Good read from Scottish Republican Socialist Movement Website shared it before well worth another read Of the various Republican organisations in Glasgow in the period from the outbreak of the First World War to Easter Week, including Sinn Fein, the Irish Volunteers and the IRB, Na Fianna Eireann completely outshone them in terms of enthusiasm, activism, and for the importance of their contribution to the Easter Week preparations.(1) A sluagh of Na Fianna Eireann named after Willie Neilson the boy patriot of 1798, was formed in Glasgow in April 1910.(2) It had its first headquarters in High street, later moving to Sword Street off the Gallowgate, and ending up in Ann Street in the city centre. Another sluagh was later formed in the district of Govan. Prominent among the first boys who joined were Belfast brothers Joe and Seamus Robinson, both of whom went on to become famous IRA leaders. Joe became GOC of the Scottish Brigade of the IRA, and Seamus fought alongside Sean Tracey and Dan Breen in the Soloheadbeg ambush, as commanding officer of the South Tipper-ary Brigade. Headed by Joe Robinson and his lieutenant Thomas Gillespie, the vast majority of the Willie Neilson Sluagh which totalled about 50 young men, later joined the local IRB and Irish Volunteers. Members of the Glasgow Fianna included Bernard Friel, Alex Carmichael, Eamon Mooney, Sean Mooney, Seamus Dempsey (Govan), George Rafferty, Seamus Reader, Alex Reader, -McErlane, - Coll, - OReilly, Sean Nelson, Michael OCarroll, Joseph Shields, Frank Murray, Michael OConnor (Govan), Seamus Creighton, Denis Breslin, Chris OToole, Patrick ONeill, Liam Richardson, - Cassidy (Tollcross), G Strickland, F Curran, Patrick White, Myles Mullan, P Sweeney (Falkirk), Frank Magee, Alex McGowan, James Pat McCann (both latter in Govan branch), Liam Simms, Thomas McGorrie (Cambuslang), Brendan ODocherty, - Brady, Peter Johnston (Govan), Martin OCarroll and J Murphy.(3) Typical Fianna activity included routine drilling, flag signalling, lectures in Irish history, Gaelic classes, concerts, and route marches in uniform through the centre of the city. Soon after their formation the Glasgow Fianna had a visit, lecture and inspection from a suitably impressed Buhner Hobson. This was followed by another inspection by his co-founder Countess Markievicz who also gave the annual Robert Emmet anniversary lecture in which she asked her listeners the rhetorical question, When will the next time be to strike a blow for Ireland, and will they be ready when that time came? At one point the Sluagh were dressed with Green Fianna shirts (brass buttons) and saffron kilts in lieu of knickerbockers. Eamon Mooney who was a Fianna boy recalls an event that occurred in Glasgow in 1911 when the City Corporation extended a free trip to all schoolchildren for the Scottish Exhibition of Natural History, Art and Industry. It was also Coronation year for King George V and Queen Mary. All schools had to carry a large Union Jack in tram or street car and the schoolchildren had to learn the British national anthem. Some Fianna boys obtained a large Green Flag with Gold Harps and carried it right through to our school. My father wrote the following ditty which all the schoolchildren learned and sang for this occasion, much to the consternation of all the other loyal schools, but to the secret delight of our headmaster, Mr Horgan, a Corkman. God save old Ireland Long may she prosper and defend her rights Damn all English Union Jacks Likewise all her loyal quacks And Hurrah for the Green (4) A uniformed troop of Glasgow Fianna scouts attended the funeral of the Fenian leader ODonovan Rossa, in August 1915. (5) The militant mood in the lead up to 1916 was reflected in the crucial activities of the Fianna. Members of the Glasgow companies of the Irish Volunteers included many munitions factory and shipyard workers. These men brought out information and keys which enabled the Fianna to raid for large amounts of explosives, detonators, fuse wire and other materials useful in bomb making. After being stored in safe houses in Scotland, virtually tons of explosives would be taken by young Fianna boys to Ireland. The route most commonly used was between Ardrossan and Belfast. Some of the smuggled explosives, which most commonly came from the Lanarkshire coalfields, would be distributed among sympathisers in Belfast, but the bulk would be transported to Dublin. Some members of the Fianna like Alec Carmichael were engaged in British Admiralty war work on Clydeside and: their sabotage efforts ensured that some submarines never came up after their first trial.(6) Fianna officer Seamus Reader recalls arriving in Belfast from Glasgow on 1st of January 1916 with two other members of the Fianna. They had in their possession 150 rounds of .303 and 200 rounds of assorted revolver ammunition, eight short .45 and eight .32 revolvers, 40 feet of fuse, 200 detonators and one stone of explosives. A raid on a colliery magazine near Glasgow on the 15th of January secured a large quantity of high explosives and was taken straight across to Dublin via Belfast. (7) The importance of these smuggling operations was acknowledged by the leadership of the IRB in Dublin. During a meeting Seamus Reader had with Sean McDermott on the 17th of January, he very much showed his appreciation of our success in getting the material to Dublin, and said that the capture of such an amount of high explosives by the British authorities would have ruined all their plans. (8) Reader reached top rank on the Scottish Divisional Board of the IRB even though he was only a boy in his teens and went on to prove himself to be the most active and the most effective officer in Scotland- especially when the older officers were in jail. (9) Of the 50 to 60 young men of the Irish Volunteers who came over from Scotland to take part in the Easter Rising, most of them were or had been members of the Fianna.