Limerick's Fighting Story

The book Limerick's Fighting Story offers an insight into the battles and the courage of the men and women who fought the Black and Tans throughout the war of independence. The following words were penned by James McCarthy inside the front cover of the book he edited and presented to Donnacha O'Hannigan.

Limerick's Fighting Story

A few years ago a relation of Maire Cleary of 21 Upper Dorset Street, Dublin sent me the card below. Maire, was Donnacha's cousin and living in the Fire Station, across from her original home, at the time. She did not support the treaty and was gaoled by the Free State Army in 1923 along with her sister. The story is in the history pages of this website.

Liam Lynch was born only a mile or so from O'Hannigan's Anglesboro birth place.

Civil War tales from Dorset Street

Maire Cleary (arrested 21/02/23 and released 07/09/23) described herself when autographing the books of Lily Reid and Mary Twamley as "Irish Republican Prisoner of War". The girls told of how they'd met Brendan Behan, Liam Lynch (IRA) who came from the same village where they were born (Anglesborough) and other Republicans. When I met the women in 1973 they showed me a contemporary newspaper story about their gaoling by the Free Staters.

Vincent O'Gorman who lived in number 24 Upper Dorset (born 1936, emigrated in 1955 to Australia) knew the Cleary family. His mother, who was born in 1899, knew them well. Vincent's father, Michael, died in 1942 and had been held in Mountjoy by the Free Staters. Noel Fields lived above No. 21.

Dan Howard married a sister of the Cleary girls and lived at 21. His son, Dan was living in Letterkenny, Donegal until a few years back.

Jim Monaghan lived at 26 Upper Dorset. Dan Howard told how 'during the period leading up to the outbreak of the civil my mother was employed in Keegans the gunsmiths, which was next door to the Four Courts'.

Joe Troy a friend of Michael O'Gorman turned up at the GPO aged only 14 years. He was sent home but went on to stand for the Irish Socialist Republican Party in the Free State Parliament. At numbers 34/35/36 were the Flinter family (mother was Mary Boyle) whose daughter married Joe Collins who was involved in the Troubles. His son Maurice lives in Dublin near Whitehall. Martin Boyle lives at 13 Aiden Moore Green, Raheny, Dublin 5. Behind Upper Dorset was an IRA family, the Deegans. They were IRA supporters for a long time after.