Please note that the A.G.M. of Balbriggan & District Historical Society will take place in the Bracken Court Hotel on Wednesday, 30th November at 8 p.m. sharp. Everyone is welcome to attend to hear about another busy year for the Society and we would welcome any imput or suggestions you may have on the night. However only members can vote and if you are a member you will have received a nomination paper earlier. Light refreshments will be available on the night. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Our October talk was by Grainne Maguire titled ‘Celebrating 75 years of Balbriggan Dramatic Society ‘ in the Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan Wednesday October 26th. Grainne spoke about the fascinating history of Balbriggan Dramatic Society which is celebrating an amazing 75 years this year.
She began her presentation with a video recording of May McKeon chatting to founding member Eoghan O’Callaghan about the early years of the Society. It was fantastic to have members from the first production in 1947 joining us on the night and Grainne presented Eoghan O’Callaghan and Dermot Reynolds with framed programmes from the historic event. She also had an exhibition of old photographs. Grainne Maguire is very well known to you all in Balbriggan from her work as a Councillor and in the community particularly with the Balbriggan Summerfest and the Dramatic Society and she has been a familiar face in their productions for many years. We also enjoyed short presentations from the local history students from Loreto Secondary school who were winners in a competition the Society is proud to sponsor. We were delighted to welcome Noshien Aktar, Deborah Emeh and Rebecca Lawrence to share presentations on The Grand Palace Thailand and Balbriggan Harbour and Lighthouse
Balbriggan & District Historical Society presented our September talk by Jim Herlihy titled ‘Policing Ireland in 1922’ in the Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan Wednesday September 28th. 2022 marks the centenary of An Garda Síochána and Jim’s talk focussed on policing in the early years of the State as well as focussing on Balbriggan. It was a fascinating talk and also we remembered the members of An Garda Síochána who served in Balbriggan including Scott Medal winners Laurence O’Neill, Timothy Mahony and Patrick Quinn. We were delighted to have retired Gardai from Balbriggan in the audience including Dick Burke. Thanks to Kathleen O’Neill for her photos. Jim Herlihy is a retired member of An Garda Síochána and co-founder of the Garda Historical Society. He has written three books on the Royal Irish Constabulary, two books on the Dublin Metropolitan Police and one on the Irish Revenue Police. Admission €5, Members free
Balbriggan & District Historical Society presented our August talk by Colm Timmins on Genealogy and Balbriggan – how to trace your own family Wednesday August 24th Bracken Court Hotel, Balbriggan. Colm is a long time member of our Society and a local genealogist with years of experience. In this talk he spoke about Balbriggan and shared his extensive knowledge to help you begin the journey of tracing your own family.
Balbriggan & District Historical Society presented The Building of Balbriggan Harbour by Rory McKenna, Wednesday May 25th Bracken Court Hotel. With all the changes taking place at the Harbour these days it was appropriate to look back at its history. We were delighted to welcome someone well known for his many talks for the Society our own Rory McKenna to present this talk. There were lots of questions and we could’ve been there for hours. We were delighted to welcome back some more old friends to our live talks following the Covid restrictions.
We enjoyed an excellent presentation from Declan Brady on Frank Lawless, 1870-1922: Fingal’s Revolutionary Politician. We were delighted to see such a big crowd and welcome back some of our friends for the first time since 2019. It was particularly nice to welcome members of the Lawless family including Frank Lawless grandson as we heard all about his amazing life.
Frank Lawless is well known for his involvement with the Fingal Battalion and the Battle of Ashbourne in 1916, but he had a long and influential career in local politics, which reflected his journey from a supporter of Parnell to the revolutionary who fought in 1916 and in The War of Independence. Like his father he served as a poor law guardian in Balrothery, and his brothers and children were involved in the political and cultural movements that helped shape Irish Independence and the early years of the Irish Free State. This talk revisits Frank’s journey and the key role he played as a local political leader in Fingal.
Balbriggan and District Historical Society back live
After a difficult two years Balbriggan & District Historical Society were delighted to welcome back old friends to an in-person talk in the Bracken Court Hotel on Wednesday March 30th, 2022.
The talk Irish National Foresters – St Molaga Branch, No.315 (Balbriggan) 1897-1942 ” was presented by Jim Walsh who is very well known as a founding member of the Society and an expert on Balbriggan history who has given many talks on a variety of subjects.
The Irish National Foresters Benefit Society was founded in 1877 embracing the dictum of Unity, Benevolence and Nationality. Offering much needed financial and medical assistance to its members this social movement spread rapidly throughout the entire island of Ireland. When the Balbriggan branch was formed in 1897, there were already 300 branches already established in Ireland. In the year 1911, Balbriggan Branch numbered 111 members. A female branch named the Molly Bawn was founded in the following year 1912. Payments garnered from branch membership funds were disbursed to families for sickness, death, widows and orphans and sundry “distress”. Having met in the Balbriggan Band Rooms for the members erected their own edifice in Hampton Street in the year 1913.
