McDowell to speak at Civil War commemoration in North Cork

FORMER attorney general and Progressive Democrats leader Michael McDowell is to give the oration on Sunday at a commemoration in North Cork of Ballygiblin-born IRA officer Seán O’Donoghue, who was slain by Free State Army soldiers near Cork city following an ambush that happened at the height of the Civil War.

Seán O’Donoghue, baptised as John, was born in Gurteenabowl, Mitchelstown, in 1898 to William and Nano O’Donoghue and attended Ballygiblin National School in the vicinity.

Sunday’s commemorative event, which will get underway at 12.30pm near Ballygiblin National School, is organised by a group including former Cork East Fianna Fáil TD and junior minister Ned O’Keeffe and is intended to be a non-party political event.

“The reason Michael McDowell has been invited to speak is that he had family members on both sides in 1922 — a relative of his was killed on Ben Bulben in Sligo, while another uncle of his took part on the Free State side in the Civil War,” said the former TD.

“An interesting part of this was that a Free State officer, who had been a friend of Seán O’Donoghue, went to his graveside and cried at the death of his friend.”

O’Donoghue was an IRA officer during the Civil War and led many successful operations for the Anti-Treaty forces. These incidents included an ambush at Dillon’s Cross and the capture of a small British army ship carrying ammunition from the recently disbanded Royal Irish Constabulary.

The steamship the Upnor was loading at the ordnance stores on Rocky Island with arms and ammunition from the RIC when O’Donoghue and his comrades of the 1st Brigade, 1st Southern Division of the IRA got to hear of it. A well organised and executed operation followed and the ship and arms were seized.

Captain O’Donoghue was killed on September 28, 1922 by Free State soldiers after he had been caught following an ambush and taken to a field behind the home of the Delaney family near Dublin Hill in Blackpool.