Irish Medals

The information contained on this site is drawn from various locations including Newspaper Archives, Period Publications, The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Ireland’s Memorial Record, The Irish Military Archive, the UK National Archive, various rolls compiled over the years of veterans of the 1916 Rising and other conflicts, cemetery records and information submitted by visitors to the website. All the information has been verified as far as practical, errors and omissions exempt. 

There is a misconception that the Civil War began 28th of June 1922 with the shelling of the Four Courts. Many acts of aggression against Óglaigh na hÉireann/National Forces had already taken place resulting in the deaths of at least seven Óglaigh na hÉireann/National Forces soldiers. The kidnapping of Óglaigh na hÉireann/National Forces General Jeremiah O’Connell and the assignation Henry Hughes Wilson in London and pressure from the British Government who believed Wilson was assassinated by Anti-Treaty forces forced the government to act. The results of the General Election held on the 16th of June 1922 also showed that more people were in favour on the Treaty than against. 

 The Sinn Fein Pact

Sinn Féin knew that the June election would split the party and in an effort to retain unity a ‘Pact’ was drawn up and approved by both Pro and Anti-Treaty sides on the 20th of May 1922. Under the ‘Pact’, although coalition would be a better description, Sinn Féin agreed that both Pro and Anti-Treaty TDs would form a government. Under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty the Treaty had to be ratified by popular vote and the 2nd Dail had decided that the June general election, campaigned on the Treaty, would be that ratification. The ‘Pact’ did not affect the Treaty as the 3rd Dail would be the government of the Irish Free State as agreed in the Treaty. 

The June Election

In the June election Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin received 58 seats while Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin received 36 seats. Labour received 17, Farmers’ Party 7, Businessmen’s Party 1 and 9 Independents. 37 TDs were elected unopposed 17 Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin, 16 Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin and 4 independents. All Parties and Independents other than Anti-Treaty Sinn Féin supported the Treaty. Pro-Treaty parties and independents receive 486,275 votes while Anti-Treaty parties received 135,310 votes. In terms of seats the Pro-Treaty side had 92 while the Anti-Treaty side had 36.

Members of the 3rd Dáil returned in the June 16th 1922 election, the Free State came into effect of the 6th of December 1922.