The Foresters Hall on Hampton Street found a new role when it was purchased by Dan O’Shea. Dan bought the house from the Foresters in 1947 and ran his school, St. Brendan’s College there from his family home until he closed it in 1957 to take up a teaching role elsewhere. Dan helped the Society with research into the building and in appreciation a photo of Dan O’Shea was presented to Dan’s daughter, Marian Connolly née O’Shea and her daughter, Tara
Balbriggan & District Historical Society presented: “Voters and politicians – elections and local government in North Dublin during the lifetime of the Rural Balrothery District Council, 1898-1930.” By Declan Brady via Zoom at 8pm on Wednesday October 27th
This talk examined the progressive changes in voter franchise and local government representation from the Local Government Act in 1898, through the Irish Revolution, to the abolition of the RDC’s in 1930. The Home Rule and independence movements used these elections to harness support but also counted on the support of these local bodies as an integral part of the challenging of British rule in Ireland. The early years of independence brought new challenges in the relationship between local and national government which will also be explored.
Declan Brady is a professional genealogist and historian based in Swords. He is currently completing a History PhD on the evolution of local politics in Fingal from 1870 to 1948, at Maynooth University, where he has been a John Hume scholar.
The Society are delighted to celebrate this significant milestone however all celebrations are restricted of course at this time. Brian Howley Chairperson recently sat down to reminisce with some of the founder members and how it came to be.
The idea was born in the Balbriggan Library as a result of the keen interest and demand for local history information from the general public. Jim Walsh Librarian at the time remembers fondly starting his own thesis in 1971 entitled “Contributions towards a Bibliography of North County Dublin” however he managed to finalise this ‘Labour of Love’ in 1978! In so doing he became aware of the vast amount of material available in various areas like the National Library of Ireland, Gilbert Library and other Dublin City resources and sought to ensure that a lot of this could be made more accessible by public presentations, local exhibitions and ultimately publications specific to the area of Balbriggan and surrounds.
Jim’s colleague Don Griffin worked closely with him and they were joined on the first committee by Michael Banim, Antonia Cassin, Pauline Corcoran, Marion Crane, Bernie Healy, Eileen McKenna and last but not least May and Pat McKeon.
Our society was inaugurated on Thursday 16th July 1981 with the name of Balbriggan Historical and Cultural Society – Cumann Stair agus Cultúir Bhaile Brigín and the main aims were to promote an interest in the local history of the area through lectures, publications and exhibitions and also to establish a Museum in the Balbriggan District.
The first ever presentation was ‘The Gaelic Placenames of Fingal’ by Brendan Scally and was followed by Bob Browne- The building of the Dublin-Drogheda Railway –1838-1844.
Next was Christy Geraghty with illustrated lecture of Local Shipwrecks with particular reference to Sarah of Runcorn (1873) and Bell Hill (1875).
In 1982 the Committee decided to hold an exhibition in the Grand Hotel and exceeded all expectations in terms of both participation and also attendance. We were delighted by the generosity of the populace who gladly donated many items of historical and familial interest. These included several items from Morgan’s forge –this was from Jim’s own family lineage. Further exhibitions were held in 1983 and 1984 and the kind people of Balbriggan produced several items of significant interest – not least among them was a signed photograph of Queen Victoria which had been presented to Thomas Mangan in 1898 for his many years of service to Smyth & Co and a small glass featuring the brand of Gladstone Inn which was taken from the rubble after the attack of the Sack of Balbriggan in 1920. Jim also looks forward to the day when Bremore Castle is fully completed and open – the society has been co-sponsor with Fingal County Council (previously Dublin County Council) since 1993 and are delighted to have helped provide youth employment through the various schemes.
May McKeon remembers with fondness some of the talks on the ‘Balbriggan flyer’ Harry Reynolds, Balbriggan’s daughter Sinéad Bean De Valera nee Flanagan and several talks covering the 1916 events in Fingal.
Of particular pride to May is also the event organised in 2017 to commemorate the hugely important Siege of Jadotville in the Congo in 1961 and the heroic efforts of Balbriggan native Pte Terence Joseph McMahon.
One particular source of pride to Chairperson Brian Howley is the enormous effort that the Committee undertook to ensure the Centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan last year 2020 would have a fitting and appropriately respectful commemoration despite all of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and our Seminar was posted online on youtube for all to see and experience and there are still a small amount of the beautiful Commemorative Medals available.
Brian is very aware that the committee are Guardians of the history for the future generations and pays homage to the original founder members and all of the Committee members down through the years who have volunteered and worked tirelessly for the town of Balbriggan. He also thanked the entire community of Balbriggan – both originals and newcomers -who have been very supportive of our aims – we still hold out hope to find a Museum building to house our significant artefacts and historical items – who knows somewhere on Bremore Castle site may yet be an option?
To anyone who has attended our talks, and seminars, our historical walkabouts, our summer tours, our schools programmes Brian says that we thank you most sincerely for all of your support and we look forward to the next 40 years with great positivity and enthusiasm.
A Summer Craft and Food Market with local traders is taking place every weekend in August in the stunning surroundings of Bremore Castle. Come along to check out all the wonderful stalls and you can buy our Sack Of Balbriggan Commemorative Medal or some of our Books
we are there each Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm.
Time and Date: Wednesday May 26th 8pm via Zoom Balbriggan & District Historical Society were delighted to present our first talk via Zoom. For this we welcomed back a fond friend of the Society David O’Connor for a talk that we hope was entertaining and informative.
David O Connor is a retired ESB man from Ballyboughal who has a lifelong interest in History Folklore and Song, in particular relating to the Fingal/East Meath area. He has collected,and sings approx 40 songs of varying quality from this area. You will also be familiar with him as a former Councillor and Mayor of Fingal and for his lifelong involvement with Irish cricket. The presentation features a mix of story and songs about Bellewstown Races, The Gladstone Gaels of Balbriggan Town, Hampton Hall Green, Rachel the Ruby of Rush, Michaels Wake, and plenty more of the same ilk.
