The East Limerick Brigade was formally established at the end of May 1918, in succession to the Galtee Battalion which originated in mid-1915 as an amalgamation of local Irish Volunteer units, following the initiation of that movement in late 1913. Brigadier Sean Wall of Bruff was appointed to take command; the leadership of the preceding Galtee Battalion having been disputed among followers of Liam Manahan from Ballylanders and Anglesboro’s Donnchadh O’Hannigan. The Brigade would ultimately comprise six battalions, numbered from north to south: Doon, Kilteely, Bruff, Kilmallock, Kilfinane, Galbally.
East Limerick Brigade area map (from Limerick’s Fighting Story, 1948)
2020 marks the 100-year anniversary of the East Limerick Brigade’s participation in the War of Independence. In all there were 28 fatalities – among Brigade members, among members of other Brigades in the Brigade area, and among natives of the Brigade area in other locations. Six casualties of the subsequent Civil War are also included. The enumeration reads, chronologically, as follows:
1] William SCULLY 1 2 — {native of} Glencar, Co Kerry [Ref] — {died} 28th May 1920 [4] — {at} Lord Edward St, Kilmallock
2] Patrick LYNCH 1 2 — Hospital [Ref] — 15th Aug 1920 — Fair Green, Hospital
3] Patrick CLANCY 1 2 — Cush, Kilfinane [Ref] — 16th Aug 1920 [4] — Derrygallon, Co Cork
4] John A LYNCH 1 — Kilmallock [Ref] — 22nd Sep 1920 [3] — Exchange Hotel, Parliament St, Dublin
5] Michael SCANLAN 1 2 — Galbally [Ref] — 27th Oct 1920 [4] — Military Hospital, New Barracks, Limerick
6] Thomas HOGAN 1′ 2 — Tankardstown, Kilmallock [Ref] — 26th Nov 1920 [4] — Mater Hospital, Dublin
7] Sean RIORDAN 1 — Thomastown, Kilfinane [Ref] — 14th Dec 1920 [3] — Kilmallock Union Hospital
8] Martin J CONWAY 1 — Grange, Bruff [Ref] — 27th Dec 1920 [3] — Caherguillamore, Bruff
9] Eamonn MOLONEY 1 2 — Grange, Bruff [Ref] — 27th Dec 1920 [4] — Caherguillamore, Bruff
10] John QUINLAN 1 — Grange, Bruff [Ref] — 27th Dec 1920 [3] — Caherguillamore, Bruff
11] Daniel SHEEHAN 1 2 — Grange, Bruff [Ref] — 27th Dec 1920 [4] — Military Hospital, New Barracks, Limerick
12] Henry WADE 1 2 — Cahernorry, Ballysimon — 27th3 Dec 1920 [4] — Military Hospital, New Barracks, Limerick
13] William SLATTERY 1 2 — Ballinvreena, Kilfinane [Ref] — 30th Dec 1920 [4] — Tipperary Military Hospital
14] Thomas MURPHY 1 2 — Ballylanders [Ref] — 1st Jan 1921 [4] — Glenbrohane
15] David TOBIN 1 2 — Ballinalacken, Glenbrohane — 1/2 Jan 1921 — Glenbrohane
16] Edmond CRAWFORD 1 2 — Glenlara, Knocklong [Ref] — 25th Mar 1921 — Kilmallock Union Hospital
17] James HORAN 1 — Inch-St. Laurence [Ref] — 1st May 1921 — Sraharla, Cork/Limerick border
18] Patrick STARR 1 2 — Silver Street, Nenagh [Ref] — 1st May 1921 — Sraharla, Cork/Limerick border
19] Patrick CASEY 1 2 — Caherelly [Ref] — 2nd May 1921 — Victoria Barracks, Cork
20] John FRAHILL 1 2 — Rath, Murroe [Ref] — 2nd May 1921 — Lackelly
21] Thomas HOWARD 1 2 — Ballingarry, Glenbrohane [Ref] — 2nd May 1921 — Lackelly
22] William RIORDAN 1 2 — Cullane, Ballylanders — 2nd May 1921 — Lackelly
23] Patrick RYAN 1 2 — Annagh, Murroe [Ref] — 2nd May 1921 — Lackelly
24] Sean WALL 1 2 — Bruff [Ref] — 6th May 1921 — Rahyvira, Annacarty, Co Tipperary
25] Timothy HENNESSY 1 2 — Ahabeg, Killonan [Ref] — 17th May 1921 — Cork Military Hospital
26] Edmond FOLEY 1 2 — Duntryleague, Galbally [Ref] — 7th Jun 1921 — Mountjoy, Dublin
