Remembering Kevin Barry, an Irish hero

KEVIN Barry was born in 1902, at No. 8 Fleet Street, Dublin. His parents were farmers from Carlow and ran a dairy business in the city. Following the death of his father in 1908, Kevin grew up between Carlow and Dublin and attended schools in Rathvilly, Rathmines and later Belvedere College.

Kevin was an able athlete who excelled at rugby and hurling. He was also a promising student and won a Dublin Corporation scholarship to the National University

While often depicted as an innocent schoolboy, Kevin was in fact a deeply committed republican and a seasoned volunteer solider. In 1917, aged just 15, Kevin joined the Irish

Republican Army. In 1919, he entered UCD as a medical student, but this did not prevent him from taking a full part in the tan war. During this time Kevin was involved in a number of successful operations, including raids on the Shamrock Works and Mark’s of Capel Street for weapons, ammunition and explosives.

On June 1, 1920, Kevin played a key role in a daring arms raid on the Kings Inn at Henrietta Street. The building was under the control of the British Army. Successfully overpowering the British soldiers, the IRA captured 25 rifles, two Lewis light machine guns and a large quantity of much needed ammunition.

On September 20, 1920, the IRA planned to ambush a British military convoy as it collected bread from Monks Bakery on Church Street and capture their arms.
Kevin Barry was among the volunteers handpicked for the operation. His role was to confront the

British soldiers in the back of the truck and seize their arms.
As the British convoy arrived at the bakery, Barry and his comrades ordered them to lay down their weapons. One of the British soldiers opened fire and a gun battle began. It is at this point that the ambush went badly wrong.

As Kevin tried to return fire, his gun jammed. He quickly fixed it, but as he returned fire it jammed again. With the element of surprise lost, the IRA began to retreat from the scene and Kevin dived for cover under the British truck, hoping to make his getaway as the truck moved off.

As the truck began to pull away, an old woman, who saw Kevin hiding and feared he would be run over, cried:

“There is a man under the lorry!

? The British soldiers soon arrested Kevin and began stabbing at his neck and stomach as they held him on the floor of the truck.

Barry was brought to the North Dublin Union where he was interrogated and tortured. He refused to answer any questions. The British told him if he named his comrades he could go free, but he still refused to talk. Barry was tried under military court martial for the murder of a British soldier killed in the ambush. He refused to recognise the court and was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging.

For the final days of his life, Kevin Barry was held in Mountjoy Prison. He did not consider himself a hero, although he most certainly became one. He faced his sentence with courage and is reported to have said:

“It is nothing, to give one’s life for Ireland. I’m not the first and maybe I won’t be the last. What’s my life compared with the cause?

?

Ninety-four years ago, on November 1, 1920, Kevin Barry became the first republican to be executed by the British since 1916. He was 18-years-old.