You can enjoy a recording of the presentation below
Notice of AGM December 17th, 2020 at 8pm Due to Covid-19 Restrictions Balbriggan and District Historical Society AGM will take place online via Zoom for 2020. We apologise but this is the only option. If you would like to attend please email Balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com before December 16th and we will send you the Zoom Meeting invitation.
Updating email addresses
If you haven’t been getting our updates and you were on our mailing list it may be because you have changed your email address, particularly if you used to be with eircom.net. If your email has changed or if would like to be added please email balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com with Mailing list in subject line. Commemorative Medal
Looking for ideas for Christmas presents for Balbriggan people at home or abroad? We have produced a beautiful Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Medal which depicts a scene from the Sack of Balbriggan and comes with a booklet containing a short history. It is available to purchase by Paypal on our Website at https://balbrigganhistory.com/product/sack-of-balbriggan-commemorative-medal/ Or if you are local just ring the Society at 083 0269848 (Brian) or 087 7852644 (May) to pay by cash for local delivery or collection. We anticipate that this medal will be in huge demand as a memento of this important Anniversary so get your order in soon.
Seminar available Online and looking back at 20202020 has certainly been a very interesting year with the catastrophic effects and challenges posed by Covid-19 on an unprecedented global scale and pages of history books will be filled with it in the future. We historians of today just had to rise to the challenge of still commemorating the Centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan in an appropriate manner.e We were delighted to record or Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Seminar with Diarmaid Ferriter as our keynote speaker. The other talks were by our own Jim Walsh relating the key events of the Sack. Giving the RIC perspective on events was visiting speaker Jim Herlihy while Frank Whearity spoke about the experiences of the Costello family who lived on Clonard Street and Brendan Matthews looked at the effect on the then thriving town of Balbriggan. Jim Glennon, former TD whose grandfather was the owner of the Gladstone Inn gave an insight into his own family’s experience. A link to all the talks is available on our website www.balbrigganhistory.com also including a new digital version of a video from 1992 of three eyewitness accounts of this tragic night.
We also commemorated the Sack of Balbriggan by laying a wreath in memory of Seamus Lawless and Sean Gibbons at a ceremony on September 20th and displayed photographs in town shop fronts as well as the entries in our schools competition.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our members and friends for their support during this challenging year, and we hope that you and all your family and friends are keeping well and safe. The Society can be contacted at balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com or on our website www.balbrigganhistory.com and we are also on Social media.
Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the Centenary Anniversary of the Sack of Balbriggan
Date: Sun 20th Sep, 2020 | 00:51
Today, exactly 100 years ago, an event occurred that would become a defining and exemplary episode in the Irish War of Independence. The sack of Balbriggan, which occurred on the night of the 20th September 1920 and continued into the morning of the 21st, was an act of collective punishment, a “reprisal”, a term that would become the mark of a policy aimed at subjugation, installation of fear in a public that had in its midst those that sought independence.
That September night in Balbriggan, on which we reflect today, was a day of rampant violence and carnage that, along with other key acts of reprisal during Ireland’s War of Independence, its ferocity and reports of it resulted in the galvanising of support for the military struggle that would ultimately lead to the establishment of our independent State.
The atrocity that was the sack of Balbriggan has characteristics that are similar in many respects to so many other acts of reprisal violence and collective punishments that were administered by British armed forces during the War of Independence. They marked an escalation in terms of their ferocity and were calculated to have a strategic impact on the local community, which Dublin Castle were anxious to claim was having an effect.
On the night in question, between 100 and 150 ‘Black and Tans’ ransacked the North County Dublin town of Balbriggan in revenge for the shooting of RIC District Inspector Burke and his brother Sergeant Burke, who were shot by the IRA while in Smyth’s pub, Balbriggan, earlier in the day.
The Black and Tan activities were often preceded by heavy drinking, but behind it was a policy that believed that no restraint of a military or civilian kind should stand in the way of, as Winston Churchill might put it, “having terrorism by the throat”.
A large factory, 49 houses and four pubs were burnt down, widespread looting occurred, including the business of John Derham, a local Town Commissioner, while two men, Seán Gibbons and Séamus Lawless, were taken to Quay Street and viciously beaten to death, despite protesting their innocence.
The event led to debate in the British Parliament, with H.H. Asquith, the former Prime Minister and then leader of the opposition, comparing the sack of Balbriggan with the actions of the Imperial German Army during the Rape of Belgium.
A subsequent inquiry put the blame for the loss of lives, destruction of property and livelihoods firmly at the doorstep of the British forces. It awarded compensation to the families of Lawless and Gibbons of £1,750 each. Also levied to the county were damages totalling over £80,000, with costs for Deeds and Templar Hosiers, the burned-down factory, which an inquiry heard had left 200 unemployed and would take two-and-a-half years to rebuild. Numerous other claims were settled for destroyed businesses, homes and damages to other property incurred.
Strategic Reprisals
The targeting of local businesses and factories that were completely destroyed in the sack was a policy that included strategic acts of violence. Deeds and Templar Hosiers factory had employed as many as 200 workers directly, with an additional 180 indirectly employed. Its destruction decimated the livelihoods of a significant proportion of the local population, at least temporarily, resulting in significant hardship in a time when poverty was already high and social welfare minimal. There is little doubt that the infliction of such economic damage by both the Auxiliaries and Black and Tans was a key strategic tool, a response of empire, employed in an attempt to quash support for Republicanism.
