Torn Asunder
Renny deGroot
Also by Renny deGroot
Fiction:
Family Business
After Paris
Non-Fiction:
32 Signal Regiment, Royal Canadian Signal Corps – A History
Copyright © 2019 Renny deGroot
ISBN: 978-0-9936947-3-8
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means – by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission.
Toadhollow Publishing
7509 Cavan Rd
Bewdley, Ontario
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Contact Renny at: http://www.rennydegroot.com
For Jimmy Carton
Your songs and stories over the past several decades provided the inspiration for this book
“All true men, like you men,
Remember them with pride.”
John Kells Ingram “The Memory of the Dead”
Key Historical Figures
(mentioned in the story)
Ashe, Thomas: As Commandant of the 5th Battalion of the Dublin Brigade during the Easter Rising in 1916, he led his battalion through the Battle of Ashbourne. Sentenced to death for his part in the Rising, his sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life. He was interned in Frongoch Internment camp and Lewes Prison in England. He was freed from prison as part of the amnesty in June, 1917 but re-arrested in August, 1917. He died in September, 1917 after participating in a hunger strike.
Breen, Dan: A member of both the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Volunteers, the British had a £10,000 price on his head. During the Irish Civil War, Breen took the Anti-Treaty (Republican) side and was arrested for his activities by the Pro-Treaty (Irish Free State) army.
Brugha, Cathal: An Irish revolutionary who became Chief of Staff in the Irish Republican Army. He served during the Irish War of Independence and presided over the First Dáil Éireann in 1919. During the Irish Civil War, he took the Anti-Treaty side and during the Battle of Dublin, while he ordered his men to surrender, he refused to do so himself and died of gunshot wounds sustained at that time.
Casement, Sir Roger: A diplomat and Irish nationalist, he worked for the British Foreign Office. In 1916 he attempted to bring German guns to Ireland to aid in the Easter Rising, but was arrested and ultimately executed for high treason, after first being stripped of his knighthood.
Clarke, Tom: As an active member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), Clarke was a driving force behind the Easter Rising. While he did not have an official role in the Irish Volunteers (formed in 1913), the IRB had great control over the activities of the two organizations, and as Treasurer in the IRB, Clarke was very influential and was recognized as one of the commanders of the Rising. He was one of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Republic. He was executed for his part in the Rising.
Collins, Michael: A member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), he served as financial advisor to Count George Plunkett where he engaged in preparing to arm for the Rising. He served as aide-de-camp for Joseph Plunkett at the General Post Office in Dublin during The Easter Rising in 1916, where he fought side by side with Patrick Pearse and James Connolly. He was interned in Fongoch Internment Camp for his part in the Rising where he began to form ties with many other republicans from all over Ireland. After being released, Collins became a key player in the War of Independence, resulting in the British offering a £10,000 price for his capture. After the 1921 ceasefire, Collins served as a delegate on the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the signing of which produced the Irish Free State. After signing, he famously remarked to F.E. Smith “I may have signed my actual death warrant.” This statement proved prophetic, as he was shot and killed in an ambush in August, 1922.
Connolly, James: A Scottish-born Irish republican and socialist leader, he, together with James Larkin, formed the Irish Citizen Army (ICA). During the Easter Rising, Connolly served as Commandant of the Dublin Brigade. Connolly was sentenced to death for his role in the Rising; Connolly had been badly injured during the fighting, and needed to be carried out on a stretcher and tied to a chair to be shot.
deValera, Eamon: During the 1916 Easter Rising, he led forces in the defence of the southeastern approaches to Dublin. He was sentenced to death for his part in the Rising, but his sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life. He was one of the few republican leaders that was not executed; in part due to the intervention by the U.S. Consulate in Dublin who protested that he was an American citizen. He was freed as part of the June 1917 amnesty and in July, 1917 was elected Member of Parliament and President of the Sinn Féin party. In 1919 deValera travelled to America to raise support for Ireland, leaving Michael Collins to run the day-to-day governing of the country. Later deValera and Collins would become opponents in the Irish Civil War.
Deasy, Liam: During the Irish War of Independence, Deasy was the Adjutant of the 3rd Cork Brigade. During the Irish Civil War, he took the Anti-Treaty (Republican) side and was in command of the men who ambushed and shot Michael Collins; however, he himself was not a part of the ambush.
Ennis, Tom: A member of the Irish Volunteers, he fought with the GPO Garrison during the Easter Rising. He was interned at Fongoch Internment Camp in Wales before being released in August, 1916. He resumed active duty, participating in several operations, perhaps most famously leading the burning of the Custom House. He escaped that operation, surviving a gunshot wound to the leg. During the Civil War, he took the Pro-Treaty (‘Free-State’) side. Ennis rose to the rank of Major-General before retiring to civilian life. He died in 1945 of natural causes.
