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General Liam Lynch
Michael Collins needs no introduction to students of Irish history. He is certainly in the top five most well known figures in this country’s past. He died, killed in action, whilst serving as Commander in Chief of his newly independent nation’s fledgling army.
I suppose it is widely held that Eamonn De Valera was Collins’ opposite number in the Anti treaty, Republican Army. But in fact the IRA Chief of Staff was Gen Liam Lynch.
Liam Lynch was born near Anglesboro Co.Limerick on November 9th 1893.Like many patriotic young men he joined the Volunteers in the wake of the Easter Rising of 1916.In 1919 he was elected Cork (No 2 ) Brigade and in 1921 OC 1st Southern Division. In June of that year Liam Lynch like many more of the IRA men from the Munster area opted to oppose the Treaty which had been approved by Dail Eireann. With the Nationalist bombardment of the Four Courts Ireland’s Civil War was born. The resistance in Dublin was soon crushed and the Free State Forces turned it’s attentions to the Republican strongholds in the South. Fixed positions in all the major towns were quickly overcome by more or less conventional warfare. By early autumn, Michael Collins had been killed and the Republicans were engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Free Staters. This situation lasted until the Spring of 1923 by which time the Republican forces had been decimated by the deaths of many of it’s leaders and the imprisonment of about 12,000 rebels. The IRA executive met near the village of Ballymacarbry, Co.Waterford in mid-March 1923. Among those present were Eamonn De Valera, Tom Barry, Austin Stack and Liam Lynch. The debate on whether to continue the war or seek a truce was inconclusive. What was decided was another meeting further west near the village of Newcastle on April 10th.
Free State forces had got wind of the presence of the Republican leadership in the Ballymacarbry/Newcastle area and an estimated 9,000 troops flooded the area in searches for the IRA men. By April 10th Liam Lynch and his staff, Frank Aiken, Sean Hyde, Bill Quirke and Sean O’Meara were in the Newcastle area holed up in a safe house. Word reached them at 4am and again at 8am of two Free State Columns in the area and Lynch decided to withdraw into the Knockmealdown Mountains to the south. As the men made their way up the bare mountainside they were fired on by the Free Staters and returned fire. During the exchange of fire Lynch was hit and wounded. His comrades attempted to carry him to safety but he begged them to leave him as he was badly injured and in considerable pain. The men laid him on the ground, took his pistol and notebook and escaped.
When the Free State troops found him, Lynch was alive and quickly disabused the troops of the idea that they had captured De Valera. They made a rough litter from a great coat and two rifles and carried Lynch to the village of Newcastle about four or five miles away across the rough terrain of the mountainside. There he was laid on a couch in the home of the Nugent family who still own it today. From here he was brought by car to the town of Clonmel where he was treated in St.Joseph’s hospital. Here General Liam Lynch died on the evening of April 10th 1923. Two days later he was buried in Kilcrumper cemetery near the town of Fermoy, Co.Cork.
The Irish Civil War ended on April 30th.
In the 1935 a Round Tower was built on the spot where he was fatally wounded.15,000 people attended the unveiling. The Committee that organized and built Liam Lynch’s Monument was comprised of old comrades from the area, E.Carrigan, J. McGrath, M.O’Gorman and Willy Dalton,Adjutant West Waterford Brigade and member of a family into which one of my aunts married.
There are some similarities between the deaths of Michael Collins and Liam Lynch. Both were charismatic Leaders, both died in action, killed by an unknown assailant. Both deaths were prey to conspiracy theories that they were assassinated by one of their own men. Such theories have no basis in fact and impugn not only the memories of their followers but also the memories of the two leaders themselves.
Michael Collins needs no introduction to students of Irish history. He is certainly in the top five most well known figures in this country’s past. He died, killed in action, whilst serving as Commander in Chief of his newly independent nation’s fledgling army.
I suppose it is widely held that Eamonn De Valera was Collins’ opposite number in the Anti treaty, Republican Army. But in fact the IRA Chief of Staff was Gen Liam Lynch.
Liam Lynch was born near Anglesboro Co.Limerick on November 9th 1893.Like many patriotic young men he joined the Volunteers in the wake of the Easter Rising of 1916.In 1919 he was elected Cork (No 2 ) Brigade and in 1921 OC 1st Southern Division. In June of that year Liam Lynch like many more of the IRA men from the Munster area opted to oppose the Treaty which had been approved by Dail Eireann. With the Nationalist bombardment of the Four Courts Ireland’s Civil War was born. The resistance in Dublin was soon crushed and the Free State Forces turned it’s attentions to the Republican strongholds in the South. Fixed positions in all the major towns were quickly overcome by more or less conventional warfare. By early autumn, Michael Collins had been killed and the Republicans were engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Free Staters. This situation lasted until the Spring of 1923 by which time the Republican forces had been decimated by the deaths of many of it’s leaders and the imprisonment of about 12,000 rebels. The IRA executive met near the village of Ballymacarbry, Co.Waterford in mid-March 1923. Among those present were Eamonn De Valera, Tom Barry, Austin Stack and Liam Lynch. The debate on whether to continue the war or seek a truce was inconclusive. What was decided was another meeting further west near the village of Newcastle on April 10th.
Free State forces had got wind of the presence of the Republican leadership in the Ballymacarbry/Newcastle area and an estimated 9,000 troops flooded the area in searches for the IRA men. By April 10th Liam Lynch and his staff, Frank Aiken, Sean Hyde, Bill Quirke and Sean O’Meara were in the Newcastle area holed up in a safe house. Word reached them at 4am and again at 8am of two Free State Columns in the area and Lynch decided to withdraw into the Knockmealdown Mountains to the south. As the men made their way up the bare mountainside they were fired on by the Free Staters and returned fire. During the exchange of fire Lynch was hit and wounded. His comrades attempted to carry him to safety but he begged them to leave him as he was badly injured and in considerable pain. The men laid him on the ground, took his pistol and notebook and escaped.
When the Free State troops found him, Lynch was alive and quickly disabused the troops of the idea that they had captured De Valera. They made a rough litter from a great coat and two rifles and carried Lynch to the village of Newcastle about four or five miles away across the rough terrain of the mountainside. There he was laid on a couch in the home of the Nugent family who still own it today. From here he was brought by car to the town of Clonmel where he was treated in St.Joseph’s hospital. Here General Liam Lynch died on the evening of April 10th 1923. Two days later he was buried in Kilcrumper cemetery near the town of Fermoy, Co.Cork.
The Irish Civil War ended on April 30th.
In the 1935 a Round Tower was built on the spot where he was fatally wounded.15,000 people attended the unveiling. The Committee that organized and built Liam Lynch’s Monument was comprised of old comrades from the area, E.Carrigan, J. McGrath, M.O’Gorman and Willy Dalton,Adjutant West Waterford Brigade and member of a family into which one of my aunts married.
There are some similarities between the deaths of Michael Collins and Liam Lynch. Both were charismatic Leaders, both died in action, killed by an unknown assailant. Both deaths were prey to conspiracy theories that they were assassinated by one of their own men. Such theories have no basis in fact and impugn not only the memories of their followers but also the memories of the two leaders themselves.
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