The move by the British forces towards attacks on business and co-operatives, including rural creameries – which were major employers and sources of essential foodstuffs – marked an escalation in both the wider socio-economic impacts and the sophistication of reprisal tactics. From the summer of 1920 onwards, British forces consistently responded to IRA activities by attacking factories and co-operative creameries. For example, by the time a truce between the IRA and the Crown forces came into effect, 40 co-operative creameries had been destroyed, with another 35 rendered unfit for work. The destruction of each creamery put an estimated 800 farmers out of business.
The violence unleashed by the War of Independence, therefore, possessed a decidedly economic dimension. Guerrilla warfare and reprisals saw the loss of life and widespread destruction of property. As historian Patrick Doyle has noted, the targeting of businesses and co-operatives caused maximum economic damage and became a key tactic in the security forces’ war against the IRA. Such arson attacks punished the civilian population by destroying a cherished public utility or key employer in many communities.
Violence of Empire
Reprisal-based violence was a key element of the British military imperialist strategy in the Irish War of Independence. However, it was not unique to the Irish struggle, and had been used effectively by the British ruling forces in India in the previous century.
‘Reprisals’ were a key aspect of empire rule and its imposition of colonial power, laws, attributes and ideologies, though such acts are not unique to empires, at least not in the typical definition of ‘empire’. The United States, for example, used the policy of reprisals, allied to ‘villagisation’, explicitly during the Vietnam War, as the Pentagon Papers have revealed.
Collective punishments – that is to say, retaliation in which a suspected perpetrator’s family members, friends, acquaintances, neighbours or entire ethnic group is targeted – were used extensively by ruling British forces throughout the Irish War of Independence. The punished individual or group often had no direct association with the other individuals or groups, or direct control over their actions. We see this in Balbriggan where there is virtually no evidence that either of the two men who were slain, Lawless and Gibbons, had any role in the killings of the RIC officers.
Collective punishments were used again some decades later by the British as an official policy to suppress the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya in 1952. In 1956, Britain officially used collective punishment in Cyprus in the form of evicting families from their homes and closing shops anywhere British soldiers and police had been murdered, with the stated aim of obtaining information about the identities of the attackers.
There can be little doubt that collective punishments were already an established strategic tool of imperialist military strategy by the time they occurred in Ireland during the War of Independence. Their use is rooted in ideological assumptions, of superiority and inferiority in terms of race, culture or capacity, in the notion of the collective as a disloyal, hopeless or threatening version of the ‘Other’. The othering of particular cultures, particular nationalities, particular attributes and particular ideologies served as an insidious rationalisation of, and distorted logic behind, acts of violence such as collective punishments and reprisals.
Standing behind this was a supportive intellectual tradition. Pejorative attitudes towards the Irish by the British are well-documented, and had been well-formed by this period. Scottish philosopher David Hume wrote in his History of England:
“The Irish from the beginning of time had been buried in the most profound barbarianism and ignorance; and as they were never conquered, even, indeed, by the Romans from whom all the Western world derives its culture, they continued still in the most rude state of society and were distinguished by those vices to which human nature, not tamed by education, nor restrained by laws, is for ever subject”.
Indeed, a century later, Winston Churchill would write, “We have always found the Irish to be a bit odd. They refuse to be English”. The ‘othering’ of Irish people and their culture was undeniably ingrained at all levels of British society.
If we are to be serious about ethical remembrance and the creation of diverse, complex, shared memory at peace with the past in the interest of a present or future understanding, it is important to recognise these facts. It constitutes a prerequisite for any meaningful healing. We must all acknowledge that such acts of violence would be judged illegal by today’s international standards of war and conflict. Indeed, collective punishments and reprisals are now considered violations of the laws of war and the Geneva Conventions, the standards of international law for humanitarian treatment in war.
Recognising this does not mean that acts of violence against any civilian should be condoned. A later independence cannot justify a cowardly act against a civilian, a civilian used as exemplary victim.
Reprisals continued throughout the War, with famous incidents such as Bloody Sunday in Croke Park, and perhaps those less well-known, such as the indiscriminate shooting of Eileen Quinn, shot dead while seven months pregnant as she stood outside her house in County Galway with her three children. The use of collective punishments and reprisals would, ultimately, become a decisive factor in the outcome of the War, resulting in shock and outrage. When reported internationally, it increased support for the IRA and the independence movement more generally at home and abroad.
Ethical Remembering
Today, as we remember the bloody violence that occurred in Balbriggan exactly a century ago, violence that would result in tragedy, widespread suffering, and lingering bitterness, we must strive to do so ethically and responsibly. Such an ethical remembering must refuse any kind of conscious or unconscious amnesia. The exercise in remembering must be open to all perspectives, requires us all, each of us, to summon up our shared humanity, a humanity which was tested, often brutalised, but also magnified during the War of Independence and indeed over the longer revolutionary period.
There are challenges in relation to the war of memory, the journey from personal memory to collective memory to celebrated memory, to the use and abuse of memory. These are matters to be parked if not forgotten, so that a mutual respect in narratives is made possible.
I have often turned to the work of the great French philosopher Paul Ricoeur in trying to deal with these challenges. Ricoeur’s work forces us to face up to uses and abuses of memory in contemporary society which occur on a pathological level as the problem of blocked memory, on a practical level as manipulated memory, and on an ethical-political level as obligated memory. Two key questions then arise from such a consideration: whether history is a remedy for, or rather a hindrance to, these problems; and to what extent does history depend on memory?
