THE Killarney National Park talks series continues this Thursday with Owen O’Shea speaking on the Civil War in Kerry in Killarney House Auditorium at 8.00pm.
The talks series is free, seating is limited and it will also be live-streamed via the Killarney National Park Facebook page @killarneynationalpark
‘Terror, Turmoil and Trauma: The Civil War in County Kerry and its legacy’ will be delivered by Owen O’Shea, from Milltown, a historian and author of several books on history and politics in his native county.
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A former press officer with the Labour Party, and a former print and broadcast journalist, Owen, currently works as Media, Communications and Customer Relations Officer with Kerry County Council.
He is an Irish Research Council-funded PhD student at University College Dublin, researching electioneering and politics in Kerry in the decade after the Civil War.
His books include, ‘Ballymacandy – The Story of a Kerry Ambush, ‘No Middle Path’ – The civil war in Kerry, ‘Kerry 1916’ – Histories and Legacies of the Easter Rising.
.Jimmy Deenihan with Owen O’Shea at the launch of Owen’s book, ‘No Middle Path’ on Thursday evening at Tralee Library. Photo by Dermot Crean
FORMER Government Minister Jimmy Deenihan was on hand to launch a new book detailing the violence and divisions of the Civil War in Kerry.
Historian and author, Owen O’Shea signed copies of the book for people at the launch which was well attended.
The book offers new insights into the misery and mayhem of 1922-23, from the perspectives not only of the combatants who were involved in the fighting but also their families and the wider civilian population
Published by Merrion Press, it is available in bookshops next week priced at €19.99 and is also available online by clicking here.
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Based on newly researched archive accounts and testimonies, the immense trauma, hardship, poverty, ill-health and psychological scars of the families of those killed and injured is explored for the first time.
Also presented in the new book is a catalogue of the intimidation, destruction, crime and lawlessness which severely affected civilians who had no involvement in the war but suffered greatly, sometimes losing their lives. Scroll down for photos…
Owen O’Shea signs a copy of his book, ‘No Middle Path’, for John Costello at the launch of his book on Thursday evening at Tralee Library. Photo by Dermot Crean.Ted Murphy with author Owen O’Shea at the launch of his book on Thursday evening at Tralee Library. Photo by Dermot CreanKay and Arthur Caball at the launch of Owen O’Shea’s ‘No Middle Path’, at the book launch on Thursday evening at Tralee Library. Photo by Dermot Crean.Author Owen O’Shea with Connie Turner and Noel Ó Murchú, at the launch of his book on Thursday evening at Tralee Library. Photo by Dermot CreanAuthor Owen O’Shea with Cllr Bobby O’Connell and Chief Executive of Kerry County Council Moira Murrell at the launch of his book on Thursday evening at Tralee Library. Photo by Dermot Crean.
.Author and historian Owen O’Shea with his new book ‘No Middle Path – The Civil War In Kerry’.
THE violence and divisions of the Civil War in Kerry are detailed in a new book coming to bookshops next week.
Historian and author, Owen O’Shea offers new insights into the misery and mayhem of 1922-23, from the perspectives not only of the combatants who were involved in the fighting but also their families and the wider civilian population in ‘No Middle Path: the Civil War in Kerry’.
Published by Merrion Press, it offers an account of the terrible events in Kerry and of some of the darkest days in Irish history as well as their shocking and enduring legacy.
It will be launched by former minister, Jimmy Deenihan, Thursday evening, 20 October 20 at Tralee library at 6.00pm.
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Based on newly researched archive accounts and testimonies, the immense trauma, hardship, poverty, ill-health and psychological scars of the families of those killed and injured is explored for the first time.
“For generations, the Civil War went unspoken in Kerry, a county in which over 170 people were killed in combat, executions or accidents. Incidents like Knocknagoshel, Clashmealcon, Countess Bridge, and Ballyseedy are perhaps well-known, but what is less-known is the incredible trauma and psychological damage done, which endured for decades,” said Owen O’Shea.
“Thanks to the publication in recent years of many new first-hand accounts of the war as well as the testimonies of those who suffered appalling ill health and misery in the years which followed, we can begin to revisit and re-evaluate this traumatic time in our county’s history,” he said.
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Also presented in the new book is a catalogue of the intimidation, destruction, crime and lawlessness which severely affected civilians who had no involvement in the war but suffered greatly, sometimes losing their lives.
“Because this history is so difficult for many people, including the descendants of those involved, I was conscious of resurrecting traumatic times. But if we are to understand why the Civil War in Kerry has left such a scar on the county, we must listen to, and more importantly, hear, the accounts of those on all sides of the conflict. I hope that this book will contribute to greater understanding of the war in a county where divisions ran deeper than most, particularly during this centenary period,” said Owen.
• No Middle Path: The Civil War in Kerry is published in hardback by Merrion Press and will be available in bookshops next week, priced €19.99.
It is now available to order online also. The book will be launched on Thursday, October 20 at Tralee Library at 6.00pm by the President of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society and former minister, Jimmy Deenihan.
