Micheal Collins and 'The Squad'.

[corisande]

Gary

I am interested in Bill Stapleton's WS, he was involved in 92 Lower Baggot St on Bloody Sunday

Do you have any detail on what he says about Bloody Sunday?

[Gary Deering]

Hi Corisande I am sorry I only glanced at Bill Stapletons,but its a very well read statement judging by the condition of it, someone here must have a copy.I will get back in another month or two & have a look at the bloody sunday section.Gary

[Joy Dean]

If anyone can get to Clonakilty, the heritage centre there is very interesting -
http://www.michaelcollinscentre.com/

[lanigangenealogy]

Regarding Ed Byrne or Eddie Byrne

Edward J Byrne (1st cousin of my grandmother) was born in 1900 in New York though his parents returned to Ireland very soon after his birth, he died "sudden" on 14 Jan 1922 in Boydke, County Clare. He is buried in the Republican Plot in Glasnevin Cemetery (shares burrial plot with Peadar Clancy & Richard McKee shot Bloody Sunday - 21 Nov 1920).

Freemans Journal, 17 Jan 1922:-
Fought in GPO at Age of Fifteen
"Amid many manifestations of sorrow, the funeral took place yesterday to Glasnevin Cemetery of Lieut. Edward Byrne (21), of the Guards Company of the IRA, Dublin.
Deceased who was a late member of "B" Company, 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, belonged to Bodyke, Co. Clare where his death took place. As a soldier he had a remarkably record for bravery and good service. At age of 15 he fought in the GPO and was one of the reargaurd leaving with The O'Rahilly when the later was killed.
During the late war he again saw service in Dublin and took part in the capture of the armoured car and the subsequent attempt to enter Mountjoy Prision.
The late Lieut. Byrne was also one of the party who carried out the firing of the Custom House, escaping from it with Sean Doyle, his wounded comrade".


It goes on to describe his removal from Clare back to his home church in Fairview with officers of the 1st Western Division, 300 members of the IRA and members of his old company The Guards. The coffin was covered with the tri-color and amongst the wreaths were wreaths from Mr. Michael Collins TD, Alderman S. McGarry TD and officers of the 1st Division

"When the grave had been closed and the last prayers recited a party of volunteers in uniform advanced and fired three volleys over the remains. The last post was sounded and the the detachment of volunteers then marched past paying the last military tribute to the deceased fellow soldier and officer.


I'd post the entire newspaper cutting but i'm new to this site and do not have privileges yet. I believe my ancestor Edward was the Ed Byrne alluded to in the references to Collins Squad and would love to hear from anyone who can share more info from documents they have seen or research they have done.

Thanks in advance

[lanigangenealogy]

Hey I can post attachments now so here's the newspaper article in full:-

Moderator comment: image removed.  Full articles may not be re-published in this way.  Please see the here:

http://www.irishnewsarchive.com/termsofuse.php

[corisande]

Welcome to Rootschat and thanks for putting that up (takes some people a lifetime to master posting attachments)

Just to point this out, and it is confusing, there is both a Edward J Byrne and a Edmund Leo Byrne involved with The Squad. For Edmund Leo Byrne see an earlier post here by Alan8hughes .

I say this out of no deep knowledge of the Byrnes, but because I am (still) trying to see who was where on Bloody Sunday, 21 Nov 1920. I know of course what Vinnie Byrne was doing, but can anyone fill in if the movements of Edmund and Edward are known that day, and were they both known to have been in the Squad

Thought I had come across the name recently. See this thread about the shooting of Ryan in a Dublin pub http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,487706.15.html

This link is to the details of the shooting that I have and one of the men was "Eddie Byrne", but which Eddie

[capel street man]