If historians know more about the past than individuals remember, can history completely break with an appeal to memory as a form of evidence? History as written, Ricoeur suggests, “stands for” the past as “having been”. On this basis, we can seek to address “the problem of forgetting” in relation to the problems listed earlier.
Traces of the past can be lost, and that past will be forgotten in the sense of being beyond memory, but what of forgetting where the traces remain? This is where the problems of blocked, manipulated, or commanded memory linger, especially in the latter case with attempts to order forgetting, either through amnesty, censorship, state versions or ideological rationalisations of present failure or future danger that are used to exclude any pluralism of stories and their use. This problem leads to us to consider the vital possibility of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is difficult but not impossible. It can be considered, as Ricoeur proposed, something that is akin to a gift, one that unbinds the agent of the act from the act itself. To forgive is not to forget. It is this idea of a gift, not as requiring or expecting a gift in return, but as something received and passed on as a second gift that has the transformative and emancipatory potential of mutual recognition that can ultimately result in states of peace. The currency of the gift of forgiveness, however, as Hannah Arendt might remind us, is compromised if the giver of forgiveness uses it as an invocation to superiority.
Through the cultivation of an ethics of commemoration to replace our past entrenchments – on this island, and indeed across Europe – as well as an openness to others, we have a real opportunity together to strive to cultivate memory as a tool for the living and as a solid base for our shared future.
This is not an easy undertaking. It requires self-knowledge at the individual and collective levels, as well as recognition that generosity and compassion from both sides does not lead to reductionist outcomes. Rather, it can be reciprocally beneficial, allowing us to yield to each other in mutual respect – to recognise that our fears, insecurities and vulnerabilities can only be assuaged by actions of mutual generosity.
This requires generous effort. Reaching an accommodation with sometimes conflicting versions of the past is merely a stepping stone in the journey via understanding to the destination of forgiveness for past hurt, neglect or omission; a destination which, in so many areas of conflict, at home and abroad, past and present, the participants may not reach.
Yet, as the great German philosopher and Holocaust-survivor Hannah Arendt has written, “forgiveness is the only way to reverse the irreversible flow of history”. In its absence, we run the great risk of lingering bitterness that can lead to tit-for-tat violence, intensifying rather than resolving conflict – to quote the late John Hume’s famous adage, “an eye for an eye leaves us all blind”.
Forgiving, therefore, enables us to come to terms with the past. If forgiveness and forgetting did not exist, we would be trapped in the past where every previous action would be irrevocable and where the present is dominated, burdened even, by preceding events and memories. Recognition of the act committed, however, is essential. Heidegger refused to accept this and thus he remained one whom Hannah Arendt could not forgive. Empirically, I suggest peoples and nations manage forgiveness easier than empires. There is often too dense a paraphernalia of privilege and title that gets in the way, but more usually atrocities too great to recall.
It is only through such forms of ethical remembering that we can avoid retreating to the blinding categories of censure or denunciation, or indeed revenge and bitterness, that blighted this island for so long. Let us all continue with, indeed embrace, the new beginning that the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement represented as we continue to carve out our peaceful co-existence on the island of Ireland through a genuine democratic dialogue grounded in respect for our communities’ identities and their lawful traditions, recognising and paying tribute to John Hume’s vision of a shared island at peace.
One hundred years on from the notorious ‘sack of Balbriggan’ by Black and Tans, in which homes and businesses were burned and two local men were killed, North East Correspondent Sinéad Hussey reports on the legacy of the incident.
‘We should not forget’ – remembering a grandfather murdered by the Black and Tans in the Sack of Balbriggan- Irish Independent
Article by John Meagher in the Irish Independent on Saturday September 19 2020 following interviews with Mary English and Brian Howley.
Tomorrow marks the centenary of one of the most notorious atrocities of the War of Independence when the Black and Tans went on the rampage, setting fire to the town and killing tow men in a reprisal attack. John Meagher on and event that resonated around the world.
When Mary English thinks of his gruesome death, she feels sadness, not rancour. On the night of September 20, 1920, her paternal grandfather, James Lawless, was murdered by the Black and Tans in one of the most notorious episodes of the War of Independence.
The 40-year-old IRA lieutenant, who was a barber in the north Co Dublin town of Balbriggan, was hauled from his home late at night and subjected to the most horrific death. It was a fate that also fell on another local man, John Gibbons, who had been suspected of being a Republican rebel.
It is thought that they were beaten and stabbed with rifle bayonets before their bodies were dumped on the street. Their killings had been in reprisal for the killing of an RIC head constable, Peter Burke, earlier in the day. Burke, a Catholic policeman from Galway, had been shot dead after an altercation in Smyth’s pub in the town. His brother William, also an RIC officer, was seriously wounded, but would escape with his life.
COMMEMORATIONS ARE TAKING place to mark the centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan, a night 100 years ago that saw homes and businesses burned down and two men in the town beaten to death.
Commemorations are taking place today to mark the 100th anniversary of the Sack of Balbriggan – one of the worst atrocities of the War of Independence.
The remembrance marks the night of 20 September 1920 when between 100 and 150 Black and Tans ransacked the north Dublin town in revenge for the killing of RIC District Inspector Burke and his brother Sergeant Burke, who were shot dead by the IRA while in Smyth’s pub earlier in the day.