.Some of the members of the cast of ‘Ballymacandy’ during rehearsals this week: front l-r: Siobhán Collins (Annie Cronin), Claire O’Connor (Maggie Slattery), back l-r: Chris Horan (Commissioner Smyth), Jeremiah Murphy (Constable John Quirke), Muireann McAuliffe (Meriel Leeson Marshall), Michael Quirke (Jack Flynn), John Sexton (Denis Sugrue), Joe Horan (Totty O’Sullivan).
THE dramatic story of the IRA ambush of members of the Crown Forces near Milltown in 1921 is being presented as a new play in the local Community Hall this November.
‘Ballymacandy’ is based on the best-selling book by local historian and author Owen O’Shea and involves a cast of almost thirty locals, all of whom live near where five RIC and Black and Tans were killed on June 1, 1921, just six weeks before the end of Independence.
Tickets for the play, written by Owen O’Shea and directed by Mike O’Halloran, are now on sale and can be booked online at www.owenoshea.ie.
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The play will run for five nights during the first two weeks of November on 3rd, 4th, 5th, 11th and 12th, all at 8.00pm.
“As with the book, the play attempts to portray these events from all of the different perspectives, those of the IRA and Cumann na mBan, the RIC and Black and Tans, as well as the perspectives of local civilians in Milltown and Castlemaine who were caught up in the events. The ambush involved IRA men from the locality as well as from Tralee, Castlegregory and Keel so we hope the play will have a wide appeal,” said Owen O’Shea.
“Rehearsals have been going now for months and the cast, most of whom have never been on stage before, have put an enormous amount of work into the preparations. They have really embraced the story and have been moved to portray events based on the evidence we have about what actually happened.”
Owen said that after the pandemic, there is also a great sense of excitement about a local community initiative which will bring people together again, in this case, to present our local history in a new way.
Among those killed in the ambush was RIC sergeant, James Collery, who lived in Milltown and left a wife and eight young children, and whose story is portrayed in the play. Also told is the story of the local IRA members like Jack Flynn and Dan Mulvihill and the members of Cumann na mBan, many of whom were on the receiving end of the violence of the rampaging Black and Tans.
“Writing the play was a challenge because these were real people and not fictional characters,” said Owen, “but thanks to the directing skills of Mike O’Halloran and the professionalism of such a great cast, I think we will do the story great justice.”
Tickets for Ballymacandy, priced just €15, are now on sale on www.owenoshea.ie and must be booked in advance for collection at the door on each night.
The play will run on Thursday 3rd, Friday 4th, Saturday 5th, Friday 11th and Saturday 12th November at the Muintir na Tíre Hall in Milltown. Doors at 7.00pm. Ticket collection by 7.30pm and show at 8.00pm.
A NEW book on the Ballymacandy Ambush of June 1921, where a senior figure in the IRA in Tralee was the only casualty on the IRA side, has just been published by a local author and historian.
Owen O’Shea’s book tells the story of the ambush which happened in mid-Kerry just weeks before the War of Independence ended.
Jerry Myles.
Jerry Myles from Moyderwell, who was later chairman of the John Mitchels GAA Club, was badly wounded in the ambush at Ballymacandy between Milltown and Castlemaine on 1st June 1921 and which features in the new book by Owen.
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Five of the Crown Forces were killed in the ambush which claimed the life of the last Black and Tan to die in Kerry during the War of Independence.
Constable John Stratton McCormack was mortally wounded in the attack involving dozens of IRA members from mid-Kerry, Castlegregory and Tralee and lay bleeding in a cottage near the site of the ambush for several hours after the incident.
The ambush involved IRA, Fianna Éireann and Cumann na mBan units from Milltown, Keel, Callinafercy, Kiltallagh, and senior Kerry No. 1 Brigade members from Castlegregory and Tralee who had spent months in a hideout in Keel on the Dingle Peninsula.
Jerry ‘Unkey’ O’Connor
Among the Tralee IRA members involved were Jerry ‘Unkey’ O’Connor, Paddy Paul Fitzgerald, Thomas O’Connor, Big Dan O’Sullivan, Dan Jeffers, Michael O’Leary, Billy Mullins and brothers, Billy and Jerry Myles.
Jerry Myles, later secretary of the Kerry County Board and chairman of John Mitchels’ GAA Club, was the only IRA casualty at the ambush, sustaining a nasty bullet wound which impacted his health throughout his life.
Paddy Paul Fitzgerald
“Many of those from Tralee who were involved in the attack had spent months hiding out at ‘The Hut’ in Fybough in Keel. They had been forced to leave Tralee in the days and weeks after the ‘Siege of Tralee’ in November 1920 and were under the command of Paddy Cahill, a Sinn Féin TD for Kerry,” said Owen.
‘Ballymacandy: The Story of a Kerry Ambush’, published by Merrion Press, is the definitive account of one of the most important events in the Anglo-Irish War in Kerry and includes extracts from diaries, IRA pension applications, private correspondence and previously unpublished accounts from local IRA leaders like Dan Mulvihill, Jack Flynn and Tom O’Connor, who was officer commanding on the day.
It describes the dramatic events in the lead-up to the ambush and how the local IRA were plotting a major assault on the Crown Forces for several months.