27] Patrick MAHER 1 2 — Glenlara, Knocklong [Ref] — 7th Jun 1921 [4] — Mountjoy, Dublin
28] John O’MEARA 1 2 — Ballyhone, Emly [Ref] — 21st Jun 1921 — Emly
29] Donald MURPHY 1 — Liscarroll, Co Cork [Ref] — 28th Jul 1922 — Quarry Hill, Kilmallock
30] Robert BARRY 1 — Charleville [Ref] — 4th Aug 1922 — Kilmallock Hill
31] Daniel SHINNICK 1 2 — Castletownroche [Ref] — 4th Sep 1922 [4] — Glenacurrane
32] Hugh O’DONNELL 1 — Oola [Ref] — 7th Dec 1922 — Ballintubber, Kilfinane
33] John O’DEA 1 2 — Kilteely [Ref] — 1st Apr 1923 — Lisvernane
and
34] General Liam LYNCH 1 2 — Anglesboro [Ref] — 10th Apr 1923 — Clonmel, Co Tipperary
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Civil War Addendum: The Battle of Kilmallock, which took place between 23 July – 5 August 1922, was ‘possibly the most decisive of the entire field campaign’ (Eoin Neeson – The Civil War; 1968). A number of fatalities took place in addition to those listed above, but the sources are not in exact agreement. Neeson describes an engagement ‘near Pouldragoon Bridge, about a quarter of a mile south of the railway line’ on 24 July, which resulted in four Pro-Treaty fatalities. Mannix Joyce, in The History of Kilmallock (1987), writes the following. And see also a contemporary article here. One of the names listed in the latter article, D(enis) O’Mahoney, is also reported as a (Pro-Treaty) fatality by Neeson when writing of an engagement at Thomastown, Kilmallock on 25 July. Two further fatalities, one from each side, are linked to an Anti-Treaty attack on Bruree, dated 2 August. The extent to which some of the above reports may be differing versions of the same events is unclear – which gives the following note an important context:
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Documents relating to twenty-two of the above are held in the files of the Military Service Pensions Collection; namely – William SCULLY, Patrick LYNCH, Patrick CLANCY, Michael SCANLAN, Sean RIORDAN, Eamonn MOLONEY, Henry WADE, William SLATTERY, Thomas MURPHY, David TOBIN, Edmond CRAWFORD, James HORAN, Patrick STARR, Patrick CASEY, John FRAHILL, Thomas HOWARD, William O’RIORDAN, Patrick RYAN, Sean WALL, Edmond FOLEY, Patrick MAHER and John O’MEARA.
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The Fallen – Official Register
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These names are memorialised in a series of monuments erected throughout the region. Utilising information principally from irishwarmemorials.ie, the following inventory can be assembled. Identification numbers correspond with those in the above table.
Anglesboro [34] {Unveiling}
Ballylanders [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 26, 27] {Unv}
Bruff [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 24] {Unv} 2
Crohan Mountain [34] {Unv}
Cush [3] {Unv}
Derrygallon [3] {Unv}
Emly [13, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28] {Unv}
Galbally [5, 26, 27] {Unv}
Glenacurrane [31] {Unv}
Hospital [2] {Unv}
Kilmallock [1] {Unv}; [5]
Kilmallock, Bruff Road [30]
Lackelly [20, 21, 22, 23] {Unv}
Murroe [1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28] {Unv} 2
Newcastlewest [1] {Unv}
Oola [32] {Unv}
Quarry Hill [29] {Unv}
Sraharla [7, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25] {Unv}
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