Introduction:
Thomas Farrelly (20), of 30 Mary’s Lane, was shot and killed by the British Army in Dublin’s North Inner City in August 1920. A neighbour Thomas Clarke (19), of 16 Green Street, was seriously wounded in the attack.
It occurred during a turbulent month within a turbulent year. On 7th August, an IRA Flying Column’s ambushed a six-man RIC foot patrol near Kildorrery, County Cork. Two days later, the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act received royal assent giving Dublin Castle the authority to replace the criminal courts with courts-martial and to replace coroners’ inquests with military courts of inquiry. On 12th August, Terence McSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork was arrested and began his hunger strike.
Planned visit of Archbishop Mannix:
During the summer of 1920, the outspoken Cork-born Dr. Daniel Mannix (1864-1963), Archbishop of Melbourne was undergoing a tour of the United States. He shared a platform with Eamon de Valera at Madison Square Gardens in New York telling the audience of 15,000 people that Ireland should be given the “same status in postwar planning as the other small nations of Europe”.
He openly supported the actions and aims of those behind the Easter Rising proclaiming :
I am going to Ireland soon and I am going to kneel on the graves of those men who in Easter Week gave their lives for Ireland.
On 31st July 1920, he boarded the transatlantic liner Baltic at New York for his long journey to Queenstown (Cobh) in his home county of Cork. The ship had made it so close to the Irish coast by 8th August that Mannix could see the lights of Cobh and the flames of huge bonfires of welcome on the hilltops.
But the British government had other ideas and the ship was intercepted by the Royal Navy. Mannix was denied entry to Ireland, arrested and brought to Penzance, Cornwall. Padraig Yeates, in his brilliant book ‘A City in Turmoil‘, wrote that Mannix was prohibited from addressing any public meetings in any part of England with large Irish immigrant populations.
Mannix remarked with characteristic irony: “Not since the Battle of Jutland had the British Navy scored a victory comparable with the capture f the Archbishop of Melbourne without the loss of a single British sailor.”
A summer’s night in Dublin
Bonfires to welcome Archibishop Mannix to Ireland had also been lit across Dublin city including one on Greek Street in the Markets area of the North Inner City.
A large Irish tricolour with the wording ‘Welcome Dr. Mannix’ was draped across the street by supportive locals.
Crowds and tricolour to celebrate the visit of Mannix. The Evening Herald, 11th August 1920.
On that summer’s night late on 10th August, a small group of about ten young men were sitting around the dying embers of the bonfire at the corner of Greek Street, Mary’s Lane and Beresford Street. Newspaper articles reported that they were singing Irish nationalist songs. During the singing of ‘The West’s Awake’, a truck full of British Army soldiers from the Lancashire Fusiliers pulled up.
Location of the bonfire and shooting from 1913 Dublin Map.
At the time, Dublin was under a strict military curfew and people without the necessary permits could not be outdoors from midnight until five in the morning.
At the following inquest, local witnesses like Joseph Eccles of Church Street said : “No challenge was given and nothing was said by the military” before they opened fire.
Thomas Farrelly ran in the direction of his home and was about twenty yards from the front door when he was hit by a volley of bullets. He was carried into his mother’s house and laid on the kitchen floor. According to the Sunday Independent (15th Aug 1920), Farrelly exclaimed “oh mother! oh mother!” and soon died in her arms.
Thomas Farrell (sic). Evening Herald, 11th August 1920.
Another young local man Thomas Clarke was shot and wounded in the knee. He limped into the same house where he collapsed on the floor but luckily recovered from his injuries.
Farrelly was rushed to Jervis Street Hospital in an ambulance but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Joseph Clarke. Evening Herald, 11th August 1920.
Funeral
Dr. Mannix sent a telegraph to the Lord Mayor of Dublin:
Just now I can only use this means of thanking you and all my friends in Ireland for their welcome to Irish waters. Kindly convey my heartfelt sympathy to the relatives of the murdered man Farrell. God rest his soul and comfort those who mourn him” (Irish Times, 13 August 1920)
Thousands attended his public funeral which took place on Friday 13th August 1920. The Evening Herald (13th August) reported that “all shops for a large area around were closed and blinds in private houses reverently drawn”.
The Irish tricolour flag with the message “Welcome Dr. Mannix” was draped over his coffin. Thomas Farrelly apparently had helped to make this flag which was hung near where the shooting took place.
Funeral of Thomas Farrelly. Irish Examiner, 17th August 1920.
The hearse was drawn by four black horses from Halston Street Church to Glasnevin Cemetery. Thousands lined the route from North King Street, Church Street, Mary’s Lane, Little Mary Street, Capel Street, Parliament Street, Dame Street, College Green, Westmoreland Street and Parnell Square.
The Herald stated that the scene from Dame Street to the Cemetery was “particularly impressive as the long line of Volunteers, members of the Citizen Army and numerous Trade Unions marched four deep behind the hearse “. A slow, death march was played by the bands of the United Labourers’ Union and the Irish National Foresters.
Funeral of Thomas Farrelly. Priests in attendance. Irish Independent, 14 August 1920.
A number of clergy visiting the city from America and Australia, who had planned to meet Archbishop Mannix, joined the procession. Several hundred casual dockers employed on ships docked at the Port also left work to take part in the funeral.
A significant amount of politicians attended including TDs including W. T. Cosgrave, J. J. Walsh, Phil Shanahan and Richard Mulcahy.
