Acclaimed new Offaly book of history and song will be 'invaluable'

A BOOK which presents its own perspective on Offaly's place in Irish history will be launched on Sunday, November 23 (3pm) in the Central Hotel in Tullamore.

Compiled by Tullamore man Raymond Daly, Ten Faithful Years (1913 – 1923) in Song and Story runs to more than 500 pages with numerous photographs and scores of songs, each complete with lyrics and background information.

At first glance the sheer size of the publication appears an insurmountable challenge but even the briefest browse unearths nuggets on almost every page.

Other than the most studious scholars of the era, who knew for instance that drunken Blacks and Tans “went berserk” in Clarke's barbers on William Street after burning the Irish National Foresters hall in November 1920?

Or that the IRA failed to take Clara barracks during the War of Independence probably because there were too many volunteers involved rather than too few?

Other gems include the fact that Offaly men piloted planes for the Royal Flying Corps (later the RAF) in World War I and two sons of Henry Egan of P& H Egan fought in, and survived the battle of Messines.

Patrick Feery, Tullamore was not so lucky. He was killed in the Great War while his brother Edward, photographed in the book, fought at Ypres.

Back at home the Tullamore Incident, often described as 'the first shots of 1916', is recalled, while there is the note that William Tyrell from Edenderry wrote home from the battlefield of France after the Dublin rising and called the Easter rebels “scoundrels”.

All parts of Offaly are mentioned. There is a picture of an Irish Volunteer jacket worn by Shannon Harbour man Bernard Kenny; there is the tale of Banagher man, the magistrate Alan Bell, shot dead in Dublin by Michael Collins' 'Squad'; the book explains why a Tullamore RIC inspector sought protection from the IRA 'police'; and it revisits a cattle drive at Geashill against Lord Digby.

The book list the names of the 11 Offaly men who definitely took part in the Easter Rising, chronicles the departure of the British from Birr barracks at the end of the War of Independence, while also publishing an image of Martin Hensey, a soldier who died in Salonika in 1915.

Those are just random findings across the massive tome whose value is aptly summed up in the foreword by Larry Fleming.

He says Raymond Daly's inspiration was a genuine love and passion for Irish history, driven by an intense admiration for the men and women who took on the might of an empire.

“Raymond does not purport to be an expert in either politics or its historical legacies, but rather an amateur historian dedicated to recording the events surrounding the struggle for freedom in plain non-academic layman's language, free from the restrictions of academia,” writes Mr Fleming.

“Despite that, this publication is an ideal historical reference and should prove invaluable to students undertaking state exams in coming years as it presents a clear historical timeline.”

He says the songs and ballads add greatly to the book's appeal and impact. Among the songs included are Green Fields of France, The Auld Triangle, The Foggy Dew, The Tri Coloured Ribbon, Who Fears to Speak of Easter Week, The Man from Mullingar and many, many more.

Raymond Daly dedicates the book to his late father Tommy and reveals that his elderly Da would sing songs included in the book while spending time with his son as dementia advanced.

He said he was inspired to compile the book on March 20, 2016 when he attended an oration by local historian Michael Byrne at the 100th anniversary of the shots fired in Tullamore on April 24, 1916 by Peadar Bracken and Seamus O'Brennan at William Street in Tullamore.

Raymond's granduncle John (Jack) Martin was also present there, at what became known as the Tullamore Incident and which resulted in the injury by gunshot to RIC Sergeant Philip Ahern. The Easter Rising, which was mainly confined to Dublin, took place a month later.

Sergeant Ahern was replaced by Sergeant Henry Cronin who was shot dead in Tullamore by local IRA men on October 31, 1920 and the incidents at Clarke's barbers and the Foresters hall were reprisals.

Raymond Daly's great grandfather Michael Connolly took part in both the Boer War and Great War, another granduncle John (Jack) Daly was involved in the attack on Clara Barracks while relations on his great grandmother's side, brothers Patrick and Dan Hamilton, enlisted in Crinkle during World War I, with the latter suffering a serious head injury.

Because of those associations across the divides of Irish politics, Raymond writes in the book: “With this in mind, I take an impartial view with my research and utilise the help and guidance of local and national historians, authors and relatives of the revolutionary men and women, I was determined not to judge but be impartial with my research and honour all those mentioned throughout the book.”