The
Dublin Guard was a unit of the
Irish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
, in the
Irish War of IndependenceThe Irish War of Independence was a guerrilla war mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army . It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence, and ended with a truce in July 1921...
and then of the
Irish ArmyThe Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces . It was first formed in 1922 after the implementation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent foundation of the Irish Free State...
during the
Irish Civil WarThe Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
1922-23.
It was founded in May 1921, when the Active Service Unit of the
Irish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
's Dublin Brigade and the "Squad" assassination unit were amalgamated. The Guard was created due to the heavy losses sustained by the Dublin Brigade in their assault on the
Customs HouseThe Custom House is a neoclassical 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government...
on May 26, 1921. Five IRA volunteers were killed in the operation and eighty three captured.
The
Dublin Guard was a unit of the
Irish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
, in the
Irish War of IndependenceThe Irish War of Independence was a guerrilla war mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army . It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence, and ended with a truce in July 1921...
and then of the
Irish ArmyThe Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces . It was first formed in 1922 after the implementation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent foundation of the Irish Free State...
during the
Irish Civil WarThe Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
1922-23.
Foundation
It was founded in May 1921, when the Active Service Unit of the
Irish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
's Dublin Brigade and the "Squad" assassination unit were amalgamated. The Guard was created due to the heavy losses sustained by the Dublin Brigade in their assault on the
Customs HouseThe Custom House is a neoclassical 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government...
on May 26, 1921. Five IRA volunteers were killed in the operation and eighty three captured.
Paddy DalyPaddy Daly, sometimes referred to as Paddy O'Daly, served in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and subsequently held the rank of Major-General in the National Army in the period 1922 to 1924.-Easter Rising:...
, previously head of the Squad, was put in command of the new unit.
The Guard became part of the new
Irish ArmyThe Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces . It was first formed in 1922 after the implementation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent foundation of the Irish Free State...
of the
Irish Free StateThe Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand....
in January 1922. They were supportive of the
Anglo-Irish TreatyThe Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the de facto Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence...
which split the IRA, in large part because of their personal loyalty to
Michael CollinsMichael Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and MP for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations...
. At this time, its numbers were greatly expanded from a core of IRA veterans to a battalion sized unit, and eventually a brigade. The Dublin Guard provided most of the ceremonial parties that took over barracks and installations from the British, wearing a dark green uniform with brown leather webbing. When the Free State Army was expanded to over sixty thousand men, most of its troops were equipped with dyed British uniforms and webbing. The Guard however retained its original distinctive uniform, and was sometimes nicknamed the "Green and Tans" by hardline IRA men.
Civil War
On the outbreak of the
Irish Civil WarThe Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
in June 1922, The Dublin Guard were heavily involved in securing Dublin for the Free State (see
Battle of DublinThe Battle of Dublin, a week of street fighting in Dublin, the capital of Southern Ireland, from 28 June to 5 July 1922, marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War 1922–23...
).
These troops were among the most experienced and motivated men possessed by the
Irish Free StateThe Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand....
in the civil war. For this reason, they were to the forefront in the Free State offensive of July-August 1922 which took the so called
Munster RepublicThe Munster Republic was an informal and affectionate term used by Irish republicans to refer to the territory they held in the province of Munster at the start of the Irish Civil War...
and secured most of the territory of the new state for its government. Among the officers were
David NeliganDavid Neligan , known by his soubriquet "The Spy in the Castle", was an important figure involved in the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921, and subsequently became Director of Intelligence for the National Army after the Irish Civil War -Early life:David Neligan was born at Templeglantine,...
&
James McNamaraJames McNamara may refer to:* James B. McNamara, one of the McNamara brothers who pleaded guilty to the 1910 bombing of the Los Angeles Times building* James A. McNamara, American orthodontist...
, both of whom had been spies for Collins in the G division and DMP. They landed in
FenitFenit is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland, located on north side of Tralee Bay about 10km west of Tralee town, just south of the Shannon Estuary. The bay is enclosed from the Atlantic by the Maharee spit which extends northwards from the Dingle peninsula...
in
County KerryCounty Kerry is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. Kerry is the fifth largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 14th largest in terms of population...
in August 1922 and rapidly took Tralee on the same day, which culminated with the capture of Ballymullen barracks which was burnt by the retreating anti treaty forces. Over the following days it linked up with troops that landed in Tarbert, other forces moving towards Kerry from Limerick and captured other major towns in the county such as Killarney & Castleisland.
In the later stages of the war, the Dublin Guard, still stationed in
County KerryCounty Kerry is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Munster. Kerry is the fifth largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 14th largest in terms of population...
, was charged with putting down the guerrilla activities of the local anti-treaty IRA. The Dublin Guard were perhaps embittered by the killing of their erstwhile commander in chief,
Michael CollinsMichael Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and MP for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations...
, and of their comrades in several ambushes. As a result, they acted with great severity in Kerry. Over 40 republicans died in custody during the war or were summarily shot when captured. On at least three occasions in March 1923 Dublin Guard troops massacred republican prisoners after five of their men had been killed by booby trap bomb at
KnocknagoshelKnocknagoshel or Knocknagashel Knocknagoshel or Knocknagashel Knocknagoshel or Knocknagashel (Cnoc na gCaiseal, meaning "castle hill",is a village in County Kerry, Ireland. According to the 2006 census, the population of the village was 721.-History:...
. Particularly notorious was the Ballyseedy massacre, where eight republican prisoners were tied to landmine which was then detonated.
(See
Executions during the Irish Civil WarThe executions during the Irish Civil War took place during the guerrilla phase of the Irish Civil War This phase of the war was bitter, and both sides, the Government forces of the Irish Free State and the Anti-Treaty Irish Republican Army insurgents, used executions and terror in what developed...
). However, reprisals by the Dublin Guard against local civilians were rare. One recorded instance came in February 1923, when three individuals later identified as National Army officers shot dead two railway drivers whom they suspected of republican sympathies. Another feature of the Dublin Guard was the high number of combat injuries sustained by its senior officers.
Disbandment
Following a reorganisation of the Free State Army in February 1923 (in early 1923, Paddy O Daly was promoted to Major General)the Kerry Command was divided into five battalions, effectively discontinuing the Dublin Guard. After the cessation of hostilities, each battalion was transferred and disbanded. Few members of the Dublin Guard remained in the Free State Army after 1924.
External links
New York Times
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F0CE5D61231EF33A25757C0A9619C946395D6CF