(10) They started going to Dublin in January when Conscription was introduced and were given Fianna badges to present upon their arrival. They went to the Larkfield home of Count Plunkett where they joined other overseas contingents from London, Liverpool and Manchester, and be-came the Scottish Division of the Kimmage Garrison. The Garrison was known as the first standing army of the Irish Republic. From January 1916 to Easter Week, these men made ammunition, grenades, pikes, bayonets, etc, for the use of the Dublin Brigade. When they marched out from Kimmage on Easter Monday, the prophecy of Peadar Kearney Some have come from a land beyond the wave was fulfilled. Every Volunteer was fully armed and equipped and it was these men that took over the GPO, put it in a state of defence and set up the Headquarters of the Irish Republic. The Scottish Division gave a good account of themselves. Seamus Robinson was put in charge of the furthest outpost from the GHQ that was nearest the enemy, in Hopkins and Hopkins at OConnell Bridge. One of the Garrison from Scotland, Charles Carrigan, was cut down in a hail of bullets with the ORahilly by his side, during the second evacuation of the GPO on the 28th of April.(11) The Fianna, whose activities continued after the Rising, suffered a setback in November 1917. Two members of the Glasgow Fianna were arrested in Belfast after crossing from Ardrossan. They were caught with 230 two-ounce sticks of gelignite and a considerable amount of blasting powder. They were also carrying material which incriminated Joseph Robinson. The charges against the two Fianna members were dropped, but Robinson was given a ten-year gaol sentence, by far the longest term of incarceration imposed for arms smuggling during the entire period between 1916 and 1921. (12) In the years that followed the Rising up to the high water mark of the Anglo-Irish War in 1921, support among the Irish community for Irish Republicanism went through the roof in Scotland, and was critical to the Republican war effort. Raids for arms and explosives were resumed on a much larger scale and an IRA expeditionary force was sent to Ireland. The Republican organisations experienced a considerable growth in support and underwent expansion. The Scottish Brigade of the IRA had 2,500 men organised in 5 battalions and 33 companies. There were 14 branches of Cumann na mBan and 66 Sinn Fein cumainn were scattered throughout Scotland. While membership figures are not available for the Fianna, one would expect a significant increase in numbers during this period. (13) When Countess Markievicz conducted a tour of Scotland in 1919, it is recorded that she inspected the Fianna boys on the 3rd of February of that year. (14) The contribution made by the Irish in Scotland in support for the home country was acknowledged in an address by the President of the Irish Republic that was relayed to an Irish convention in Glasgow in November 1922. In it he stated, Of all the children of Irish race in foreign lands, none have been more faithful than you in Scotland. (15) There can be little doubt, however, that the unstinting service given to Ireland by Na Fianna Eireann in the lead up to Easter Week, was an important factor in the meteoric rise of the national movement in Scotland. From the ranks of the Fianna emerged the leaders of the IRA, virtually all of whom remained true to the Fianna ideal and stood by the Republic when national unity was broken by the treachery of the Free Staters. Sources (1)Martin OCathain, The Fenian Movement in Scotland 1858-1916, (PhD Thesis, University of Ulster, 2001), p.420 (2) Ibidp.407 (3) The names of the Scottish Fianna are amongst the Scottish Brigade Old IRA documents in the Eamon Mooney papers (A private collection in the possession of Cathleen Knowles McGuirk, Dalkey) (4) Eamon Mooney Papers. (5) Padraig OBaoighill, Oglach Na Rosann: Niall Pluincead OBaoighill. (Johnswood Press,1994), p. 148 (6) Frank Gallagher Papers MS.21,265, Account of Seamus Robinsons part in the War of Independence, National Library of Ireland. P60-61 (7) Seamus Reader, Irishmen in Scotland, An Toglac, St Patricks Day Issue, 1962. P.4 (8) Seamus Reader, Irishmen in Scotland, An Toglac, Summer 1964.P.8 (9) Letter (undated) from Mrs Kathleen Kincaid to the Editor, Sunday Press re. Article in the Sunday Press, 28 February 1954 (Appears as an appendix in the Frank Gallagher Papers (see above). (10) Same as (9) (11) The Last Post National Graves Association, Dublin. (12) Daily Record (Scotland), 11 December 1917. (13) Martin OCathain, The Fenian Movement in Scotland 1858-1916, (PhD Thesis, University of Ulster, 2001) (14) Programme of Countess Markievicz Scottish Tour (Ref.1094/16/9), Public Records Office, Dublin. (15) Poblacht Na-h Eireann (Scottish Edition), November 18,1922 (National Library of Ireland). - See more at: scottishrepublicansocialistmovement.org/Pages/SRSMArticlesNaFiannaEireanninScotland.aspx#sthash.hSvvvFD9.dpuf
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 16:51:10 +0000
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