New book is a tribute to a Corkman who fought for independence

Ireland’s revolutionary era is peppered with the names of many individuals whose exploits during the struggle for independence have guaranteed their place in the pages of many history books.

When one thinks about that era, the names of those who died in the Easter Rising of 1916 come readily to mind, as do the names of men like Michael Collins, Tom Barry and Dan Breen, who came to prominence during the War of Independence.

For many years, I have wondered why one man in particular has often been forgotten by historians in their analysis of that tumultuous era in our nation’s history. Time and again, he has not been included in the pantheon of Irish revolutionary heroes, denying him the recognition he richly deserves.

That man is Seán Moylan, who before giving sterling service to the state as a forward-thinking and innovative member of Dáil Eireann and as a government minister, excelled as wonderful leader of men in the War of Independence.

A complex, intriguing individual, he led by example throughout what was an extraordinary life.

Though he could be truculent and brusque at times with certain individuals, he was also a man of enormous comion and sincerity, with a genuine and unbreakable love for his country and the Irish people.

In my capacity as Historian in Residence for Ireland’s Own magazine, I have, for some years, been researching the Witness Statements in the Bureau of Military History and one of the first contributions I came across was that of Seán Moylan.

It was clear from reading his wonderfully enlightening statement that he was a man who had an extraordinary and engaging tale to tell. The fact this was buried deep in an archive not overly accessed by the general public was enough of an inducement for me to reintroduce Seán Moylan to a new generation of readers, and most especially those interested in modern Irish history.

It is clear from reading the statement that Moylan was an articulate, well-informed man who, despite his limited schooling, went to great lengths to educate and inform himself in relation to many topics and issues of the day in order to better understand the world in which he lived.

Moylan was born on November 19, 1888, at the home of his grandparents in Kilmallock, County Limerick, where his mother, Nora, spent the last few weeks of her pregnancy as a precaution after previous miscarriages.

Seán eventually became a proud son of the Duhallow region of County Cork, and of Newmarket, where his parents and his siblings lived, though he lost his father at a very young age.

Acceding to the wish of his mother, the teenage Moylan followed his late father into the carpentry and building trade but while his skills benefited him financially at various times during his life, his heart was not in that type of work.

Imbued with a strong sense of nationalism, mainly imparted to him by his mother’s people, he developed a desire to rid his country of British rule. It was no surprise that he went on to become one of the great military leaders of the IRA during the struggle for independence.

My book details the extraordinary life of Seán Moylan, who emerged as a major and very influential character in the war against the British during the years 1919-1921.

He, and the men he commanded, fearlessly confronted the enemy and managed to claim a string of notable IRA victories against all the odds which, to this day, are embedded in local and national folklore.

The purpose of my book is to revisit the life of a true Irish patriot and hero whose exploits during the War of Independence contributed, in no small way, to bringing the British to the negotiating table.

During the conflict, Moylan graduated from being Captain of the Newmarket Volunteers Company to Commanding Officer of the IRA’s Cork No 2 Brigade. He also led a very effective Active Service Unit which inflicted major damage on the forces of the Crown at places like Clonbanin and Tureengarriffe. Such was his military prowess that he had the distinction of not losing even one of his men in the many engagements he oversaw with the enemy.

During the conflict, he became a legendary, influential figure among his own people in Cork, not only because of his military activities but also because of his political work as a Sinn Féin member of Dail Eireann.

In May, 1921, Moylan was eventually captured by the British but because of an extraordinary set of circumstances he narrowly avoided the death penalty.

He went on to oppose the Anglo-Irish Treaty because it failed to deliver the Irish Republic he had gallantry fought for. During the Civil War he spent months in the U.S, at the behest of Éamon de Valera, raising money for the Republicans and championing the Anti-Treaty cause.

Some years after the Civil War, he was coaxed back into politics by de Valera, who saw in him a potential to contribute to the emerging Ireland under the stewardship of Fianna Fáil.

Moylan went on to be a popular, influential member of Dail Eireann and, in due course, was elevated to cabinet level. As a government minister in the Departments of Lands, Education and Agriculture, he made valuable and progressive economic and social contributions to the process that saw Ireland remove the shackles of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and assert herself as a truly independent nation.

Seán Moylan died suddenly at his Clontarf home on November 16, 1957, a genuine hero and patriot.