Offaly man's 'Ten Faithful Years' book will chart stories and songs from revolutionary period

A TULLAMORE man is working on a major book charting local history between 1913 and 1923 with a special emphasis on songs and ballads.

Ray Daly, native of Connolly Park, has so far spent seven years compiling material for 'Ten Faithful Years: Ireland In Song and Story' and is now seeking help from the public.

He would like to get information from any families who know people who were involved in Ireland's revolutionary period or in World War One.

“The thing I found when working on this book is that the connections in Tullamore and Offaly were unreal. When you read through the files the names just jump out at you,” said Ray.

Ray (pictured below) is a son of Nancy Daly and the late Tommy Daly, Connolly Park, who was a private in the Defence Forces and served with the United Nations in the Congo in 1961.

Tommy Daly died in October 2022 and the first draft of Ray's book outlines how the military heritage in the family dates back much further.

One example from his father's side is Ray's granduncle John (Jack) Daly who was involved in the attack on Clara barracks in June 1920 during the War of Independence.

An ancestor on his grandmother's side was Michael Connolly from Rahan who took part in the Boer War and the Great War and his younger brothers were involved in the War of Independence in Offaly with Joseph seeing action in the Kinnitty ambush on May 17, 1921, and John active in ambushes in north Offaly.

Another granduncle, John (Jack) Martin (pictured below) was aged 16 and in the room on William Street where the 'Tullamore Incident', characterised as the first shots of 1916, took place.

Both families, the Martins and the Connollys, lived in Pensioner's Row (now O'Molloy Street) in Tullamore.

Ray's great grandmother's maiden name was Hamilton. Her brothers Patrick and Dan enlisted with the Crinkle-based Leinster Regiment during the Great War.

Patrick was captured at Peronne on the Somme on March 27, 1918 and was a prisoner of war for the remainder of the Great War. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service in the Great War, along with the India General Service Medal and the Malabar Clasp. This medal was awarded for services in military operations in and around India between 1908 and 1935.

Dan Hamilton (pictured below) was wounded in action necessitating him being discharged from service. He suffered a very serious head injury which required the removal of part of his skull.

A steel plate was inserted in his skull. The injury and subsequent operation do not seem to have caused any after effects. After the Great War Dan owned and managed a small grocery shop in Tullamore.

“The complexity of Ireland from 1913 to 1923 is shown with my own family members taking different sides but for very legitimate reasons,” Ray explains.

“The overall goal for this book is to inform and educate the reader about the courage, bravery and commitment shown by the forgotten men and women who were involved in key historical, social and cultural events in Ireland's Revolutionary period during the most tumultuous decade in Irish history,” he writes.

Ireland's strong musical, heritage and culture is included throughout the book with over 120 songs and ballads from before, during and after the revolutionary period 1913-1923, plus songs and ballads from the Great War of 1914-1918.

Among the many songs are The Foggy Dew, Grace, Banna Strand and The Ballad of James Connolly, plus ballads from the Great War such as Pack up your Troubles, It's a Long way to Tipperary, Daisy Daisy and Danny Boy.

The book will set the scene for the Ten Faithful Years by recalling early Irish history, the Anglo-Norman invasion, the plantations, the penal laws, the 1798 rebellion, the famine, the Young Ireland and Fenian movements, the foundation of the GAA and the Gaelic League, the Home Rule bills and the signing of the Ulster Covenant in 1912.

Ray is including many notable Offaly incidents from the revolutionary period, including the visit of Roger Casement and Cathal Brugha to Tullamore on April 19, 1914 and the World War One recruitment drive which saw some 6,000 men joining up at the barracks in Crinkle, Birr.

He also notes that the Midland Tribune reported in August 1914 that Aloysius Brennan tore down an army recruitment poster at Market Street, Tullamore and was sentenced to one month in prison with hard labour.

The book will relate how about 500 people, including 200 nationalists, attended a public meeting in Oxmantown Hall, Birr aid of British army recruitment in September, 1914 and 40 Irish Volunteers interrupted it and then left.

There is also the story of a cattle drive at Geashill in November 1914 when 1,000 men assembled at Ballydownan with two marching bands from Croghan and Tullamore, demonstrating against the failure of Lord Digby to distribute his land amongst the landless families.

A fight between the RIC and the protesters ensued and 46 arrests were made, among the detainees were Patrick E Adams, member of King's County County Council and Peadar Bracken.

Moving along the years, Ray mentions the Midland Tribune reporting in April, 1915 that the famous dramatist and critic, George Bernard Shaw visited Birr and stayed in Dooly's Hotel on his way from Dublin to Galway. While looking at the Cumberland Column in Emmet Square he was questioned by a local policeman, Constable Walsh.

The book will recall the formation of the Tullamore Branch of Cumann na mBan in November 1, 1915 and women's involvement in fundraising for the promotion of the Irish language.

Ray's first draft details the tension in Tullamore about a week before the Easter Rising began in Dublin on March 24, 1916.

There was a public collection (flag day) for the Irish regiments in Tullamore on March 15 and on March 17, Cumann na mBan organised a collection for the promotion of the Irish language.

Then on March 19 a third collection took place, this time for Sinn Fein, on the Sunday of the Wolfe Tone Memorial Cup match between Dublin and Laois in the GAA grounds at Ballyduff.

The Tullamore Incident occurred the following day, March 20, when Cumann na mBan members and others met in the Sinn Fein (Volunteers) room on William Street to check the collection made at the match.

There was a hostile crowd outside of about 200, some with Union Jacks supplied by local councillor and British army recruiter TR Dixon.

Two of the men in the room, Joe Wrafter and Peadar Bracken (mentioned above for his involvement in the Geashill cattle drive) escorted some girls home and then returned to the rooms where they were insulted and attacked by the crowd.

The rooms were stoned and glass smashed and Bracken fired a shot over the crowd and ordered a counter attack if the group inside were themselves attacked, especially by the RIC.

Ray writes how Bracken seriously injured one policeman, Sergeant Aherne, by shooting him in the arm and then smashed his gun into the face of Inspector Crane.

Another man, Seamus O'Brennan fired at Crane and then beat him unconscious after his revolver jammed.

A speech given by Tullamore historian Michael Byrne on the 100th anniversary of the Tullamore Incident inspired Ray to begin his research.

He had previously collaborated with Derek Warfield of the Wolfe Tones on the 2008 book, 'Celtic and Ireland: Song and Story', which is a compilation and explanation of the many ballads associated with supporters of Celtic football club.

Ray said: “If there's anyone in Tullamore or Offaly who has old photos of their family who were involved in the War of Independence or World War One I would interested.”

He can be contacted by emailing raydaly1969@gmail.com