w.s.631 Bernard .C.Byrne, along with his two brothers, Joseph and Charley, were members of D.Company,1st.Batt. of the Dublin Brigade.Bernard and Joseph were both members of the squad.
Bernard states the following in his W.S.Ref-John Ryan, British Spy, shot 5th February,1921.
The murder of Dick McKee and Peader Clancy in Dublin Castle after the Bloody Sunday shootings had been a severe blow to the volunteers generally, but to the squad it was a more personal matter, as McKee and Clancy, together with Collins, had always been our most ardent supporters. There was much speculation and keen competition in the squad as to who would have the honour of dealing with the person alleged to have been responsible for their capture.
After a long period of delay, which caused us serious misgivings,we were finally informed by Headquarters that they had located the man responsible. His name was Ryan and their information was to the effect that he could be found around mid-day practically any day drinking in a public house in Gloucester Diamond, on the opposite corner to the small church then known as the Tin Chapel.
After some slight discussion as to ways and means it was decided that Tom Keogh and myself should have a look at the premises in Gloucester Diamond with a view to seeing the general layout. We had a good description of Ryan and without further ado, we proceeded to the Gloucester Diamond. We were accompanied by Slattery.Eddie Byrne, Vincent Byrne, Frank Bolster, Jimmy Conroy,Stapleton, Leonard, Mick Kennedy and Mick Reilly.
The procedure normally followed on occasions like this was adopted, that is to say, men were posted in various positions to act  as a covering off party and we went along to the public-house where we hoped to find Ryan. The two of us entered the public-house by a door on the right hand side, called for two drinks, and proceeded to talk in general terms about nothing in particular, while at the same time giving the customers the once over.We eliminated the different people in the shop with the exception of one man who was sitting on our immediate right deeply immersed in a study of The Early Bird, a racing paper. We were unable to see his features, but believed from his general build that he was the man in whom we were interested.Keogh nudged me to make a move, and I, taking the hint, approached the man and asked him what they were tipping for some particular race, the three o,clock or the 3.30. This brought about the desired result, because he had of necessity to lower the paper.Immediately he did so we knew our search was over.Without any discussion or delay Keogh fired on him, I doing likewise.We made no delay, nor did we make any further examination of our victim, because we were perfectly satisfied from our previous experience that Ryan would betray no more members of our organisation.  un-quote.
Good luck
Capel Street Man

[corisande]

Thanks very much cpm, I appreciate the "good luck".

The amazing thing I find in researching any shooting is that if it is "successful" in other words get kill the right man, then everyone wants to claim they did it. If they get the wrong man, or he escapes, then nobody mentions it in their WS.

In this case of the shooting of Ryan in Hynes pub

1. Dwyer in The Squad p210 quotes statements from Paddy Kennedy and Bill Stapleton that they and Eddie Byrne (though I don't know which Eddie) shot Ryan. And that Jim Conroy was backing them up, and the "remainder of the squad" covering their retreat

2. The WS you have given me now says that Bernard Byrne claims that he and Tom Keogh did the shooting and that  their back up was Slattery, Eddie Byrne, Vincent Byrne, Frank Bolster, Jimmy Conroy, Stapleton, Leonard, Mick Kennedy and Mick Reilly.

3. The Irish Times report says 3 men did the shooting and that Ryan's brother-in-law was also in the pub and witnessed the shooting

Somebody is mistaken. Are there any other WS statements that might throw light on what happened.

[capel street man]

Here is another one for you!
W.S. 499 Patrick Kennedy, member of D.Co.2nd Batt. Dublin Brigade.
Quote- A man named John Ryan, who was residing in the vicinity of Gloucester Street, was a military policeman in Dublin Castle and was also, I believe, at one time employed as a batman to a British Military officer in the Castle, under whom he served in the British Army in India.Information reached our Intelligence that Ryan was spying on wanted men at night time.Curfew made no difference as far as he was concerned, he could be out at any time during the night. It was established that he was the man who tracked Dick McKee to a house in Gloucester Street and that he chalked, by arrangement, the door of the house in which McKee was stopping on the night he was arrested there. The idea of the chalk mark was to guide the Auxiliaries to the house in question. A couple of months after the murder of Dick McKee, instructions were given by the Director of Intelligence that the informer, John Ryan, was to be shot. This order was duly carried out. We knew that Ryan frequented a public-house adjacent to where he resided, and on a morning in February,1921,I took two squad men there, Bill Stapleton and Jimmy Conroy.Two of us entered the house in question and shot him, the third man remained outside. un-quote
I understand your frustration with the different versions but what is not in doubt is that Ryan deserved his fate, McKee and Clancy were highly respected and thought of by the Dublin Brigade and from what I understand, no stone was left unturned in the search for the  culprit, it took them from 21-11-20 to February 1921 to track down their man I know you can say he was only doing his job and he did his job well that night, he must have known what his fate would be , perhaps as is mentioned on the other posts, he did not care .
I have just returned from a visit to the N.A. in Dublin and looked at William Stapeltons W.S. I have ordered a copy to be sent in the post to me and will forward the information you are looking for on Bloody Sunday when I receive it.
Capel Street Man