The Poetry of Joseph Plunkett, the executed leader

Women Rebels in the American Press

History Repeats Itself????

1918
Ireland is promised Home Rule and more autonomy to be in charge of their affairs
2015
Scotland is promised more autonomy to be in charge of their affairs
1918
A UK General Election is called
2015
A UK General Election is called
1918
One party sweeps the seats in Ireland - Sinn Fein
2015
One party sweeps the seats in Scotland - SNP
1918
Sinn Fein wins 50% of the popular vote
2015
SNP wins 50% of the popular vote
1918
The Conservatives win just over 300 seats in the election and return to Government
2015
The Conservatives win just over 300 seats in the election and return to Government
1919
The new Sinn Fein members of Parliament decide to ignore rule from London and set up their own parliament
2016
The new SNP members of Parliament decide to............................................

Ireland's Own

A new article I have penned for the Ireland's Own annual magazine out now based on the story of the efforts of barmen during the Easter Rising. Available in all good book shops now!!!!!!!

King of England Supports Sinn Fein

This article was published in the US seven days after the abdication of Edward VIII as King.
"Oh hell" said Edward "if I was Irish I'd be a Sinn Feiner myself" 
The article refers to a polo match in Argentina and an Irishman named 'Nelson'. This refered to Jack (Juan) Nelson, the son of Kildare born John Nelson who in 1906 founded the Nationalist leaning Hibernian Argentine Review in Buenos Aires. Jack was a member of the Hurlingham Polo Club. He and another Irish-Argentinian ex-pat Arturo Kenny were part of a four man Argentine Polo team who won the gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games.

The polo match mentioned took place in 1925 during a visit by the then Prince of Wales to Argentina.
Whether there was any substance to the comments made by the 'diplomat' is hard to know but many of the facts line up.

According to Seamus Daly's Witness Statement

'I remember reading an account somewhere of the King, Edward VIII when he was Prince of Wales, and his visit to Kenya Colony where he made a speech about the British Empire, in which he mentioned that during his tour of the Colony he met a Sinn Feiner from Dublin with whom he had a long conversation. This Sinn Feiner was none other than Thomas O’Shea who at the time, was employed in Kenya colony.' 

and in Aine Ceannt's statement, the widow of the executed Eamonn Ceannt

'Miss O'Brennan also lectured to University women and to other gatherings on the literature, culture and music of Ireland. In this way she aroused the interest of the educated people of America in the cause of Ireland. She travelled from East to West on several occasions, giving these lectures. Miss O'Brennan told me that at one of these meetings she had met the lady who was afterwards Mrs. Simpson and who subsequently married Edward VIII and became Duchess of Windsor. This lady was deeply interested in Ireland and was, Miss O'Brennan said, a charming person.'

In a letter to Eamon DeValera regarding the crisis at Buckingham Palace, Joe Walsh the Secretary at The Department of External Affairs wrote,
'Just as the British have used political divisions here for their political advantage we are entitled and are bound to turn their present difficulty to our own account'

                                                      The Future King in Argentina in 1925

The brief King seemed to have leaning towards the Nationalists in Ireland and it is perhaps ironic that his abdication led to a crisis between the Free State and Great Britain as DeValera used the abdication to remove the King from his position as Head of State in the Free State,

28 Days

James Fox, Grocer's Assistant.

'James Fox (16), 74 Thomas Street He was a member of Na Fianna. Killed in a trench in St Stephens Street, near Royal College of Surgeons. His family lived in 6 James Street in 1911 census - the youngest of 6 children-Laurence, John, Margaret, Catherine, Elizabeth, James and 3 Thomas Walshe-a servant; along with Elizabeth and Laurence his parents. Buried in Glasnevin.'

Is the reference to James Fox in Joe Duffy's book Children of The Rising, a listing of those under 18 who lost their lives during the Easter Rising. I am sure the RTE broadcaster has taken this task very seriously and a large amount of research has gone into the story but their seems to be a major discrepancy in this listing. I am curious myself as James is listed as a Grocer's Assistant or barman to you and me but this has probably come about as a result of his father owning and running a hotel bar. 

The following comes from Irishmedals.org

'Fox, James Joseph Citizen Army. Killed in Action on the 25th of April 1916 aged 18. James Fox was born in the Spencer Arms Hotel, Drumree, County Meath where his father was proprietor. He attended school in Dunshaughlin and later was educated by the Christian Brothers at Marino. He was stationed at the north side of St. Stephen’s Greens, near the Grafton Street Gate, in a trench opposite the United Service Club. Early on Tuesday morning he was returning to his post with a cup of tea when he was hit by a bullet fired from the direction of the Shelbourne Hotel. He was single and worked as a Grocer’s Assistant. He was a member of the 1st Battalion Dublin Brigade Irish Volunteer but requested to fight along side the Irish Citizen Army. He came from the Thomas Street area of Dublin'. 