IRISH President Michael D Higgins said that Britain must face up to its history of bloody reprisals as he marked the 100th anniversary of the sack of Balbriggan which fell today.
‘An act of collective punishment’: Commemorations to mark the centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan
100 years ago today more than 100 Black and Tans ransacked the north Dublin town and two men were beaten to death.
Sep 20th 2020, 2:22 PM 40,474 Views 26 Comments Share119 Tweet Email1The destruction of Clonard Street.Image: Fingal Local Studies and Archives
COMMEMORATIONS ARE TAKING place to mark the centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan, a night 100 years ago that saw homes and businesses burned down and two men in the town beaten to death.
On Sunday September 20th Mass was celebrated by Father McNamara in honour of the Lawless and Gibbons families and those who suffered during the Sack of Balbriggan. Mary English granddaughter of Seamus Lawless brought a wreath, which was presented by the Society, to the alter and May McKeon and Fr McNamara spoke about the tragic events of the Sack of Balbriggan.
Following Mass Brian Howley, Chairman of Balbriggan and District Historical Society laid a wreath at the Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Plaque on Bridge Street. We would like to thank the colour party from the Balbriggan 34th and 161st scouts and bugler Martin McEvoy for joining us to honour the occasion.
All the members of the Society Committee: May McKeon, Kilian Harford, Caitriona Chuinneagáin, Anne Collins, Brian Kavanagh, Bernie Kelly, Íde Ní Liathain, Denise Richardson and Jim Walsh were in attendance as well as Councillors Gráinne Maguire and Tony Murphy and members of the Lawless family.
After the ceremony at the plaque they continued to Balscaddan Cemetery and laid a wreath at the grave of Seamus Lawless and Sean Gibbons.
The Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Seminar, featuring six speakers giving a broad perspective on the events of September, 20 1920 and also including a new digital version of a video from 1992 of three eyewitness accounts of this tragic night, was recorded in the Bracken Court Hotel on Friday September 18, 2020.
The evolution of the Balbriggan & District Historical Society Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Seminar is of historical note in itself. Originally planned as a major public event where we hoped to welcome an enthusiastic local and visiting audience, by August 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions it was clear that this wouldn’t be possible. We decided rather than cancel to go ahead and record the lectures and make them available via Youtube. There was one final twist as the date of the Seminar – September 19, 2020 – loomed and due to a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases, particularly in Dublin, on Thursday 17th it became increasingly clear that no indoor gatherings would be possible from Saturday 19th. A frantic evening of phone calls and quick decisions from our Committee, and a very cooperative venue The Bracken Court, videographer Eric Campbell and our fantastic speakers ensured that the Seminar could go ahead a day earlier on Friday 18th. Please now enjoy the six talks giving a broad and varied perspective on the tragic events of September 20, 1920.
But first……..
Eyewitness Accounts of the Sack of Balbriggan
It is a particular honour for the present Committee to bring to you remastered in digital format on Youtube a Video made in 1992 by the Jim Walsh and Tom Coughlan from Balbriggan & District Historical Society where we interviewed local people about their experiences of the Sack of Balbriggan. The video features Michael Hammond, Mrs Kathleen McGillivary and Mrs Bridget Daly
Diarmaid Ferriter: The War of Independence in Ireland in 1920
Diarmaid Ferriter is one of Ireland’s best-known historians. A Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin, his main research interest is the social, political and cultural history of 20th century Ireland. He has written a number of books, including the critically acclaimed biography, Judging Dev, an insight into one of Ireland’s most influential leaders, Éamon de Valera. He also contributes widely on radio, television and to the print media.
Jim Walsh: The Sack of Balbriggan, September 1920
Born in 1948, Jim attended Balrothery N.S. and Skerries De La Salle College. He served as librarian with Dublin City and County Library Services from 1966 to 2010. He completed a thesis on printed sources relating to North County Dublin, and was awarded a fellowship of the Library Association of Ireland in 1979. He was a co-founder of our Society in July 1981. His passion for, and in-depth knowledge of, local history is legendary.
Jim Herlihy: The Black & Tans in context
Jim Herlihy is a retired member of An Garda Síochána and co-founder of the Garda Historical Society. He has written three books on the Royal Irish Constabulary, two books on the Dublin Metropolitan Police and one on the Irish Revenue Police.
Brendan Matthews: Balbriggan 1920,the Rise & Fall of a Thriving Community
Brendan Matthews is an independent historian, with his speciality focusing on community history research and all that it entails – settlement, transport, industry, health, education, justice, crime, etc., and the establishment, progression and/or decline of communities over periods of time.
Frank Whearity: Aspects of the life and times of Ellen Costello and her family in Clonard St., Balbriggan, in September 1920, now 100 years ago.
Frank Whearity is a local historian and member of Balbriggan & District Historical Society. He holds an M.A. in Local History from Maynooth University. Frank’s book Balbriggan a History in Maps1655-1900 was published by Balbriggan& District Historical Society in 2016.
Jim Glennon: The Sack: A family’s reflections
Jim Glennon is a former TD, Senator, and member of the British & Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body. A company director and chairman, he is currently Chairman of the Fingal Age Friendly Alliance. He is also a former Irish international rugby player and coach of Leinster Rugby
Sunday September 20, 2020 marks 100 years since the Sack of Balbriggan and despite the challenges posed by Covid-19 restrictions Balbriggan and District Historical Society are determined that this important centenary is marked in an appropriate manner. Our plans announced at the beginning of the year included holding a school’s competition, having a historical seminar and a photographic exhibition and producing a commemorative calendar and medal and we are delighted that all of these plans have gone ahead, albeit some online. We have been working along with other local groups and Fingal County Council in the Sack of Balbriggan Commemorations Committee to organise a major event for the weekend and while these plans had to be adapted the Council has commissioned a commemorative mural and is producing a commemorative video which will feature some of our events.