Billy Mullins
Among the five killed was RIC sergeant James Collery, a father of nine children who lived at the Square in Milltown and who died at the hands of those who were his neighbours, as the War of Independence in mid-Kerry reached a bloody climax.
“This was a story I grew up with and I always wanted to know more about what happened at Ballymacandy, near my homeplace, on 1 June 1921. I have tried to tell this story from many perspectives, that of the IRA gunmen, the widow of the RIC constable, the hard-nosed District Inspector, the terrified civilians of my home village, the women of Cumann na mBan, the priest who prayed into the ears of the dying, the IRA’s informer within the police, and the schoolboys who watched as the remains were loaded onto carts,” said Owen.
Ballymacandy offers an insight into the planning and execution of an IRA ambush, the critical and overlooked role of Cumann na mBan, the dangers faced by the policemen in Ireland at the time, the motivations of the men who lay in wait on the roadside, and the villagers who were, unusually and remarkably, saved the brutal reprisals which had become synonymous with the dreaded Black and Tans in 1921.
Author Owen O’Shea
“I am immensely grateful to the relatives of those involved in the ambush for sharing memories, correspondence and documents. Many of those who took part in these extraordinary and traumatic events rarely or never spoke about what happened but now, thanks to newly published archive material as the centenary of the ambush approaches, their stories can be told.
“I hope the book will contribute to a wider knowledge and understanding of these events during such a pivotal period in our collective history,” said Owen.
The online launch of the book will take place on Monday, 24th May at 8.00pm. Details on www.owenoshea.ie.
• ‘Ballymacandy: The Story of a Kerry Ambush’ by Owen O’Shea, and priced at €14.99 is published by Merrion Press and available from www.owenoshea.ie as well as Polymath, O’Mahony’s and Easons, Tralee.
.Vincent Prendergast of Milltown Chamber Alliance presents the ‘Stephen Lawlor Community Award’ to Owen O’Shea. From left: Vincent Prendergast, Ann Lawlor, Owen O’Shea and Celia O’Shea.
A POPULAR author and former journalist received a surprise on Saturday night when he was awarded Milltown’s highest honour.
The ‘Stephen Lawlor Community Award’ was presented to Owen O’Shea at a surprise ceremony in The Plough Bar.
Owen, who is the Media, Communications & Customer Relations Officer at Kerry County Council, was temporarily at a loss for words when he realised what was happening.
The former journalist with Kerry’s Eye and Radio Kerry was congratulated by M.C. Maurice Harmon and Milltown Chamber Alliance’s Cultural Officer Vincent Prendergast.
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Mr Prendergast outlined Owen’s lifetime of volunteerism with many groups, including the Credit Union, Comhaltas and politics, and noted how Owen’s vision and leadership inspired the many community projects and events in which he has been involved.
His most recent success was chairing the 2018 County Fleadh Cheoil, injecting energy and variety into a local festival of traditional music and free family entertainment.
Three major concerts were organised, including the unique solstice celebration at the Killaclohane Portal Tomb.
Owen thanked the organising committee, and spoke about Stephen Lawlor, after whom the award is named, and how Stephen was the epitome of community spirit and volunteerism.
“He was an exemplary community member, working hard with various local groups including the Tidy Towns and Comhaltas,” explained Owen.
He also thanked Stephen’s mother, Ann Lawlor, who provided the perpetual trophy and travelled from her home in Longford to present the award.
Stephen passed away in 2013 and is remembered in Milltown through this award. This year Owen joins previous recipients, local volunteers Willie Hanafin, Denis O’Mahony and Tom Hanafin, as a worthy winner.
Owen also spoke about the huge community spirit in Milltown, especially visible at this year’s Fleadh.
“My work as chairman was made easy by the team of over one hundred local volunteers”, he said, and added “I’ve enjoyed all my community work, and I love the meetings and the craic at events. It’s great to be out, doing something positive, building community and meeting new people. The recent culture of individualism needs to be challenged and we must reach out to people and help them feel part of a strong and supportive community.”
This has been an important aspect of community work in Milltown, given the dramatic rise in population in recent years.
Owen thanked his wife Celia for her support in all his involvement, recognising Celia’s own voluntary work as Treasurer for the 2018 Fleadh saw her head a team that raised the €70,000 to host the event and provide over €12,000 worth of free entertainment in Milltown. Owen also remembered the late Denis Courtney, who worked tirelessly for the community and Owen said it was his mission to organise “one hell of a Fleadh” in Denis’s memory.
Hosts at The Plough Bar, Denis and Bernie Griffin, provide a commemorative trophy for the event and this was presented to Owen. Celebrations continued with traditional music and song from Owen’s fellow musicians and many friends.
As well as his voluntary and professional commitments, Owen is also the author of several books, the latest of which is “A Century of Politics in the Kingdom: A County Kerry Compendium”, co-written with Gordon Revington, and goes on sale this month.
A NEW book on the Ballymacandy Ambush of June 1921, where a senior figure in the IRA in Tralee was the only casualty on the IRA side, has just been published by a local author and historian.