Pat and his young son are referred to in Franks Robbins Witness Statement

"I was making for the ranks when Pat Fox caught my eye. This was the man I referred to earlier in my story dealing with Guard duty in Croydon Park during my early days in the Irish Citizen Army. He drew -55- a youth about nineteen years of age towards me saying, "Here is my lad; take him with you for the Irish Citizen Army. I am too old for the job". My reply was; "Right you are, Pat. Good-bye". Little did I know then that in less than twenty hours this youth was to breathe his last in this life in the cause of Ireland's freedom."

The 1911 Census actually shows the family still living in County Meath and the family consists of Liverpool born Mother Margaret and children Constance, James, Thomas and Mary. 

It is important that with the centenary fast approaching that all of us who believe in commemorating The Rising should endeavor to get as many of the facts correct as we can allowing for the passage of time. 

THE EASTER RISING IN NUMBERS

US NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON WOMEN OF THE RISING

JOHN 'The Yank' KILGALLON

Insurgency, radicalization, foreign fighters arriving to battle, freedom fighters known as terrorists, a UK coalition of nations take on the fight. Is this Ukraine, Iraq, Syria or ISIS? No it's the 1916 Easter Rising.

Perhaps the most famous American involved in the Easter Rising was Eamon DeValera who would in the years after become President of Ireland. But other US citizens joined the fray one of these was John A. Kilgallon. He was born in the village of Far Rockaway, New York in 1891. His father Luke and mother Nora (nee Walsh) emigrated from County Mayo. They married in the United States and John was their only son.

Luke earned a living as blacksmith who wisely learned how to fix cars and built a prosperous auto repair and gas station. He patented a device to put tires onto the rims and became financially wealthy in real estate.

In 1914 he sent his son to St. Enda's school in Dublin. There John Kilgallon was decisively influenced by the school's founder, Patrick H. Pearse, one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rebellion. Known as "The Yank" John drilled as part of a unit known as "Pearse's Own" consisting of current and former St. Enda's students. But how did this photographer end up at St. Enda’s. Firstly his parents had the means to send him to Ireland and study at St. Enda’s with the attendant living expenses covered.

Secondly he was basically on the run. On August 20th 1912 and not even twenty one John had taken a car from his father garage and attended a party. Following the party just after 2am in the morning the car was packed with ten people and according to police reports the car was travelling at 65 mph when it struck a farm wagon, catapulting the occupants from the car and over turning.

The most seriously injured was sixteen year old Cecilia Welstead who was crippled for life following the accident. In January 1915 Ms. Welstead sought $50,000 but the Kilgallon family had removed their son from the jurisdiction and sent him to Ireland John’s father denied in court that his son’s departure had anything to do with the court case. Ms. Welstead was awarded $20,000 in damages by Justice Scudder.

He was in the Post Office during the thick of the combat, and surrendered with Pearse after six days of heavy fighting. According to Desmond Ryan’s BMH witness statement

"Holy Ge"!, cries John A. Kilgallon, in his American accent to two bewildered postal officials: "This 'ain't no half-arsed revolution! This is the business.”

After his capture, Kilgallon with an address at The Hermitage Rathfarnham was sent to the Richmond Barracks before being marched to the docks and taken first to Stafford Jail and then to Frongoch Prison Camp in Wales where he became a hut leader. The authorities offered to release him if he swore an oath of allegiance to the British crown. John rejected this offer. This had been stated in a letter to his father published in the Brooklyn Eagle in February 1917 which had been smuggled out of Frongoch by Annie Buffin the sister of Eamon Buffin who was also a student at St Enda’s and is remembered as one who had raised the flag above the GPO at the start of the Rising. America's Ambassador the Court of St. James, Walter Page, pressed the British government to release "The Yank" with US newspapers referring to Kilgallon as a ‘schoolboy’. Kilgallon was released on Christmas Day 1916.

While their son was in Frongoch, Luke Kilgallon received a letter in the post on May 11th from Padraig Pearse which reported on his son’s progress at St. Enda’s. Pearse said ‘he is very well and has made genuine progress. He has certainly benefited from his time at St. Enda’s.’ The letter was an acknowledgement of fees paid to the school on behalf of John Kilgallon.

John Kilgallon in Uniform

Part of John ‘the yank’ Kilgallon legacy to the rising is a series of photographs he took on Easter Sunday at St Enda’s of comrades on the day before the Rising begun.

John served his native country in World War I as a machinist in the United States Navy. From his service record, it appears that spent the entire war in stateside naval bases. John died in 1972 at the age of 80.