Old IRA Dublin Brigade

[corisande]

You may not like this as a suggestion, but is it possible that he was working for the British and supplying the IRA with information

Q coy Auxiliaries were their Maritime Branch, and they were based at London & North West Hotel.  J O'Reilly is too difficult a name to research, but there was a J O'Reilly based in Dublin who worked for the Auxiliaries as a driver.

It would be a remarkable coincidence if IRA had a Q coy also working in boats.

[capel street man]

Hello John MB, if you go to my post ref - looking for members of "E" Co. 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, page 3 it explains the different Battalions and Companies. and how they were set up.

I have never come across a "Q" Co. in the Dublin Brigade, I would suggest you check the pension details again but I stand to be corrected if you have uncovered something new that hasn't been covered or mentioned in the history or research books, and if there was such a Company it sounds very interesting. Let me know how you get on.
CSM

[JohnMB]

Corisande, I'd be amazed if he was working for the British particularly given that his step father, James Cunningham, (1874-1948), served in Jacobs Biscuit factory, was apparently interned in Frongoch and was also awarded a Military Service Pension in the 1930s. I can't believe that James wouldn't have smelled a rat regarding his step son who was living with him. John resigned his commission in the Free State Army in 1929. When WWII started he enlisted in the Irish Marine Service (forerunner of our Naval Service) as a Petty Officer. He died from a heart attack at Haulbowline Naval Base in November 1945. Perhaps I'm naive but I don't think these are the activities of a spy. Quite apart from that if he was in Q Company auxillieries he wouldn't have been awarded military pension in the 1930s by our Govt.

CSM I have copies of a number of death notices all of which state that he was in Q Company, Dublin IRA. I will look at the letter he received which set out his periods of service for Pension Purposes and see if it references Q company in the way that the death notices and his military service record in Rathmines do and come back to you.

[shanew147]

I'm pretty sure there's a mention of Q Co. in Charles Dalton's book "With the Dublin Brigade", will check later on...


Shane

[Private 1st class]

Hi, Sean Mc Cluskey was a member of K company. 3rd Battalion Old I,R, A. They had the job of containing the Dublin Fire Brigade. based in Tara St. This they did very well on the day. They were to hold the station till 1.50 this they also did. If he was not in the station he may have been on one of the posts covering there escape done Pearse St. toward westland Row. As it turned out they did not use that way, but they piled into an Ambulance. While the Tans were going in one of the doors they were going out another. When they asked where it was going they were told to the Custom House to collect wounded. Some of the way, Tara St, Fleet St, Anglesea St, finally stopping up at Hatch St. Were everyone vanished and went there way. On the cornor of Townsend St and Shaw St,Townsend St and Spring Garden St. Two men on each the same back to Westland Row. One on spring garden St was a M Doyle on loan from 4Th Battalion. Another called Lyons Somewere along there. Two others were arrested by chance on there way to the area. They were still in there training hall doing signal lamp, Most of the men had gone home. A man arrived on a bike and introduced himself as Fred Lawlor from the 3rd Battalion. M Spain and JO'Connor knew him. He wanted  some six men for an important job . As there were only four of them they said they would go no problem.Joseph Carroll, Vincent Lyons. Matthew Doyle, and Seamus Kavanagh.

[JohnMB]

CSM, John O'Reilly was awarded a Pension in July 1929 under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1924 of £47, 16 Shillings and two pence per year. His Certificate of Military Service simply describes him as being a member of Oglaigh na Eireann for the entire period from 1 April 1921 to 30 September 1923. His Grade of Rank was given as Grade Lieutenant.

Under the heading, Service Prior to 1st. Feb 1922, the Supplementary History Sheet in his military record in the Military archive describes him as "Member of Q Coy (Cross Channel boats)". It states that in civilian life he worked on the SS Finola and for Michael Murphy and Co. and for the Dublin & Le Havre Steamship Co. The reference to Q Company is repeated in the several death notices that I have for him. For example in the following from the Irish Independent of 12 November 1945 - "Sudden Death of Petty Officer - Petty Officer John O'Reilly, Marine Service, Haulbowline was taken ill in Haulbowline and died almost at once. Death was due to natural causes and an inquest has not been deemed necessary. Deceased who was unmarried, was aged about 47. He was a native of Dundrum, Co. Dublin., and had lived in Oriel Street., Dublin. in the War of independence Petty Officer O'Reilly was a member of "Q" Co., IRA."

Incidentally, his step father, James Cunningham was awarded a pension in February 1936 under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 of £23, six shillings and six pence. His Service Certificate describes him as being a member of the Irish Volunteers from 1 April 1916 to 31 March 1919 and a member of Oglaigh na hEireann from 1 April 1919 to 11 July 1921.  His grade of rank was Grade E. Anyway, if anybody knows anything about Q Company I'd be be very interested.

[capel street man]

JohnMB, you have the proof in black and white that John O,Reilly was a member of "Q" Coy( Cross Channel Boats ).
I checked through my books and research files last night to see if I could come across anything but to no avail.
This is a Company that little is known of and there would have been other members attached to it. I do not know if you are based in Dublin but you could contact the Dublin Port Archive to see if anyone can point you in the right direction, also there are many knowledgeable contributors to this site who may come up with something. Keep at this, and I wish you well in your research.
CSM

[JohnMB]

CSM, Thanks for the tip about the Dublin Port Archive. I didn't even know that there was such a body. John's father was also a merchant sailor who died in 1900. his mother, Sarah Cunningham nee Mahony (1860-1922) was employed as a Stewardess on the SS Yarrow, (later renamed SS Asseroe when bought by Palgrave Murphy of Dublin in 1929), which sailed on routes from Silloth in Scotland to Glasgow, Dublin and the Isle of Man. I recently contributed an interesting photo of her and the rest of the SS Yarrow crew to the website, www.solwayplain.co.uk, which is maintained by a Scottish local history group. So John's whole family was steeped in the sea. His grand father, James Mahony from Baldoyle was also a merchant sailor.

[eileenb]

Whew!!   Just spent 2 hours reading through this thread and I'm reeling. 

My husband's grandfather served in the British Army - Prince of Wales Leinster Reg. for 20 years. Discharged 1911 and shortly after, returned home to Dublin with his wife and children and died in 1939.  His address when he joined up was Upper Dorset Street.  The family story has always been that having served in the British Army, he then joined the IRA.  Having researched my own family for 20 years. this is my first foray into Irish genealogy and I thought I would start with what I though was an improbable story! 

After serving in the Boer War, his military record shows he served at "home" from 1901 until his discharge in 1911 but I am not sure whether this was in England or Ireland (Birr) or both.  In either case, I would have thought he would have been more than aware of what was happening in Dublin during that period.

Given his service in the British Army, I think my first question would have to be - what  sort of  reception would he likely have received on his return home?  On his discharge, he gave his intended future residence as an address in Manchester and then appears to have gone straight back to Dublin, which has always intrigued me but I can now see why he may have done that.  Presumably thousands of others found themselves in this situation but I would be most grateful for any insight from the very knowledgeable posters on here, as to his feelings at that time.