Lawless and Gibbons Families: Uppermost in our minds at this time are the families of the people who lost their lives and local families who include the Lawless and Gibbons people– this also extended to the members of the diaspora a lot of whom had firm intentions to be in Balbriggan at this time for the commemoration but whose travel plans were obviously affected by COVID-19. We remember them especially at this time
Church Service: We would like to thank Fr McNamara for facilitating our request for a Mass in memory of those who died during the Sack of Balbriggan and this will take place on Sunday at 12 o’clock. Due to Covid-19 restrictions not many can attend but everyone can join this commemoration by tuning in to the Church broadcast here
Schools Project: Preserving the memory of the events of the Sack of Balbriggan and sharing them with a new generation was one of the principal aims of our commemoration. To this end we gave a presentation on this to local schools and organised a Schools competition based on it. We are delighted that some of the competition entries will be displayed in the Our Balbriggan hub in the town over the weekend.
Jim Walsh Sack of Balbriggan talk on Youtube: We were delighted to share some of Jim’s insights in a Heritage Week talk which is available on our Youtube channel. see link here: https://youtu.be/_Gs6hfcBCMo
Local historian and founding member of our Society Jim Walsh has been doing extensive research on the Sack of Balbriggan and we were delighted to share some of his insights in a Heritage Week talk which is available on our Youtube channel.The talk begins with an introduction giving the local and historical context and continues with the aid of many images, to give a comprehensive account of the Sack of Balbriggan, based on contemporary accounts, military and RIC archives, newspaper coverage, other publications and interviews with family members. The youtube presentation which has garnered huge interest is interspersed with many images from the time as well as contemporary images from Balbriggan provided by Society Secretary Kilian Harford to give context.
Commemorative Medal: We produced a commemorative calendar featuring images from the Sack of Balbriggan and this was hugely popular. We can now announce that we have taken delivery of a limited number of beautiful commemorative medals which will be available to purchase on www.balbrigganhistory.com . The medal depicts a scene from the Sack of Balbriggan and other symbols which are clearly representative of the town and comes with a booklet containing a short history. We anticipate that this medal will be in huge demand as a memento of this important commemoration, along with the Calendar we produced earlier. Balbriggan and District Historical Society would like to thank most sincerely the Progressive Credit Union Ltd for their very generous sponsorship of our Sack of Balbriggan Commemorative Medal. This sponsorship has been of huge assistance to us in our Commemoration.
Photographic Exhibition Shopfronts: As you are walking around town this weekend keep a look out for our photographs exhibited in some shop windows. These images from the private family collection of Jim Glennon had been restored, digitised and printed, with help from Fingal County Council Community Funding, for a photographic exhibition we had planned in the Bracken Court Hotel, but this is deferred due to Covid-19 restrictions. We exhibited some of the images in Bremore Castle and you will be able to see Brian Howley and May McKeon speaking about them in the Fingal County Council Commemorative video. You will also notice a dramatic art installation, commemorating the Sack of Balbriggan, covering the gable of the Central Bar by the Bracken River. This mural was commissioned by Fingal County Council Arts Office in partnership with and on behalf of the Sack of Balbriggan Commemorations Committee of which we are part. Check it out as this dramatic mural is gradually created during the week.
Seminar on Sack of Balbriggan: We are delighted to welcome Diarmaid Ferriter as our keynote speaker for our Sack of Balbriggan Seminar on Saturday. While sadly we will not be able to have a live audience, all the seminar talks will be made available on our Youtube channel so you can watch them in the comfort and safety of your home. The Seminar will also feature a talk by our own Jim Walsh which will focus on the key events of the 20th of September. Jim Glennon former TD and rugby player will give a personal family account of the time. Jim’s grandfather was the owner of the Gladstone Inn and his photographs from the time have formed the basis of our calendar and photographic exhibition. We are delighted to also have visiting speaker Jim Herlihy whose talk will concentrate on the RIC perspective on the events. Our regular speaker and long term member Frank Whearity will speak about a particular family and also some of the buildings on Clonard Street then and now. A link to all the talks will be made available on our website www.balbrigganhistory.com
Speaking about the Commemoration Brian Howley, Chairperson of Balbriggan & District Historical Society said “The Balbriggan & District Historical Society in conjunction with other local groups and Fingal County Council had comprehensive plans in place for the Commemoration but due to COVID-19 restrictions major public events could not go ahead. However as a Society we were determined to ensure that the centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan still received a fitting, appropriate and meaningful commemoration. We have adapted our plans and our online lectures will bring the commemoration to people in their homes and will be available on into the future as a legacy and a resource for research and education. The Commemorative Medal and Calendar will be fitting mementos of the year and we hope our engagement with the schools will foster a lifelong enthusiasm for history among some of the students.’
Balbriggan and District Historical Society would like to take this opportunity to thank all our members and friends who have supported us down through the years by attending our talks and events. We hope you are keeping well and healthy in these tough times and look forward to when we will be able to see you in person at our events in the future. In the meantime we hope you will be able to enjoy our online content and be sure to get some assistance if you can’t access Youtube! The Society can be contacted at balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com or on our website www.balbrigganhistory.com and we are also on Social media.
