Kildare Local History: Families gather to recall Civil War shootout

On Monday, July 11, a group of history enthusiasts and relatives gathered at Knockanally Gates to mark the centenary of two shooting incidents in North Kildare during the Civil War which were the last recorded shots of the ongoing revolution in this locality.

One was at Corduff Cross close to Timahoe (known to locals as ‘The Stores’) where the first fatality of the war in North Kildare occurred, and the second was a shootout between the Free State army and a group of anti-treaty activists at Knockanally Gates.

Although luckily there were no fatalities at this engagement, it was a serious encounter and symbolic due to its location at the foot of historic Ovidstown Hill close to Newtown village and Kilcock, where revolutionary activity in County Kildare first began in 1795 and virtually continued for 127 years.

Newtown Village and Kilcock were where the seeds of conflict which kick-started a continuous revolution for independence  in the locality.

It began on July 12, 1795, with the arrest of Laurence O’Connor and Michael Griffin in Kilcock and on the following day, July 13, a magistrate who had taken the prisoners to jail in Naas was ambushed at Grange by militants from Newtown.

Another military encounter, one of the biggest in the modern history of Kildare, was the Battle of Ovidstown on June 19, 1798, an event which is commemorated annually by the local community. 

The last shots in this ongoing revolution in the area were fired at Knockanally Gates on July 11, 1922.

The gathering was addressed by local historian Seamus Cullen.

There was a family representation of Thomas McHugh, who was the last surviving old IRA commandant when he passed on in the early 1990s. He was in charge of the Republican forces here at Knockanally and was one of only three who escaped. 

Thomas’ son, Tim McHugh and daughter Brid Corrigan, grandsons Conor and Brian, and great-grandson James, were present. Three of Michael Griffin’s great-great grandchildren were present on Monday evening. They are Betty Walsh of Ovidstown, Martina Gregory of Ballykeelan and their brother Eddie Mulligan of Enfield.

His detailed accounts of the happenings included in a newspaper article from an article in the Kildare Observer of July 1922 entitled ‘Important Capture by National Forces near Donadea’

Anti-treaty forces, who were referred to as republicans or irregulars by the Free State army, had set up a camp in Coolcarrigan House close to Timahoe.

On the morning of July 11, 1922, the Republican forces obtained intelligence that 600 Free State soldiers from Naas, Edenderry and Lucan were converging on Timahoe to capture Coolcarrigan and arrest the Republican activists.

Reports even suggested that an eighteen-pounder gun was included in their arsenal.

The Republican forces decided to evacuate Coolcarrigan and withdraw the garrison in two groups before the net tightened — one group would go by Prosperous and the other would head for Cloncurry.

The main contingent of 40 men heading for Prosperous came into contact with three men in Free State army uniform at Corduff Cross and fired at them, killing one man and wounding another.

Tragically, the three men were actually deserters from the National army who were making their way to join the anti-treaty side.

The second group of Republicans retreated from Coolcarrigan in a motor car and a delivery van and headed in the opposite direction towards Donadea.

At Ballagh Cross they turned left and at Newtownhortland (Leonards Cross) they turned left again.

At Knockanally gates they turned right, but on reaching the foot of Ovidstown Hill the Ford van ran out of petrol and had to be pushed inside the Knockanally Demesne gates .

Eight men were left on guard while the others continued to Enfield in the other motor.

A Free State truck came along the same road having spent the morning cutting felled trees that the irregulars left near Coolcarrigan to hinder them in their pursuit.

Firing commenced immediately, but within minutes another Free State truck arrived from the Carbury direction. Given the extensive firepower from two directions, five of the irregulars surrendered having very few bullets left.

A dispatch rider who arrived with instructions for the rebels was  also arrested.

A small number of irregulars made good their escape towards the Timahoe bog, following the footsteps of their fellow rebels 124 years previously who were retreating following the Battle of Ovidstown.

In July 1795 a number of men were executed for firing the first shots in the radicalised struggle that was to become the United Irishmen’s fight for freedom.

But it had not the initial cause of these local men — their agitation was that of an embryonic trade union to lobby for fair pay and fair rent of land.

Laurence O’Connor and Michael Griffin were arrested as the leaders and when they were brought to Naas gaol their followers knew there would be no easy justice.

O’Connor was to be made an example of and he was hanged drawn and quartered while Griffin remained in chains and his fate was never  discovered.

Thankfully all participants in the Knockanally encounter lived to tell the tale as peace gradually descended on one of the most pitiful stages in Irish history.

The only visible sign today are the occasional bullet holes visible in the walls of the pillars.

At this distance no judgement can be cast on who was right and who was wrong for all these men believed that they were fighting for their country.

MAIN PICTURE: Two families who are descended from participants in the events discussed on the night: Betty Walsh (Mulligan), Martina Gregory (Mulligan), Eddie Mulligan, Conor McHugh, Brid Corrigan (McHugh), Brian McHugh with James McHugh on his shoulders and Tim McHugh