#OnThisDay 1920 Ernie O’Malley was captured by Auxiliaries in Inistioge, Kilkenny. On him was a notebook with the names of some members of the West Kilkenny IRA Brigade who were later arrested. O’Malley gave a fake name ‘Bernard Stewart’ despite being tortured and the Auxies never discovered his true identity or how important he was. He later escaped from Kilmainham Gaol in February 1921.
#OnThisDay 1922 Four Republican prisoners were executed in Mountjoy Jail in response to the assassination of Pro-Treaty TD Sean Hales. Each prisoner represents the four Irish provinces. The four men were:
Dick Barrett
Joe McKelvey
Liam Mellows
Rory O’Connor
Rory O’Connor
Rory O’Connor from Dublin. O’Connor had served as an intelligence officer during the Easter Rising, Director of Engineering for the IRA & took over the Four Courts in 1922. He was best man at his close friend Kevin O’Higgins’s wedding, who then signed O’Connor’s execution order.
Liam Mellows
Liam Mellows, who represented Connacht after his role in organising the Easter Rising in Galway. He was Director of Supplies for the IRA & was elected as a TD to the first Dáil. While in jail, Mellows outlined a 10 point programme about how he thought the country should be run.
Dick Barrett
Richard Barrett from Cork. A teacher by trade, Barrett was a very active IRA staff officer & was appointed West Cork 3rd Brigade Quartermaster in 1920. He was captured after the Four Courts had been shelled. He wrote a last letter to his family describing his last few hours.
Joe McKelvey
Joe McKelvey from Tyrone. McKelvey was commander of the Belfast Brigade during the War of Independence & later of the the Third Northern Division. In June 1922, McKelvey briefly became IRA Chief of Staff, days before he was captured after the shelling of the Four Courts.
#Onthisday 1941 US base Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. John W. Finn was awarded the first Medal of Honor of #WW2 for firing a machine gun from an exposed position throughout the attack, despite being severely wounded. Finn’s grandparents were from Galway.
#OnThisDay 1922 Sean Hales, a Pro-Treaty TD from Cork was assassinated on Ormonde Quay, Dublin. His assassin was Owen Donnelly from Glasnevin. Hales’ brother Tom was tortured during the WOI, sided against the Treaty & was IRA senior commander at Béal na Bláth.
#OnThisDay 1775 John Barry from Wexford, the “Father of the US Navy” (a nickname shared with two others) was appointed Captain. He was the first Captain in command of a warship in the American Continental navy & later the first Flag Officer as Commodore.
The Irish at War 