Irish Republican History & Remembrance.
KEVIN BARRY became active as a soldier in Dublin as a 15 year old lad.
At age 18 Kevin Barry is caught by the British Soldiers and receives the Death Penalty.
He is hanged in MountJoy Jail in November 1920 .
Irish War of Independence and the Black and Tans
Dublin of 1920 was a terrifying city to live in if you were Irish because Britain made the laws in Ireland then.
If a person was heard to speak in Irish they would be arrested and jailed. The people of Dublin were not even safe in their own beds.
At any time of day or night any home could be raided by the Black and Tans, the house torn apart or the occupants arrested and interrogated.
There was also a curfew at night with only the sound of the British army lorries along the dark streets looking for trouble.
The people in their houses would hold their breaths until the lorries passed their street praying that they would not stop outside where a brutal raid would begin.
This is the Dublin that Kevin Barry grew up in as a young lad
And this is why he became a soldier at fifteen years of age to fight for Irish freedom in 1920 during the Irish War of Independence.
Kevin Barry was hanged by the British Government in Dublin when he was only 18 years old.
The sacrifice of men women and children during The Irish War of Independence
Irish men were taken from their homes by the British soldiers and later found dead in a field or back alley.
This was the atmosphere that the men of the Volunteers were fighting in.
The Irish people had seen sixteen men executed four years earlier after the 1916 Easter Rising.
Their families were refused their bodies after the executions for a Christian burial .
Their bodies were hastily dumped in a hole, dug at the back of Arbour Hill Prison .
Quick lime was added so there would be no possibility of the families claiming the bodies later.
This is now a National Monument in Arbour Hill Dublin Ireland.
There is a ceremony held every year to celebrate their fight and sacrifice for Irish freedom.
Related articles
- International Impac Dublin Literary Award: Kevin Barry wins (politibooks.wordpress.com)
- Irish author Kevin Barry’s search no longer for stories about quests (thegazette.com)
- Walking Tour of Dublin: Monday, July 1 (landmarkcollegeireland.wordpress.com)
- Kevin Barry’s “City of Bohane” wins International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (irishcentral.com)
- Liam (william Joseph) Mellows, Born on May 25, 1895 in Manchester, England – Executed by Firing Squad on December 8, 1922. (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
- ArtsBeat: Kevin Barry Wins Impac Dublin Literary Award (artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)
- DublinSwell 2011: Sebastian Barry puts on a theatrical performance and leaves the audience wanting more (kimbofo.typepad.com)
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