By Ger Cody
Photos: jbs photos kilkenny
19.00 hours: Assembly at Officer’s Mess, James Stephens Barracks Kilkenny. A talk on the lives and deaths of John Phelan and John Murphy. Both men were executed and buried at Kilkenny military Barracks on December 29th, 1922.
Unfortunately, the remains of those executed by the State would be interred in military barracks and prisons around the country. It wasn’t until October 1924 that they were finally released to their families for burial. And so, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the handing over of the bodies, a talk was held to remember these men and others, during Ireland’s Civil War.
Allow me to interject with an aside. At the end of the talk, the following conversation was overheard;
Civilian: “Apologies for being late. Did you start on time?”
Army Man: “We did. You’ll find that happens a lot at an Army Barracks.”
Both saw the humour. Well if timing is important in army life, then so too are facts and attention to detail.
The geography and statistics of Kilkenny folk involved, and the different battles which took place over the Civil War period, was a lesson in research and presentation. One can only appreciate the amount of man hours that went into putting this night together. Facts and figures gathered, checked and double checked. The two men responsible for the planning and presentation were Commandant Larry Scallan (retired) and army man in charge of the military museum, Jim O’Keeffe.
Jim opened proceedings by giving a synopsis of the Civil War and explaining how the opening months in 1922 were highly successful for the pro-treaty side. The conventional warfare had secured Dublin and Cork as well as other cities and towns around the country. Jim explained “as the war continued, the anti-Treaty side turned to guerilla warfare. Their new tactics brought an upsurge of casualties on the pro-treaty and damaged the infrastructure and economy of the country, which not only threatened the pro-treaty ability to wage war but the new state itself.”
In response to this threat, the new Dáil, in September 1922, introduced the Army Emergency Resolution, commonly known as the Public Safety Bill. The resolution was an attempt to prevent a long and costly war by suppressing the anti-treaty forces into surrender. It gave extraordinary powers to the Army Council in which to set up military courts or committees that could impose sentences ranging from imprisonment to death. The establishment of such military courts would not only lead to the arrest and imprisonment of thousands of anti-treaty forces throughout the Civil War, but also to State sanctioned execution throughout the country.
The first county outside the Pale to experience executions was County Kilkenny. On the morning of December 29 1922, John Phelan and John Murphy were executed and interred at Kilkenny Military Barracks. It wasn’t until October 1924 that the bodies were finally released to their families for burial.
Bodies handed over
On the 28 of October 1924, the bodies of Kilkenny men John Murphy, Bennettsbridge, and John Phelan, Thomastown, were handed over to their relatives, along with the bodies of Wexford men Thomas Crean, John Hogan and James Parle, who were executed in Wexford. The bodies of the three Wexford men were brought to Kilkenny on the transfer of the battalion from Wexford. That same day, a hearse accompanied by two members of each family were allowed to enter the military barracks to collect the double coffins containing the remains of their relatives. As the remains left the military barracks, the officer and troops present, as a sign of respect, saluted. The five coffins were covered with Tricolours and a guard of honour made up of Volunteers and Cumann na mBan was formed. The procession headed by St. John’s Brass band then marched through the streets where businesses had closed, and large crowds had formed to pay their respect. The remains of John Murphy and John Phelan were brought to Thomastown where they were received at the entrance of St Mary’s churchyard by Rev. John Doody, C.C.
Primary source documents on display
On display at James Stephens Barracks was a collection of tangible primary source documents in relation to the handover of the remains of John Murphy and John Phelan. This collection was kindly given on loan from the military archives in Dublin and according to Jim O’Keeffe, it’s the first time they have been on public display outside of the military archives itself.
On display were notification letters from the Adjutant General Hugo McNeill dated 13th October 1924, informing the Murphy and Phelan families that the Executive Council has decided that the remains of all men executed during the Civil War, would be handed over to their relations and if they wish to claim their remains they had to notify him on or before the 20 October.
Also on display were handwritten letters from both the Murphy and Phelan families, dated 17 October 1924, notifying Adjutant General McNeill, of their wish to claim the remains of their family members, as well as similar letters written by the relations of Patrick Hogan, James Parle and John Creane who were executed in Wexford in March 1923 and interned in the Kilkenny military barracks. There were also military reports of the handing over and the burial of the remains, from 5th Brigade Headquarters in the Military Barracks Kilkenny to General Officer Commanding Eastern Command.
History of John Phelan and John Murphy
Larry Scallan gave a wonderful insight into the background of volunteers Murphy and Phelan. At
8am on 29th December 1922 a firing party assembled in the exercise yard of Kilkenny Military Barracks. On command, a volley of shots rang out. The execution, complete. Volunteers John Murphy and John Phelan, members of the 5th Battalion Kilkenny Brigade Irish Republican Army, were dead.
The results of the 16th June General election in Carlow Kilkenny gave overwhelming support to pro-treaty Sinn Féin, as they garnered 86% of the vote and won all four seats. Early setbacks forced the anti-treaty side to resort to guerrilla warfare even though such tactics were ill suited to Kilkenny, which lacked the requisite forests, woodland, mountainous areas or the large tranches of ground cover in which to hide.
Kilkenny was in chaos. Continuing their campaign, Republican forces carried out a number of military operations throughout the county. John Murphy and John Phelan were members of an active service unit that carried out a raid on Sheestown House, on the periphery of the city. The raid was reported to the authorities by Lt. Col Shee, the owner.
On the 13th December John and Patrick Murphy along with John Phelan were arrested at the Murphy family home in Barronslands, Bennettsbridge and brought, under escort, to Kilkenny Military Barracks. Over the following days, Brigade Commander General Prout convened a Court Martial Board, in accordance with the rules and procedures defined by Judge Advocate General Cahir Davitt. The officer in charge of legal advice for the conduct of the trial was Commandant Joseph Mooney. Prior to December 22nd, the three officer Court Martial Board found John Murphy and John Phelan guilty and sentenced them to death. The death sentence was ratified by two members of the Army Council, abiding by the rules governing the conduct of Court Martials at that time.
To complement the night, a short film Dear Mother was shown. Written by Kevin Hughes, who was in attendance on the night, the film is set during the Irish Civil War in 1922 and tells the tragic true story of John Murphy and John Phelan. The Hughes film was shot on location in the detention cells at James Stephens Barracks where Murphy and Phelan spent their final days.