Flood, Frank: A 1st Lieutenant in the Dublin Brigade, he was a student at University College Dublin when he was captured while attacking a lorry load of Dublin Metropolitan Police. He was executed in Mountjoy Prison in 1921. He was 19 years old.
Gifford, Grace: An Irish artist and cartoonist, Gifford married her sweetheart, Joseph Plunkett hours before he was executed in Kilmainham Gaol.
Griffith, Arthur: As a newspaper editor and politician, he founded the political party Sinn Féin. In 1921 he led the Irish delegation which resulted in the contentious Anglo-Irish Treaty. He died of natural causes ten days before the assassination of Michael Collins in August, 1922.
Lawless, Frank: Battalion Quartermaster under Thomas Ashe, he led a section in the Battle of Ashbourne during the 1916 Easter Rising. He was sentenced to death for his part in the Rising, but the sentence was commuted to ten years’ penal servitude. He was subsequently released in the amnesty of 1917 and later elected as part of the First Dáil Éireann.
Lawless, James (sometimes known as JV Lawless): A brother of Frank Lawless, he was Battalion Adjutant and led a section during the Battle of Ashbourne.
Lawless, Joseph: A son of Frank Lawless; at the age of 20, he served as Brigade Engineering Officer and led a section of Volunteers during the Battle of Ashbourne. He was sent to Knutsford Prison in England and then Fongoch Internment Camp in Wales before being released in December, 1916.
MacCurtain, Tomás: A commander of Irish Volunteers during the Easter Rising from County Cork who was interned in Frongoch Internment camp for his part in the Rising. After being released during the amnesty, he returned to active duty as a Commandant of what became the Irish Republican Army. In March, 1920, MacCurtain was assassinated by members of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).
MacDonagh, Thomas: Commandant of the 2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade, he was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising and a signatory of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. He was executed for his part in the Rising.
MacNeill, Eoin: He established the Irish Vol
unteers in 1913 and served as its Chief-Of-Staff. In 1916, when he heard of Roger Casement’s arrest, he countermanded Patrick Pearse’s instructions to the Irish Republican Brotherhood for the Easter Monday Rising by placing a last-minute advertisement advising Volunteers not to take part. He was later elected to the First Dáil Éireann (Assembly of Ireland) as a member of Sinn Féin.
Markievicz, Countess Georgine: She was an Irish politician and revolutionary who was elected to the position of Minister of Labour in the First Dáil Éireann (Assembly of Ireland). Countess Markievicz was a founding member of the Cumann na mBan (The Women’s Council) and the Irish Citizen Army. She fought in St. Stephen’s Green during the Easter Rising in 1916 and was sentenced to death for her role; however, the sentence was commuted to life due to her sex and she was sent to Aylesbury Prison in England. Markievicz was released in 1917 as part of the amnesty.
McAteer, Hugh: A leader of the Irish Republican Army in the North, McAteer participated in the Easter commemoration of the Rising at the Broadway Cinema, Falls Road, Belfast in 1943.
Mulcahy, Richard: He was Second-In-Command to Thomas Ashe during the Battle of Ashbourne and was interned at Knutsford and at Frongoch Internment Camp for his part in the Rising. He was released in December, 1916. Mulcahy subsequently supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty and ordered the execution of 77 Anti-Treaty prisoners during the Irish Civil War.
O’Connell, Daniel: An Irish political leader from the early nineteenth century, sometimes known as ‘The Emancipator’ for his work to emancipate Irish Catholics.
Parnell, Charles Stewart: An Irish nationalist who served to further the Home Rule efforts in his positions as the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party (1882 – 1891) and Leader of the Home Rule League (1889 – 1892).
Pearse, Patrick: A member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB), Pearse was a leader of the Easter Rising in 1916. On behalf of the IRB, he read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the General Post Office (the headquarters of the Rising) on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, marking the start of the Rising. Pearse was executed for his part in the Rising.
Plunkett, Count George Noble: Father of Joseph Plunkett, George Plunkett was created a Papal Count in 1884. It is believed that his son, Joseph swore him into the IRB some time before the Rising.
Plunkett, Joseph: One of the original members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and thus very involved in the planning of the Easter Rising. Plunkett suffered from tuberculosis at a young age and was in frail health, leaving his hospital bed to take part. His aide-de-camp was Michael Collins. Plunkett was executed for his part in the Rising, and married his sweetheart, Grace Gifford, in Kilmainham Gael hours before his death in 1916.
Steele, Jimmy: A member of the Irish Republican Army from Belfast, Steele participated in the Easter commemoration of the Rising at the Broadway Cinema, Falls Road, Belfast in 1943.
Traynor, Oscar: An Irish Volunteer who was the leader of the Metropole Hotel garrison during the Easter Rising. In the Irish Civil War Traynor took the Anti-Treaty (Republican) side and was in charge of the Barry’s Hotel garrison during the Battle of Dublin.