Balbriggan & District Historical Society have embraced technology to present their Heritage Week talk on The Sack of Balbriggan 1920 by local historian Jim Walsh via Youtube.
Jim a retired Librarian and founding member of the Society draws on a lifetime of research and some newly available material to present a fascinating talk which will be of huge interest to history enthusiasts as well as being very accessible to the general public.
The talk begins with an introduction giving the local and historical context of the time and continues with the aid of many images, to give a comprehensive account of the Sack of Balbriggan, based on contemporary accounts, military and RIC archives, newspaper coverage, other publications and interviews with family members.
The Youtube presentation is interspersed with many images from the time as well as contemporary images from Balbriggan provided by Society Secretary Kilian Harford to give context.
The centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan by the Black and Tans in 1920 takes place on September 20th and as part of the Covid-19 restricted Commemoration the Society has a full seminar on the subject planned including a lecture from Diarmaid Ferriter, which will also be made available online.
Speaking about this new venture into virtual content a spokesperson for the Society said “While we are very disappointed like everyone else that we haven’t been able to present our usual programme of talks to our loyal members and supporters in Balbriggan arguably these new challenges have presented an opportunity to reach a much bigger audience. We are delighted to be able to connect again with our friends in Balbriggan who we have missed this year and we think the availability of this lecture online will be of huge interest to Balbriggan people abroad as well as locally and nationally.”
We would like to thank Eric Campbell for producing the video in such a fantastic professional manner.
Listen to our Chairperson Brian Howley as he gives a tour of Balbriggan and an introduction to its rich history. Learn about the name Baile Brigín, Sinéad De Valera, the harbour and lighthouse, the coming of the railway, the rich hosiery tradition including Smyth & Co and ‘Balbriggans’ and of course the tragic story of the Sack of Balbriggan in 1920. See video here: A History of Balbriggan
September 2020 is a very significant date in Balbriggan History as it marks 100 years since the Sack of Balbriggan. Balbriggan & District Historical Society in conjunction with other local groups and Fingal County Council had comprehensive plans in place to commemorate this 100 year anniversary with public events in September.
Due to COVID 19 government restrictions at the time of writing it is still not clear what level of commemoration can take place but it is clearly our intention to ensure that this does receive a fitting, appropriate and meaningful commemoration even if that means that it, like so many other things, has to be adjusted or delayed.
In the meantime the following is an account of the Sack of Balbriggan for those who don’t know about this event. A fuller account can be found in our publication Balbriggan a History for the Millennium
The Sack of Balbriggan September 1920
The tragic events of the sack of Balbriggan by Black And Tans have left an unforgettable memory on the town. Peter Burke the Head Constable of the R.I.C was accompanied by his brother William a Sgt and they entered Smyth’s pub (now the Millrace Pub) for a drink. There are confusing accounts of what transpired there but shortly afterwards Peter Burke was shot dead and his brother William was seriously wounded.
When word reached Gormanston Camp where the Black and Tans were stationed and a large body of them arrived in 2/3 lorries later firing indiscriminately in the streets. They stationed their vehicles outside the barracks on Bridge St (now the home of Ashling dry cleaners). They also burnt several houses and many families spent several nights sleeping outdoors in fear for their lives.
They looted the business of John Derham (a local Town Commissioner) now the Medical Centre on corner of Bridge St and Clonard St. and they burned several local businesses and several houses including 8 cottages on Clonard St (Known locally as Sinn Féin Alley).
Several licensed premises were also destroyed including Landy’s and the Gladstone Inn (now Harvest Pub and Milestone Inn). The Black and Tans were set on destroying the premises of Smyth and Co on Railway St however they burned down another factory,
Balbriggan Sea Mills, built by the English Company, Deeds Templar. Only the factory chimney remains.
Several locals were dragged into the barracks for questioning and 2 were murdered, Seamus Lawless a local Barber, and Sean Gibbons a dairy farmer. The plaque on Bridge St commemorates them. Both were buried in Balscadden cemetery. Peter Burke was buried in Glenamaddy,Co Galway.
Fulham Terrace has been named in honour of the bravery of Dr Fulham on the night along with the names given to Lawless and Gibbons Terrace in the town.
You can download our Sack of Balbriggan Memorial Calendar here Calendar 2020 BHS (9)
Welcome to a new and very special year with Balbriggan & District Historical Society when, as well as our normal activities, we will be commemorating the 100 year Anniversary of the Sack of Balbriggan by the Black and Tans in 1920. We hope you got a copy of our Commemorative Calendar which was hugely popular and you can view the pictures at this link:Calendar 2020 BHS
We will be in touch later to give you details of our plans for the year but at this stage we can announce the details of our first 3 talks for 2020, exact titles will be confirmed later:
March 25th Jim Walsh – The Sack of Balbriggan 1920
April 29th Rory McKenna – The Foreshore Dispute 1874-76 part 2
May 20th Frank Whearity – A History of Spicer’s Bakery Balbriggan
Sack of Balbriggan Calendar
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
The destruction of Clonard Street.Image: Fingal Local Studies and Archives
Welcome to a new and very special year with Balbriggan & District Historical Society when, as well as our normal activities, we will be commemorating the 100 year Anniversary of the Sack of Balbriggan by the Black and Tans in 1920. We hope you got a copy of our Commemorative Calendar which was hugely popular and you can view the pictures at this link: