnall Ua Buachalla: Rebellious Nationalist, Reclusive Governor (Dublin, 2015), p. 169
  8. Seamus Cullen, The Irish Revolution, 1912–23 (Dublin, 2020), pp 115–6