Weston, Charlie: A section commander in the 5th Brigade during the Battle of Ashbourne.
Contents
Part I
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Part II
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Acknowledgements
Select Resources
Part I
Emmet Ryan
Chapter One
Ashbourne, County Meath, March 1916
Emmet Ryan sat next to his best pal Liam Kelly on the damp grass looking out on the view of the village of Ashbourne spread below the green hill.
Liam nudged Emmet. “Your Ma still giving you a hard time about spending time with the Volunteers?”
Emmet cradled the wooden rifle he had carved himself. “Yeh. I don’t know why. She doesn’t give Da or Michael and Kevin grief and they spend more time than me.” Emmet cocked his head and mimicked his mother’s voice: ‘Emmet, you should be spending more time on your studies, and not out playing at soldiers. You won’t get into college that way.’ He shook his head. “As if the Fingal Volunteers is some kind of game. Just because I’m sixteen doesn’t mean I don’t believe in Ireland’s Cause just as much as Da and the boys.”
Liam snorted. “It’s because you’re the youngest. She wants to keep you tied to her.”
Emmet raised an eyebrow. “You’re very wise sounding.”
“Well, can you imagine her saying something to your Da or brothers?” Liam wagged his finger. “Ned Ryan, don’t you take those boys out to the Volunteers tonight. I want you home by your fireside.”
Emmet laughed. “I can just see Da’s face.”
“Women. They’re all the same. They want to keep you tied to their apron strings. I won’t have it.”
Emmet nodded. Liam’s mother had long given up trying to control him. She had younger children to look after, while Emmet was the youngest in his family. He chafed to have the freedom that Liam had sometimes.
It rained overnight and the sky was still a bruised green-grey but it was dry, so the boys had the assignment to ‘keep watch’.
Liam plucked a blade of grass and then tossed it aside. “What exactly are we supposed to watch for?”
Emmet studied his friend. Liam’s shock of red hair and freckled face gave him a well-deserved look of mischief. Emmet could see that Liam was bored. Liam always got twitchy and restless when he sat for too long.
He shrugged in response to Liam’s question. “The enemy.” Out of habit, Emmet kept his answers short, still nervous that his voice would betray him and crack, although in fact his voice had deepened to a man’s timbre, so like his father’s.
Liam snorted. “And who’s that, then? Some say the Brits and some say the Germans.”
Emmet slanted his eyes towards his friend. “You’ve got an uncle over in France, now don’t you?”
Liam nodded, looking down at the ground and plucking again at the old brown grass.
“Do you ever hear from him?”
Liam frowned. “My aunt’s heard from him. He doesn’t say much.”
Emmet scrubbed his hand across his head, still getting used to the feel of the short crop of his curls.
Liam grinned and tackled Emmet, sitting on his chest, and rubbed his hands over Emmet’s hair, all the while mimicking the voice of the girl from last weekend’s dance. “Ooh, Emmet. I wish I had such beautiful curls as you.”
“Feck off.” Emmet twisted and shoved Liam off. The girl’s comments triggered Emmet to shear off h
is curls and now he regretted the rash move which showed off his sticky-out ears. He had only the vaguest sense that the combination of his blue eyes and black hair was quite striking. He didn’t think of himself as handsome, but he knew he didn’t like the way his short hair accentuated his ears, so he was keen for it to grow out again.
Emmet stood, brushing off the dampness from the seat of his pants. He looked down at Liam. Emmet understood that Liam had tackled him to change the conversation. He could see that Liam wore his shame like a dirty vest under a clean shirt. The shame of having an uncle fighting with the Brits. Emmet knew many Irishmen joined the British in the war in France and Belgium, but his Da said they shouldn’t be there fighting an English war. They should be at home looking after their own. Emmet read in the paper accounts for both sides of the argument. ‘It provided work and the men could send money home’ was one point of view. Emmet understood that. Liam’s uncle’s seven children looked better fed and clothed over the past year than Emmet had ever seen them, but still, his Da’s words stuck in his mind.
Liam stood as well. “Come on. Surely, we’ve stood watch long enough. Let’s go back and see what’s up.”
Emmet nodded. “There might be a cup of tea to be had.”
They raced down the hill and back to Murphy’s barn. The outer wall stones showed through the peeling whitewash, and the roof thatch needed repair where grass grew in large patches. Emmet followed Liam inside and smiled at the two Murphy horses in their stalls along one short end of the barn He could swear that the old grey smiled back, flickering his ears and shaking his head. The horses were used to men coming and going and didn’t seem to mind the intrusion. Along the long walls were bales of hay stacked to the ceiling, except for one gap where the bales had been shoved aside and a wooden board was nailed to the old barn board wall. At the other short end, various implements hung or rested against the wall. Three men grouped together in the open area between the hay bales studying a map laid out on a table of bales. The conversation stopped when the boys came in and Seamus Murphy folded up the map. He nodded to the boys. “All right, boys?”
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