The prayers at the church and graveside were recited by the Very Rev. Canon Grimley.
Two friends of Farrelly, Christopher Reilly and John Deane, who were with him on the night he was killed led the procession carrying a large Irish tricolour with a black cross in its centre. This was made by John Farrelly, an uncle of the deceased.
Coffin of Thomas Farrelly. The Freeman’s Journal, 14th August 1920.
Some of the floral tributes. Irish Independent, 14th August 1920.
A lorry was needed to carry the amount of wreaths and flowers that were donated by friends and neighbours of the Farrelly family.
Thomas Farrelly worked as a van driver for a local firm in the Corporation Market and this is reflected in the messages of sympathy.
A selection of the inscriptions included:
“With deepest sympathy from E. Fagan and E. Browner”
“With deepest sympathy from Mrs. Connor, Mrs. Conway and families”
“To the one who gave his life for his faith and country from two friends”
“With deepest sympathy from his friends, Mrs. Mary Bradshaw and Miss Maisie Mulvaney”
“With deepest sympathy from the friends of Brunswick Street”
“With deepest sympathy from Miss Daly, South City Markets”
“From his comrade, John Tyrrell”
“With deepest sympathy from Mrs. McKenna and Mary Jane McMahon”
“In frond remembrance from Dick and family”
“From Mrs. and Miss Lilly Corry, 87 North King Street”
“From his friends Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Gibney and Miss. Mooney”
“With deepest sympathy from the neighbours of Church Avenue”
“In loving memory from his friends on Stafford Street”
“With deepest sympathy from Nancy and John Deane”
“In loving memory from his pals of Smith Street”
“With deepest sympathy from the Stafford Celtic A.F.C.”
“With deepest sympathy from Daisy Market, per Mrs. Byrne and Mrs. Quigley”
“With deepest sympathy from Kathleen Curran and his friends of the Corporation Market”
“From Patrick Fagan, in loving memory of Thomas Farrelly who died for his faith and for his country”
Mary Farrelly. 12 August 1920, Irish Independent.
Aftermath
In the weeks following his death, collections were made in the area to help financially support Thomas Farrelly’s grieving mother. Due to some reprehensible characters collecting money unofficially, Michael J. Nolan of the Corporation Market had to write to the newspapers to inform all sympathisers that they should only donate directly to himself, another worker in the Market or two local priests.
18 August 1920, Irish Independent.
An inquest took place into the shooting at the City Morgue presided by the City Coroner Louis A. Byrne. A large military operation took place with two armoured cars with guns trained on the morgue stationed on the opposite side of the street.
Military security around inquest Irish Examiner, 17th August 1920
After local witnesses and members of the Military gave evidence, the jury, after an absence of only fifteen minutes, returned the following verdict:
We find that the said Thomas Farrell died on the 10th August, 1920, from shock and haemorrhage, caused by the bullets fired by guns from the military without justification, and we strongly condemn the action of the military in empowering youths to endanger the lives of the citizens. We desire to place on record our deepest sympathy with the relatives of the deceased. (Irish Times, 21 August 1920)
In a tragic state of affairs, an uncle of Thomas by the name of James McCormack (27) was shot dead just ten weeks later. He was employed in a fish and chips shop at 100 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7 owned by another uncle John Farrell(y) who made the Irish tricolour with black cross for Thomas’ funeral.
Two unknown men in civilian clothing came into the shop at 9pm on Saturday 23rd October and shot dead James McCormack who was working at the time. No arrests were made. A report by Dublin Castle suggested that he was killed for “disobeying an order not to serve soldiers”. This was “emphatically repudiated” by Catherine Farrell, wife of the owner John Farrell, who said the culprits were “complete strangers” to her and to the people of the area. She was making it clear that it was not local IRA volunteers. She told the Freeman’s Journal (25th October 1920) that “Nothing was ever said to us by anyone who we served”.
Murder of James McCormack, cousin of Thomas Farrelly. The Freeman’s Journal, 26th October 1920.
Farrelly family
Born in April 1900, it has been difficult to trace Thomas Farrelly through the Census returns. The major issue is the variation in spelling between Farrell and Farrelly.
We know at the time of his death in 1920 Farrelly was living with his widowed mother Mary, his brother (15), a younger sister (17) and an older sister (24).
In the 1901 census, I think this Farrell family is the best match. Mary-Ann Farrell (26) was living at 4.3 Ashe Street, The Coombe with her husband Patrick (27), a general labourer, and three children – Catherine (10), Mary-Ann (5) and Johana (2).
In the 1911 census, I believe the same family are living at 2.3 Moore Place and are using Farrelly as their surname. Mary Farrelly (37), “dealer in fish”, was living with her husband Patrick (36), a “market porter” and six children – Mary (15), Thomas (11), Annie (8), John Joseph (5), Kathleen (3) and Michael (4 months).
It’s possible that husband Patrick passed away sometime between 1911 and 1920 and the children’s ages including Thomas match up.
What do you think?
Conclusion
Thomas Farrelly was one of 270 non-combatant men, women and children killed by the British Army in Ireland in a fourteen month period from 1st January 1920 to 28 February 1921. He was listed and named in an address to the Congress of the United States in May 1921.
His memory should be not be forgotten in the streets where he grew up in Dublin.
If you have any further information on either on Thomas Farrelly or Thomas Clarke, please drop me an email or leave a comment.