Carlow–Kilkenny

1 W. T. Cosgrave Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

2 Patrick Gaffney Labour Party

3 Denis Gorey Farmers' Party

4 Gearóid O'Sullivan Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Cavan

5 Walter L. Cole Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

6 Arthur Griffith Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

7 Seán Milroy Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Clare

8 Patrick Brennan Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

9 Éamon de Valera Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

10 Sean Liddy Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

11 Brian O'Higgins Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

Cork Borough

12 Robert Day Labour Party

13 Liam de Róiste Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

14 Mary MacSwiney Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

15 James J. Walsh Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Cork East and North–East

16 John Dinneen Farmers' Party

17 Michael Hennessy Businessmen's Party

18 David Kent Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

Cork Mid, North, South, South–East and West

19 Michael Bradley Labour Party

20 Michael Collins Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

21 Daniel Corkery Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

22 Sean Hales Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

23 Seán Hayes Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

24 Seán Moylan Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

25 Thomas Nagle Labour Party

26 Daniel Vaughan Farmers' Party

Donegal

27 Joseph McGinley Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

28 Patrick McGoldrick Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

29 Joseph O'Doherty Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

30 Samuel O'Flaherty Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

31 Joseph Sweeney Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

32 Peter Ward Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Dublin County

33 Michael Derham Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

34 George Gavan Duffy Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

35 Darrell Figgis Independent

36 Desmond FitzGerald Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

37 Thomas Johnson Labour Party

38 John Rooney Farmers' Party

Dublin Mid

39 Alfie Byrne Independent

40 Seán McGarry Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

41 Seán T. O'Kelly Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

42 Laurence O'Neill Independent

Dublin North-West

43 Philip Cosgrave Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

44 Joseph McGrath Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

45 Richard Mulcahy Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

46 Michael Staines Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Dublin South

47 Thomas Kelly Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

48 Myles Keogh Independent

49 Daniel McCarthy Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

50 William X. O'Brien Labour Party

Dublin University

51 Ernest Alton Independent

52 James Craig Independent

53 Gerald Fitzgibbon Independent

54 William Thrift Independent

Galway

55 Bryan Cusack Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

56 Frank Fahy Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

57 Patrick Hogan Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

58 George Nicolls Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

59 Pádraic Ó Máille Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

60 Thomas J. O'Connell Labour Party

61 Joseph Whelehan Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Kerry–Limerick West

62 Piaras Béaslaí Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

63 Patrick Cahill Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

64 Con Collins Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

65 James Crowley Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

66 Fionán Lynch Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

67 Thomas O'Donoghue Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

68 Edmund Roche Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

69 Austin Stack Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

Kildare–Wicklow

70 Robert Barton Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

71 Christopher Byrne Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

72 Hugh Colohan Labour Party

73 James Everett Labour Party

74 Richard Wilson Farmers' Party

Leitrim–Roscommon North

75 Thomas Carter Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

76 James Dolan Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

77 Andrew Lavin Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

78 Count Plunkett Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

Leix–Offaly

79 Francis Bulfin Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

80 William Davin Labour Party

81 Patrick McCartan Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

82 Kevin O'Higgins Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Limerick City–Limerick East

83 Michael Colivet Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

84 Richard Hayes Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

85 William Hayes Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

86 Kathleen O'Callaghan Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

Longford–Westmeath

87 Laurence Ginnell Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

88 John Lyons Labour Party

89 Seán Mac Eoin Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

90 Francis McGuinness Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Louth–Meath

91 Eamonn Duggan Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

92 Peter Hughes Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

93 James Murphy Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

94 John J. O'Kelly Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

95 Cathal O'Shannon Labour Party

Mayo North and West

96 John Crowley Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

97 Thomas Derrig Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

98 Joseph MacBride Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

99 P. J. Ruttledge Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

Mayo South–Roscommon South

100 Harry Boland Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

101 Tom Maguire Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

102 Daniel O'Rourke Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

103 William Sears Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Monaghan

104 Ernest Blythe Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

105 Patrick McCarvill Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

106 Eoin O'Duffy Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

National University of Ireland

107 Michael Hayes Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

108 Eoin MacNeill Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

109 William Magennis Independent

110 William Stockley Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

Sligo–Mayo East

111 Frank Carty Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

112 James Devins Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

113 Francis Ferran Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

114 Alexander McCabe Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

115 Thomas O'Donnell Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Tipperary Mid, North and South

116 Séamus Burke Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

117 Joseph MacDonagh Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

118 P. J. Moloney Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

119 Daniel Morrissey Labour Party

Waterford–Tipperary East

120 Cathal Brugha Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

121 John Butler Labour Party

122 Daniel Byrne Farmers' Party

123 Nicholas Phelan Labour Party

124 Vincent White Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty)

Wexford

125 Richard Corish Labour Party

126 Michael Doyle Farmers' Party

127 Séamus Doyle Sinn Féin (Anti-Treaty)

128 Daniel O'Callaghan Labour Party

The Neutral I.R.A.

On Sunday the 4th of February 1923 delegates from all over the country attended a convention of the Old I.R.A at which an Irish peace Movement was inaugurated, the movement was known as the Neutral I.R.A., each delegate at the inaugural meeting represented 300 officers and men who had withdrawn from the I.R.A. since the Anglo-Irish Truce and had taken no part in the conflict. The meeting was held at Ls Scala Theatre, Princes Street, Dublin. The headquarters of the association were at 135 Thomas Street, Dublin. The following were elected on the Executive of the Association:

Dublin: Donal O’Hannigan, M J Burke, J O’Connor, Frank Burke

Mayo: Eamonn Gannon

Roscommon: Gerald O’Connor

Offaly: P Boland

Cork: F O’Donoghue

Waterford: George Lennon

Donegal: Frank Carney

Tipperary O’Dwyer: At the outbreak of the Civil War he was active with the Anti-Treaty side but with the formation of the Neutral I.R.A he became chairman of  Neutral I.R.A Tipperary Branch. He had served as O.C. 3rd Tipperary Brigade.

 Deansgrange Dublin:

Secretary M J Burke.

Former members of the 1st Battalion South Dublin Brigade:

Robert Soden

Thomas Griffin

Michael O’Tool and M York honorary treasures, W Duffy and T McCarthy secretaries, John Fox, J Hammond, W Kerns, T Browne, J Quigley.

Sligo:  E Gannon Ex C.O. Chairman, M M Tolan ex-Staff Captain. G Delaney, M E Hannon Treasures, J Tolan Secretary.

Eamonn Gannon was a member of the Volunteers from its inception as well as serving with Na Fianna Éireann from 1914. He mobilised during the 1916 Easter Rising, was arrested in May 1916 and interned until the following August. From 1919 to the end of the War of Independence he served as a Brigade Vice Officer Commanding and a Brigade Officer Commanding with the North Mayo Brigade Irish Volunteers and IRA. As well as organisational and training work and the transportation of arms, he took part in a number of IRA operations and attacks in counties Mayo and Sligo, including the attack on Enniscrone Coastguard Station in August 1920 and attacks on RIC and British personnel in Ballina and Bonniconlon, and also organised attacks on Easkey and Dromore West RIC barracks. He was captured by British forces in June 1921 and interned until January 1922. He was arrested by National Army forces in Ballina during the early stages of the Civil War and shot at while a prisoner by National Army Commandant Bannon. He acted as Director of Elections for P. J. Ruttledge, Republican candidate for North Mayo constituency in the 1923 General Election.

 

The Freemans Journal reported on the 23rd of February 1923 that three persons were apprehended by the Neutral I.R.A. in connection with the shooting of a man named Finnelly at Ballycumber County Offaly, the three, aged between fifteen and twenty years old, were to be handed over to the proper authorities.

In early February 1923 the Neutral I.R.A put forward proposal to both sides in the Civil War for a cease fire for one month during which negations could take place. Members of the Neutral I.R.A were politically Pro and Anti-Treaty advocating that the fighting would achieve nothing and the battle over the Treaty should take place at the ballot box not the battle field. The proposed cease fire was rejected by both sides.

During the first few months of 1923 several efforts were made to bring an end to the Civil War. The government offered and amnesty to Anti-Treaty troops, on condition that they sign a declaration not to undertake any action against National Army troops and surrender any weapons no action would be taken against them. The amnesty was successful to a degree with several ‘Flying Columns’ taking up the offer as can be seen from the above article.